Pliny clone update: almost 4 weeks in primary vessel

Take a gravity read in reassurance

 

Do your first dry hop in the primary, then transfer to secondary...give the yeast more time to finish up the brew/convert unwanted flavors and interact with the hops a little before putting in secondary for the second dry hop (I'm assuming you are doing at least 2 dry hops if its a Pliny clone). This will also cut down on the trub in the secondary when you rack it into a keg/bottle.

 

You don't need to take a reading every day. Take one, then take the next one 2-3 days later. This will yield the same practical information, with less mucking around in your beer.

 

is it possible that the beer is warming, and as such releasing CO2 that was previously held in solution while at a colder temp? otherwise, i have no effin' clue.

 

A slow trickle of bubbles from the yeast cake after primary fermentation is not uncommon. (My recent ESB did this.) Given this behavior plus 4 weeks in the primary indicates your beer is basically finished fermenting. I also like the idea of dry hopping in the primary.

 

pliny clones shouldn't dawdle around, they should get done asap. dry hop it now, add second dry hop asap. I'd skip the secondary, personally. although I generally leave my beers in primary for four weeks, my pliny clone was three weeks from boil to bottle, and included two dry hopping rounds, and came out fantastic.

 

Keg it. Without a beer gun, bottling will require you to rack the beer to a bottling bucket, stir in priming solution etc. etc., all the while picking up more O2 along the way.

I'd also consider skipping the gelatin. It should begin to clear on its own while you force carb it. But that's just my opinion. Looking forward to hearing how this one turns out.

 

Clarity isn't really a taste issue as much as it is a visual thing, so I'd give up on trying to get it clear (other than trying to keep the hop residue to a minimum). It seems to me that the real Pliny is not a clear beer anyway.

 

Gotcha.'