HELP: Still Fermenting After 4 weeks

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by ManilaBrewer, Jun 22, 2016.

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  1. ManilaBrewer

    ManilaBrewer Initiate (0) Jun 22, 2016 Philippines

    Hi Guys,

    I brewed my first all grain batch with a recipe kit bought at Northern Brewer. This is the Chinook IPA recipe:

    Brewday: May 22, 2016 with Gravity 1.057
    *on brewday the recipe instructed to mashout but the temp of the water I added wasn't enough to reach mashout temp.
    Transfered to secondary fermentor: June 2
    * added chinook hops

    The wort has been fermenting exactly a month today and the airlock is still bubbling every 6-7 seconds.

    I am assuming, given these conditions, the yeast is still active and hasn't completely consumed the sugars in my wort. Do you guys think I should bottle already or should I wait until the wort becomes dormant?
     
  2. Brewday

    Brewday Zealot (721) Dec 25, 2015 New York

    What's your gravity now.
     
  3. chrisjws

    chrisjws Grand Pooh-Bah (3,302) Dec 3, 2014 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Check your gravity. Under no circumstances should you bottle if it's still fermenting. That is, unless you like bottle bombs.
     
    PapaGoose03 and DrMindbender like this.
  4. ManilaBrewer

    ManilaBrewer Initiate (0) Jun 22, 2016 Philippines

    Current gravity is 1.026. Is it normal for wort to produce CO2 even if it's done fermenting?

    Not sure though if my current gravity reading is accurate since I used a refractometer, I read somewhere that you cant use refractometer on fermented wort
     
  5. ManilaBrewer

    ManilaBrewer Initiate (0) Jun 22, 2016 Philippines

    That's the reason why I was hesitant to bottle, just checked and little bubbles still go up the surface of the wort.
     
  6. DrMindbender

    DrMindbender Initiate (0) Jul 13, 2014 South Carolina

    Did you used the adjustment calculator to get that 1.026, or are you reporting the gravity the refractometer is directly reading? Have you taken a hydrometer reading as well? What yeast did you use? The mash out issue doesn't matter at all, but 4 weeks in and still ferementing is abnormal, unless you had a stuck fermentation that kicked up after transfer. Could be a possible infection if your gravity reading wasn't correct with the refractometer and you didn't sanitize correctly...I never secondary an IPA for dry hopping (seems most homebrewers don't anymore) because of risk of infection and oxidation, besides the fact that its just a PITA to add extra steps and extra cleaning for no reason. And as was already metioned, you should never bottle if fermentation is still active because you will just make bottle bombs and have one helluva mess on your hands!

    www.northernbrewer.com/learn/resources/refractometer-calculator/
     
  7. ManilaBrewer

    ManilaBrewer Initiate (0) Jun 22, 2016 Philippines

    Yes i used the northern brewer calculator. I do not have a hydrometer. I used Safale US-05 Ale Yeast. I was just following instructions since it's a recipe kit which said that I should do secondary fermentation. I always sanitize whenever I open the fermentor. You're probably correct that I had a stuck fermentation and kicked up after the transfer, because the bubbles are more frequent now vs primary fermentation.
     
    DrMindbender likes this.
  8. DrMindbender

    DrMindbender Initiate (0) Jul 13, 2014 South Carolina

    You really need to get a hydrometer...I have only had problems with my refractometer's post fermentation readings and quit using it years ago because the readings never jived with the hydrometer readings. It always seemed accurate for prefermentation readings though, which can be useful for all grain brewing as you can test your wort even while it's hot. Give it another few days and see if fermentation slows or is completed before taking another reading. I'd recommend not using a secondary in the future unless you are long term aging a brew and NEED to get it off the yeast cake. I do all "secondaries" (that are less than a month or so) in the primary fermenter and never have issues. It'll save you time, effort, cleaning and the risk of contamination and oxidation.

    Keep us up to date on this batch, but for now just have a homebrew and relax :slight_smile:
     
    scottakelly likes this.
  9. ManilaBrewer

    ManilaBrewer Initiate (0) Jun 22, 2016 Philippines

    Got it! Thank you!
     
    DrMindbender likes this.
  10. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    As for the bubbling question, the beer can be off gassing still. Also, things like outside temp and barometric pressure can make your fermenter bubble on its own, and this can all happen after your beer hits fg.
     
  11. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    In my experience Sean Terrill's refractometer calculator is very good, better than any other I have tried. And some of them are fairly bad. That's why I included Sean's (with a slight enhancement) in BrewCipher.
     
    ssam likes this.
  12. ManilaBrewer

    ManilaBrewer Initiate (0) Jun 22, 2016 Philippines

    I also reached out to Northern Brewer and they said that: "The bubbles coming through the airlock at this point are likely just CO2 coming out of solution as a result of the dry hops creating many new nucleation points in your beer"
     
  13. ManilaBrewer

    ManilaBrewer Initiate (0) Jun 22, 2016 Philippines

    Will check this out, Thanks!
     
  14. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    If you have a hydrometer, I'd take a reading and compare it to your recipe's expected FG to see where you are. I'm guessing that your answer from Northern Brewer about the 'nucleation from the hops' is the answer why you're still seeing bubbles. The hydrometer is invaluable to keep you from making wrong decisions based on calendar days.
     
    ManilaBrewer likes this.
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