Brewing a Lefse (Northern Brewer)...A week in carboy and fermentation still going on albeit slowly up until yesterday, only a bubble burp once every 30 seconds or so...anyway, I took a hydro reading yesterday and it is definitely lower than OG but today the beer seems to have a slightly foamy head on it that was not there yesterday, as well as increased bubbles out of the airlock. Also noticed that the fermometer on the side went from a steady68/70 the last week to between 70/72 today. Would the slight increase in temperature cause the foam and apparent quickening of fermentation? My only hope is I didn't introduce some bug doing the hydrometer reading (I was very careful with sterilization etc) and that is what is causing the foamy head..Thoughts? Thanks for your help
Fermentation restarted at week mark or a bug?
- Thread starter RLosey
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What kind of yeast did you use? I routinely get a second phase which looks pillowy and bubbly, like bubble gum.
If the texture of the krausen changed, and is consistent throughout, it's probably just "phase two".
If the texture of the krausen changed, and is consistent throughout, it's probably just "phase two".
An increase in temperature would cause off-gassing, resulting in foam and airlock activity. Bubbles are only an indication of gas release, not fermentation. Use a hydrometer to be sure - steady readings over the course of three days usually indicate a lack of fermentation activity, regardless of what you think the airlock may be telling you.
Andrew5329
Well-Known Member
Frst of all, if you had a bacterial infection in your brew it would probably be turning all sorts of funny colors, so rest easy on that front.
As for your foam and CO2 release there are two main possibilities (though it might be a combination)
Opening and taking a sample might have agitated the brew "waking up" sluggish or prematurely dormant yeast, the slight increase in temperature compared to the room may very well be an indicator of this because when yeast is metabolically active it generates heat (much in the same way our own bodies do)
Take a reading and compare it to the one you took yesterday, if there's a change between readings then your fermentation is ongoing and just let it sit another week before you check it again.
The other possibility (and equally likely) could simply be that in moving around your fermenter you agitated the brew and it's releasing CO2.
Did the fermentation take off normally during the start? What was the Initial gravity, the current gravity from when you took your measurement, and what is the expected gravity that the recipe gives you?
I'm not sure what technique you use for taking your samples, but after my first brew and the fiasco of trying to take a sterile sample I had a stroke of common sense and bought a Turkey Baster. I'm sure there's a "proper" brewing tool with a dignified name but functionally it's the same as a baster and the baster costs all of $2.00. (Also made sanitation 99% easier)
If you can answer those questions myself or another poster should help identify exactly what is going on.
As for your foam and CO2 release there are two main possibilities (though it might be a combination)
Opening and taking a sample might have agitated the brew "waking up" sluggish or prematurely dormant yeast, the slight increase in temperature compared to the room may very well be an indicator of this because when yeast is metabolically active it generates heat (much in the same way our own bodies do)
Take a reading and compare it to the one you took yesterday, if there's a change between readings then your fermentation is ongoing and just let it sit another week before you check it again.
The other possibility (and equally likely) could simply be that in moving around your fermenter you agitated the brew and it's releasing CO2.
Did the fermentation take off normally during the start? What was the Initial gravity, the current gravity from when you took your measurement, and what is the expected gravity that the recipe gives you?
I'm not sure what technique you use for taking your samples, but after my first brew and the fiasco of trying to take a sterile sample I had a stroke of common sense and bought a Turkey Baster. I'm sure there's a "proper" brewing tool with a dignified name but functionally it's the same as a baster and the baster costs all of $2.00. (Also made sanitation 99% easier)
If you can answer those questions myself or another poster should help identify exactly what is going on.
