Airlock activity stopped - why not bottle?

[eight]

Hi,
I'm making a Belgian triple. In the recipe it said that the guy let it ferment for 14 days, but he would recommend fermenting for 21 days since it's a heavy beer.
I pitched 2 baggies of yeast and it started vigorously fermenting within 3-4 hours and continued for 5-6 days.

Now I've found some threads that say that airlock activity is a good indicator of fermentation, given that the fermenter is sealed. And I'm sure many of you will tell me that it's not an good indicator and that I should use a hydrometer.

So why shouldn't I bottle it now if there is no airlock activity = no sugar is turning into alcohol and co2?

 

[Nuggethead]

Airlock activity is not an accurate indicator and if fermentation has not completed and you bottle to soon, you may risk having exploding bottles (bottle bombs)
Taking gravity readings is the only safe indicator when bottling.

 

[kh54s10]

If It is not at final gravity and you bottle it, you might get further fermentation in the bottles and could possibly get enough pressure to create bottle bombs.

The only way to be sure is to take gravity measurements.

The gravity can still go down without creating any airlock activity.

Don't bottle your beer before you are sure that fermentation is TOTALLY finished.

 

[prpromin]

On top of all of the above, yeast clean up after themselves. This may not result in a drop in gravity, but it will improve flavor. Especially with a tripel, leave it be for 14 (or 30) days. Your beer may be better for it.

 

[tallmike]

The gravity can still go down without creating any airlock activity.

How is this possible, given that gravity going down is the result only of fermentation, and fermentation causes airlock activity?

Unless it's not sealed well of course.

 

[MedicMang]

Now I've found some threads that say that airlock activity is a good indicator of fermentation, given that the fermenter is sealed.

Where did you read this? They are giving false information. Let's beat him/her up. Hydrometer all the way. I've had big beers take a month to ferment with no activity in the airlock for the last week. The yeast does need time to clean up a bit.


Sent from Cheese Doodle Land.

 

[eight]

MedicMang, over here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/airlock-activity-gauge-fermentation-163713/

 

[eight]

OK, the bottle bomb thing seems like a good reason to let it sit a bit longer.

What do you mean by yeast cleaning after themselves? What's the actual process?

 

[kh54s10]

How is this possible, given that gravity going down is the result only of fermentation, and fermentation causes airlock activity?

Unless it's not sealed well of course.

Not always. It can continue to drop and not create enough co2 that you will see it in the airlock. It could be slow enough that you would not see the bubbles. Or there might not even be any.

 

[sweetcell]

What do you mean by yeast cleaning after themselves? What's the actual process?

fermentation of sugar into alcohol is a multi-step process. first sugar is turned into X, X into Y, Y into Z, etc, with the last step being ethanol (alcohol). sugar and alcohol taste good, the intermediary products do not. yeast don't always complete the sugar -> alcohol chain of events, sometimes crumbs fall off the table mid-meal. during the peak of fermentation when there is a lot of sugar around, those crumbs don't look so good. but afterwards, those yeast are scrounging around and finishing off what they started (but didn't finish). this process produces very little to no CO2 but improves the flavor of your beer a lot. acetaldehyde and diacetyl are two of the better-known intermediary products that yeast will clean up, if given time.

 

[kh54s10]

MedicMang, over here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/airlock-activity-gauge-fermentation-163713/

I did not read all of that post. It is wrong to say you can judge the fermentation has finished by airlock activity. Airlock activity does indicate fermentation OR atmospheric change which will cause gasses to come out of solution. A gravity reading is the only way to be sure.

OK, the bottle bomb thing seems like a good reason to let it sit a bit longer.

What do you mean by yeast cleaning after themselves? What's the actual process?

Many, including myself feel the yeast continue to chew on things after they have eaten all the sugars in the wort. Fermentation itself creates some undesirable flavors. Given a little time after the final gravity has been reached allows the yeast to finish. How long this takes is up for debate. Some say a couple of days some say a month or more. I have never done anything with a beer in less that 14 days. I have done some high gravity beers that I left in primary for 3 weeks, secondary for 3 weeks and bottle for 3 weeks. They were not good until bottle conditioned for more than 2 months.

