# Airlock Bubbling, Fg Staying The Same ?



## Solomon (31/10/12)

Hey guys
its been about 7days from when i started this brew.
The airlock is still bubbling away. its bubbles about once every minute or so. But i took a gravity ready 2 days ago and it was 1020 took another on today and it was also 1020. The OG was 1050.

Its a tooheys special draught kit with an Ale yeast that im making. 
I havent done anything special to it just followed the instructions and added the liquid brewing sugar (1kg).

It tastes pretty good at the moment. but Im confused my understanding was that if its stopped fermenting the airlock should stop bubbling.

Also the instructions say that the FG should be around 1006.

not really sure whats happening with it.

i kept the temp at 18C for the first 5 days then the last two the temps gone up to about 24-26 ( i was told this was good, as the main fermentation was already done and it wont affect the flavour or get any infections).

Hoping you guys can help me out. I was thinking that if the gravity is still 1020 tomorrow i will just bottle it. by my calculations that should give me a 4.6% alcohol beer.

Thanks
Solomon


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## freezkat (31/10/12)

Solomon said:


> Hey guys
> its been about 7days from when i started this brew.
> The airlock is still bubbling away. its bubbles about once every minute or so. But i took a gravity ready 2 days ago and it was 1020 took another on today and it was also 1020. The OG was 1050.
> 
> ...



are you going to bottle? If so, wait 2 more weeks. We don't want any bottle bombs. This is why I like doing a secondary ferment in a glass carboy. You can see the gas bubbles or if an infection is starting. If you can see tiny bubbles, it's not done yet.

If you are going to keg, chill the hell out of it and keg it a couple days later


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## hsb (31/10/12)

I'd be inclined to trust your hydrometer and the targets from your fermentables. 'Bubbling' isn't necessarily a sign of fermentation. Airlocks yee not bee trusted. 
Anyone else making the Tooheys Special Draught Kit? - 1020/1006 sounds like a big discrepancy, but then 1006 sounds pretty ambitious too.

I agree with the cautionary approach, there's no rush, make like a monk and give it another week?


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## tuckerle71 (31/10/12)

I've found that if your hydrometer sample tingles on your tongue (i.e. CO2 still dissolved in solution), then it is still fermenting.

That said, I usually wait 2 weeks before I bottle as it gives a bit of time for most of the yeast to drop to the bottom while still leaving plenty in solution for carbonation.


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## verysupple (31/10/12)

hsb said:


> I agree with the cautionary approach, there's no rush, make like a monk and give it another week?



+1

Leaving it in another week or so will only make it better. Airlocks bubbling tell you one thing - not necessarily anything about fermentation - and one thing only. All they tell you is the pressure inside the fermenter relative to that outside the fermenter. I don't know where you're from or how stable the temp is where you're brewing but what can happen is that the beer cools slightly overnight, reducing the pressure inside the vessel (this could mean air bubbles into the vessel instead of out of it). Then the next day as things warm up again the beer expands and the air bubbles out again. This situation is not a good one as air is getting into the beer, however it's unlikely this is happening with yours. What is more likely is that although fermentation has completed there is still CO2 dissolved in the beer that is slowly escaping. So to make a long story short, trust the hydrometer (and make sure you're using it correctly).


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## jaypes (31/10/12)

I bottled my first batch last weekend, it had dissolved CO2 that was very noticeable when hydrometer readings were taken - bubbles on the side etc.

In saying that my hydro readings were stable for 5 days.

I am certain that the fermentation had finished, if not we might have hiroshima in my garage


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## Solomon (31/10/12)

Well it seems that everyone agrees to wait longer. So that's what I will do. Freezkat - I am going to bottle it and no I don't really want any bottle bombs. It could be interesting waking up to explosions in my bath tub hahahha. HSB - I definately will trust the hydrometer and wait longer thanksMrTucker - I didn't know that the tingle on the toung ment it's still fermenting. Good info to learn thanks. Mines is still doing that. So another reason to wait more. Verysupple - I don't have that problem of air getting in over night, but when I take a reading air does get sucked back it. It's not much like it'll happen once while I'm tapping it out. Is this gunna be a problem??
I will now "make like a monk"


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## going down a hill (31/10/12)

Have a read of this article, do what it says and you will be a lot more certain if it is finished or not. http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showarticle=130
It sounds too high for my liking.


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## JDW81 (31/10/12)

MrTucker said:


> I've found that if your hydrometer sample tingles on your tongue (i.e. CO2 still dissolved in solution), then it is still fermenting.



CO2 dissolved in solution does not necessarily mean fermentation is still happening.

At any point in time a liquid (especially one that has had anaerobes fermenting in it) will have CO2 dissolved in it. CO2 is a highly dissolvable in water, and the amount which will be in solution depends on temperature and pressure aka Henry's Law. 

_At a constant temperature, the amount of a given gas that dissolves in a given type and volume of liquid is directly proportional to the partial pressure of that gas in equilibrium with that liquid. _

If fermentation has only finished a few days before there will still be a heap of CO2 still in solution as it won't have come to equilibrium with the CO2 in the atmosphere. I've had ales in the fermenter for 5 weeks and when I racked into the bottling bucket a heap of CO2 still comes out of solution.

Long story short trust your hydrometer, not the bubbles in either the airlock or the beer.

JD


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## yum beer (31/10/12)

Have you calibrated that hydrometer, 1050 OG seems a little high. If its a cheap hydro from Im assuming a tooheys kit then it may be a few points out.

My coopers hydro is 4 points out at 20c.



I would be expecting this sort of brew to finish at 1012-1014 so its possible that your hydro reading is 'right'.


Check your hydro in room temp water(or 20c if you have a thermometer) and adjust accordingly.



