6 Weeks in the fermenter?

[cyto]

I have a double IPA that I put in the fermenter (Catalyst) on march 9, so monday the 20th will be 6 weeks. Right now it is VERY slowly fermenting based on the airlock cap being pushed.

I have been brewing for 20+ years and have never had a beer sit this long before bottling, I am pretty sure it is OK but I wondered if anyone had a beer sit in the fermenter for this long, or longer.

 

[Jayjay1976]

When you say its still fermenting slowly based on pushing the airlock, do you mean when you put pressure on it a bubble escapes?

 

[day_trippr]

Take a gravity reading yet?
Six weeks is like four+ weeks too long for an IPA...

Cheers!

 

[cyto]

When you say its still fermenting slowly based on pushing the airlock, do you mean when you put pressure on it a bubble escapes?

No, every once in a while a bubble escapes. I usually bottle when there is 0 pressure on the airlock and the inside cap that moves is resting on the bottom.
I have always bottled when the cap is on the bottom and stays there, which means there is no activity that is increasing the pressure.

Take a gravity reading yet?
Six weeks is like four+ weeks too long for an IPA...
Cheers!

No reading as I still see low activity, and it is a double IPA.

 

[cyto]

This is the airlock I am referring to.

 

[Jayjay1976]

No, every once in a while a bubble escapes. I usually bottle when there is 0 pressure on the airlock and the inside cap that moves is resting on the bottom.
I have always bottled when the cap is on the bottom and stays there, which means there is no activity that is increasing the pressure.



No reading as I still see low activity, and it is a double IPA.

I would go ahead and package it. Daily temperature fluctuations can cause the CO2 to come out of solution and gives the appearance of slow fermentation. Take a gravity sample today, then another in 3 days. If it has hit expected FG and is unchanged for three days then fermentation is complete.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Hey also, what strain of yeast did you use? Have you used it before, and was it a fresh packet or a re-pitch of saved yeast from a previous batch?

Just trying to rule out diastaticus and get an idea of the chance it might be an infection. With 20+ years of brewing under your belt I would assume you either have stellar sanitation practices or have dealt with infections in the past and would have already recognized it.

 

[cyto]

Hey also, what strain of yeast did you use? Have you used it before, and was it a fresh packet or a re-pitch of saved yeast from a previous batch?

Just trying to rule out diastaticus and get an idea of the chance it might be an infection. With 20+ years of brewing under your belt I would assume you either have stellar sanitation practices or have dealt with infections in the past and would have already recognized it.

I use my own yeast strains. I have a degree in Cell Biology/Chemistry and am have board certifications in cytology and molecular biology. I am certain that there is no infection and it smells fine.

I think that I will bottle it tomorrow.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I use my own yeast strains. I have a degree in Cell Biology/Chemistry and am have board certifications in cytology and molecular biology. I am certain that there is no infection and it smells fine.

I think that I will bottle it tomorrow.

Thanks everyone.

I think I see a pellicle in your airlock. Are you sure it's not an infection?

 

[cyto]

I think I see a pellicle in your airlock. Are you sure it's not an infection?

That is some crud that ended up in the airlock during the early fermentation, I am certain that the beer is free of infection.

 

[IslandLizard]

Take a gravity reading yet?
Six weeks is like four+ weeks too long for an IPA...

Exactly!

You can take a gravity reading without minimally disturbing the headspace. Snake some skinny tubing through a bung similar to the one for the airlock. Leave a foot or so on the bottom. Swap the bungs out, and suck-siphon some beer out into a container for a hydrometer test.

For IPAs 6 weeks in the fermenter is way too long. Start taking readings earlier say after a week of fermentation, or a few days after she is mostly done. That way you can time your dry hopping, and packaging.

Did you dry hop this? When and with how much? Hop creep can cause some additional attenuation.

 

[cyto]

Dry hopped with 4oz of Pekko

 

[IslandLizard]

Dry hopped with 4oz of Pekko

How long ago?

 

[IslandLizard]

Since these are your own yeasts, you probably have no data on their actual attenuation level. Or any enzymes they may have brought along.

Therefore, you may want to fill a reference bottle, just in case:
When you start transferring the beer to your bottling bucket, first fill a plastic soda bottle with it (so it has no priming sugar), cap, squeeze out the air and tighten the cap down well. Store at room temps. If there's any additional fermentation your bottle will swell and get hard.

When bottling perhaps add some bottling yeast?

 

[cyto]

How long ago?

4 weeks ago, I am going to bottle it tomorrow. Just sterilized the bottles.

 

[cyto]

Since these are your own yeasts, you probably have no data on their actual attenuation level. Or any enzymes they may have brought along.

Therefore, you may want to fill a reference bottle, just in case:
When you start transferring the beer to your bottling bucket, first fill a plastic soda bottle with it (so it has no priming sugar), cap, squeeze out the air and tighten the cap down well. Store at room temps. If there's any additional fermentation your bottle will swell and get hard.

When bottling perhaps add some bottling yeast?

Honestly I really don't worry about getting too technical with the specs when I homebrew. I have done enough of that in the labs that I have worked in.

I do keep detailed notes from every batch though. The originating strain was Safeale US-05, this is the 6th generation from a dry pack. Over the years I have figured out that if you follow sterile procedures and don't get too crazy with ingredients the brew will come out ok. I experiment a lot and figure out my own recipes, if something doesn't come out so good I don't do it again. I can honestly say that I have never had a contaminated batch. This recipe was inspired by Bell's Hopslam to make this batch.