Thanks for the good words guys....As for the yeast, Safbrew (55 I think) and boy oh boy DID it ever take off right from the start, it was a swirling bubbling centrifuge for about 12 hours and I was honestly in a panic to get er' to cool down, the self generated heat from the yeasties was a little nutty at first 
The OG was about 1.060, now it was my first time ever taking a hydro so it mighhht have varied just a wee bit. The recent one was more along the lines of 1.020, both readings seem to be within the parameters of what this beer/yeast is "supposed" to do if I remember the reviews correctly. I have one of the sample takers and I have to say I suck at it, I don't know if I am not covering the top hole properly or what but I don't get much beer at a time, I think I am going to the turkey baster myself
I feel confident in your answers as I was leaning toward the aforementioned from Andrew that I just disturbed it and got things going again a bit! The odd flare in temperature after an otherwise week of same o' same o' had me thinking the yeast came alive again... I have no intentions of bottling yet anyway, I am going to either secondary or leave it in carboy at least until next Wednesday. Just wanted to make sure I didn't give it cooties when I hydro'd. Thanks for the quick responses guys, you are like WebMD for beer !
The OG was about 1.060, now it was my first time ever taking a hydro so it mighhht have varied just a wee bit. The recent one was more along the lines of 1.020, both readings seem to be within the parameters of what this beer/yeast is "supposed" to do if I remember the reviews correctly. I have one of the sample takers and I have to say I suck at it, I don't know if I am not covering the top hole properly or what but I don't get much beer at a time, I think I am going to the turkey baster myself I feel confident in your answers as I was leaning toward the aforementioned from Andrew that I just disturbed it and got things going again a bit! The odd flare in temperature after an otherwise week of same o' same o' had me thinking the yeast came alive again... I have no intentions of bottling yet anyway, I am going to either secondary or leave it in carboy at least until next Wednesday. Just wanted to make sure I didn't give it cooties when I hydro'd. Thanks for the quick responses guys, you are like WebMD for beer !
Andrew5329
Well-Known Member
Well with a FG of 1.010 expected there is still some sugar left in your beer, but you still need to use a hydrometer 2 or 3 days in a row to confirm that it's unchanging.
I'm not sure how your sample kit works, but my hydrometer came in a clear plastic tube so when I pull beer out with a baster I squirt it into that tube and drop the hydrometer in to get my reading. (So if I need to get more beer it's not an issue)
Really any narrow/tall container.
I'm not sure how your sample kit works, but my hydrometer came in a clear plastic tube so when I pull beer out with a baster I squirt it into that tube and drop the hydrometer in to get my reading. (So if I need to get more beer it's not an issue)
Really any narrow/tall container.
Andrew5329
Well-Known Member
Sorry for the double post lol.
But in general, as a rule of thumb the biggest concern for contamination is at the beginning, the reason being that your brew is effectivly a race between the "good" microorganisms (your yeast) and the "bad" ones (bacteria). No matter what you do at home, you will never get your equipment completely sterile, it just wont happen, but because the yeast has such a huge advantage compared to the few bacteria floating around it competitively inhibits the bacteria they never reach numbers big enough to be a problem. (even more so as the brew continues as there is no known pathogen that can survive in properly finished beer)
While there's always a >0 chance of infection even at a late stage, as long as your relatively careful it's pretty rare.
But in general, as a rule of thumb the biggest concern for contamination is at the beginning, the reason being that your brew is effectivly a race between the "good" microorganisms (your yeast) and the "bad" ones (bacteria). No matter what you do at home, you will never get your equipment completely sterile, it just wont happen, but because the yeast has such a huge advantage compared to the few bacteria floating around it competitively inhibits the bacteria they never reach numbers big enough to be a problem. (even more so as the brew continues as there is no known pathogen that can survive in properly finished beer)
While there's always a >0 chance of infection even at a late stage, as long as your relatively careful it's pretty rare.
This post is relieving to me. Because I have a beer that started bubbling and foaming (a light pillowy foam) considerably after 12 days. It started about 5 hours after I switched the cap and blowoff tube for a rubber stopper and an airlock. I sanitized pretty well. I use a sanitizer that kills even Hepatitis A, B and C. and a list of bacteria that wouldn´t fit in 3 pages. Anyway, it re started bubbling. But knowing an infection at this stage is unlikely makes me feel safer. I had read something like that before. I also read Temp changes might trigger fermentation again, and here we have a summer weather already and I have no temp control at all.
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