I agree with leaving it another week at least before bottling to ensure its finished and to allow it to start settling out and clearing up.


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## Solomon (31/10/12)

yum beer said:


> Have you calibrated that hydrometer, 1050 OG seems a little high. If its a cheap hydro from Im assuming a tooheys kit then it may be a few points out.
> 
> My coopers hydro is 4 points out at 20c.
> 
> ...





Yeah i was thinking it may be out. ill try and get it at 20c other wise i might just do some cold tap water and leave it for an hour then test it. And yeah ill adjust my readings then.



ill post my results. thanks


and *going down a hill - *ill have a read of that article aswell.



Thanks everyone

Solomon


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## Black Devil Dog (31/10/12)

yum beer said:


> Have you calibrated that hydrometer, 1050 OG seems a little high. If its a cheap hydro from Im assuming a tooheys kit then it may be a few points out.
> 
> My coopers hydro is 4 points out at 20c.
> 
> ...




How do you calibrate your hydrometer? Is it just a matter of putting water in the tube and taking a reading, which I think should read 1000, if it doesn't do you then make allowances accordingly when taking gravity readings?

Or is there some other way of calibrating?


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## Solomon (1/11/12)

So I checked the hydrometer and at room temp with water it reads 1006. So I'll take that away from my OG and FG and that means it will be 1044 and 1014 which sounds more right. Should be that I can start to bottle. But I still might wait the extra week as everyone says. 
Hopefully u guys all agree with this.
ThanksSolomon


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## crd0902 (1/11/12)

That sounds reasonable. Think a lot of people ferment for 2 weeks and chill for a week, as a ball park so yeah just wait it out it won't hurt it


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## Solomon (1/11/12)

verysupple said:


> +1
> 
> Leaving it in another week or so will only make it better. Airlocks bubbling tell you one thing - not necessarily anything about fermentation - and one thing only. All they tell you is the pressure inside the fermenter relative to that outside the fermenter. I don't know where you're from or how stable the temp is where you're brewing but what can happen is that the beer cools slightly overnight, reducing the pressure inside the vessel (this could mean air bubbles into the vessel instead of out of it). Then the next day as things warm up again the beer expands and the air bubbles out again. This situation is not a good one as air is getting into the beer, however it's unlikely this is happening with yours. What is more likely is that although fermentation has completed there is still CO2 dissolved in the beer that is slowly escaping. So to make a long story short, trust the hydrometer (and make sure you're using it correctly).






Should i be worried about the air getting in everytime i Check the gravity. Ive only checked it about four or five times?



crd0902 said:


> That sounds reasonable. Think a lot of people ferment for 2 weeks and chill for a week, as a ball park so yeah just wait it out it won't hurt it




Alright cool. next week i will bottle. When you say "Ferment for 2 weeks then chill for a week" what do you mean? With my last two batches (which failed lol) after fermentation i bottle them and left them in a dark place at about 18-22C for two weeks before putting them in the fridge and tasting?

Is this a good method?


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## verysupple (1/11/12)

Solomon said:


> Should i be worried about the air getting in everytime i Check the gravity. Ive only checked it about four or five times?



Nah, happens to me all the time. Each time you take a reading you're only sucking in a tiny bit of air so it's no problem.


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## yum beer (1/11/12)

Solomon said:


> Should i be worried about the air getting in everytime i Check the gravity. Ive only checked it about four or five times?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



How are you checking the gravity...if you are taking samples from your tap(as you shoud be) just dont let it flow enough to pull air through the air lock, may take 2 or 3 goes.
Check it before pitching yeast, then 5 days later then every 3 days till you get steady readings, when steady leave another 5-10 days.


Chill for a week means to put the fermenter into a fridge and leave it at 1-4c for a week before bottling, this stops the yeast and helps to clear your brew but is not necessary,
if you dont have a spare fridge then dont worry,if you have great get onto temp control..

As you are only starting out simply let this batch sit a week then bottle...given your hydro readings and test it sounds ready. Look into temp control and fridges as your work
your way down the merry path.... :icon_cheers:


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## yum beer (1/11/12)

Black Devil Dog said:


> How do you calibrate your hydrometer? Is it just a matter of putting water in the tube and taking a reading, which I think should read 1000, if it doesn't do you then make allowances accordingly when taking gravity readings?
> 
> Or is there some other way of calibrating?




Water into test tube and allow to come to ambient or use a thermometer to get it to 20c then take a reading. Make adjustments from that.
Most 'kit boxes' come with a dodgy hydro, especially if they are plastic, once you know how far out it is then your all good.


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## Black Devil Dog (1/11/12)

yum beer said:


> Water into test tube and allow to come to ambient or use a thermometer to get it to 20c then take a reading. Make adjustments from that.
> Most 'kit boxes' come with a dodgy hydro, especially if they are plastic, once you know how far out it is then your all good.







Thanks for that.


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## Solomon (1/11/12)

yum beer said:


> How are you checking the gravity...if you are taking samples from your tap(as you shoud be) just dont let it flow enough to pull air through the air lock, may take 2 or 3 goes.
> Check it before pitching yeast, then 5 days later then every 3 days till you get steady readings, when steady leave another 5-10 days.
> 
> 
> ...




Yeah thats how im checking it. ill try harder to not let air in. cool well it sounds like im on the right path. so ill keep going this way.
Unfortunately i dont have a spare fridge oh well.



Thanks again

Solomon


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## jaypes (1/11/12)

Solomon said:


> Unfortunately i dont have a spare fridge oh well.



Ebay for a second hand bar fridge <$50


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## wbosher (1/11/12)

Slightly off topic - calibrating plastic Coopers Hydrometer

See this - http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=68376

Hope it helps.


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