Dry hop added and air-lock activity picked up when fermentation supposed to be over

[Luxy]

Hi all,

Have a batch of beer been fermenting for 3 weeks now, however I added dry hop in a bag 3 days before the 3 weeks mark. After adding the hop bag, the air-lock bubbling becomes more active. Should I just bottle it at the 3 weeks mark or I should wait for the air-lock activity to stop before bottling?

Rgds.

 

[wepeeler]

It's most likely just CO2 burping from adding the dry hops, but it could be hop creep. Can you taste a sample before bottling?

 

[Luxy]

Hi @wepeeler,

Unfortunately I cant sample before bottling but maybe I can plug a alcohol drenched wool on the air-lock openings and drain some sample. Just a question, why sampling? Is it to test if the aroma of the dry hop has reached the desired level? I am concern if I bottle it and the fermentation has not completed and end up with bottle bombs.

Went to read abit on dry hop creep....not sure what to do now. How to differentiate between CO2 burping and dry hop creep? Can you still bottle the beer if its dry hop creep but add lesser carbonation sugar or dun add any at all?

I used magnets to pull the hop bag down along the wall of the fermenter to ensure it is fully submerged under the beer. I upload a video to show how it looks so many can give a clearer picture of the condition. Now that i posted a video, i noticed there is a bigger bubble escaping constantly from the hop bag but the many tiny bubble rising all around is the reason that makes me wondering if fermentation has completed and I can bottle the beer.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[fluketamer]

took me a little while but hop creep is the term you are looking for.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/hop-creep-question.699745/

 

[wepeeler]

CO2 is released from the trub settling in the bottom of the fermenter. That's why you can still see airlock activity long after fermentation is over. Hop creep is when dry hops cause a mini refermentation, and it results in diacetyl. That's why I was asking if you can sample it. You can smell and taste diacetyl.

 

[PCABrewing]

I have had this happen a couple times with NO ill-effect.
Why can't you sample before bottling????
You can't undo it so sampling before bottling might save you some work if it isn't worth bottling.

 

[PCABrewing]

Somewhere on here there is a great quote about home brewers being able to find more things to worry about.
If nothing else here is true, that sure is.

 

[IslandLizard]

CO2 is released from the trub settling in the bottom of the fermenter.

Perhaps some of it.

As @wepeeler said, it's mostly likely dissolved CO2 in the beer that's being released. This is due to adding the hops, creating nucleation sites, and perfectly normal.

One benefit, it helps purge the headspace somewhat.

 

[Luxy]

Hi all,

Thanks for the feedbacks. So what I should do next is to take a sample, if there is no buttery smell or taste of diacetyl then I can go on to bottle the beer. If there is presence of buttery taste/smell then the batch is not worth bottling and I should dump it. This is what I have manage to grasp from all the feedbacks.

Thanks again for all the help. @fluketamer will go through the thread you gave first thing in the morning!

 

[PCABrewing]

Hi all,

Thanks for the feedbacks. So what I should do next is to take a sample, if there is no buttery smell or taste of diacetyl then I can go on to bottle the beer. If there is presence of buttery taste/smell then the batch is not worth bottling and I should dump it. This is what I have manage to grasp from all the feedbacks.

Thanks again for all the help. @fluketamer will go through the thread you gave first thing in the morning!

You may want to take a look at this one as well: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/dry-hopping-diacetyl-then-no-diacetyl.728145/

 

[505-Brewer]

Spend some time reading about diacetyl and learn how to do a forced diacetyl test. Just smelling and tasting the beer is not always sufficient. The threshold for the diacetyl precursor is much higher and hence can go undetected . Then the diacetyl precursor turns to diacetyl leaving you with diacetyl laden beer.

I miss the days before hop creep. Was never a worry back then.

Oh and dont dump it if you taste diacetyl. Beer needs more time for yeast to clean up. You can rack it off the hops if need be into a new carboy or into a keg but then dont carb. Leave warm. Until forced diacetyl test is negative.

Cheers

 

[wepeeler]

I was talking with a pro brewer, and he told me they were having a very tough time with hop creep when using dry US05. They stopped using it altogether and now use liquid Chico. Just some food for thought.