If you rush your Tripel I don't think you are going to be satisfied. I would leave this one in primary for at least 3 weeks then maybe secondary. After bottling I would wait until at least May for them to reach maturity. And they might not peak for another 4-6 months.

 

[eight]

Got it, thanks for the answers!

 

[MindenMan]

Sometimes yeast will produce "off flavors" during fermentation, and if you give them more time they will usually clean up the "off flavors", especially big beers like triples.
Once upon a time, beer after beer, different styles all gave me gushers. We all know CO2 trapped in the trub will usually release bubbles after the end of fermentation when the fermenter is swirled. I now swirl my fermenters even after the F.G has not moved in days. No release of gas, no bubbles when swirling. Some times this process is done in three weeks, sometimes in five weeks. I haven't had any gushers for a long time, and the taste of the beer with a couple of extra weeks added before bottling, tastes even better after bottle conditioning.

 

[sweetcell]

Many, including myself feel the yeast continue to chew on things after they have eaten all the sugars in the wort. Fermentation itself creates some undesirable flavors. Given a little time after the final gravity has been reached allows the yeast to finish. How long this takes is up for debate. Some say a couple of days some say a month or more. I have never done anything with a beer in less that 14 days. I have done some high gravity beers that I left in primary for 3 weeks, secondary for 3 weeks and bottle for 3 weeks. They were not good until bottle conditioned for more than 2 months.

two things are happening here - yeast clean-up, and conditioning. they're not quite the same thing.

yeast clean-up is a biological process, the last gasps of fermentation. this typically takes place in 1-3 days, if the conditions are right. in other words, don't cold-crash your beer as soon as there aren't any visible signs of fermentation... the yeast are still active in there, give 'em a few days.

conditioning is mostly a physical and chemical process (e.g., it happens even in beers where the yeast is filtered out). fine particulate in suspension drops out, certain alcohols degrade into different compounds, as the yeast falls out they drag down bitterness, micro-oxidation, etc. this process is slower than yeast clean-up.

 

[MedicMang]

MedicMang, over here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/airlock-activity-gauge-fermentation-163713/

So I read the thread a bit. I get his opinion on "well if it is bubbling, it's fermenting" but I am not about to bottle if the airlock stops bubbling. This seems clear though with all of the people responding in that thread and this one. I am sure excited to see bubbles in my airlock the day after I brew to show that fermentation has started, but it is a bad idea to use that "gauge" for when the beer is done. Saying that, I have bottled a couple of batches recently without checking gravity mostly because they stopped bubbling about 3 weeks ago. That, I think is safe. Probably a contradiction to my initial argument, but if you are trying to produce beer quickly; use your hydrometer.

 

[MedicMang]

Which to throw it out there, Diacetyl is a compound that is created FROM fermentation that is also "cleaned up" during the end of fermentation.

 

[kh54s10]

two things are happening here - yeast clean-up, and conditioning. they're not quite the same thing.

yeast clean-up is a biological process, the last gasps of fermentation. this typically takes place in 1-3 days, if the conditions are right. in other words, don't cold-crash your beer as soon as there aren't any visible signs of fermentation... the yeast are still active in there, give 'em a few days.

conditioning is mostly a physical and chemical process (e.g., it happens even in beers where the yeast is filtered out). fine particulate in suspension drops out, certain alcohols degrade into different compounds, as the yeast falls out they drag down bitterness, micro-oxidation, etc. this process is slower than yeast clean-up.

I know the difference and I think I described the difference.

Allow the yeast to clean up everything then allow the beer to condition so that you are getting the optimum flavors.

Different brews need differing times of conditioning to reach their full potential.

 

[BigFloyd]

Why rush a trippel off the yeast? They're a long-term project anyway. That beer is going to need 6+ months of bottle condition to reach its full potential. In the interim, brew something that's going to be ready to drink more quickly.