arksnoah21
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- Joined
- 13/5/09
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G'day all,
I've been fermenting a lager in a primary fermenter for the last 3 weeks and was getting ready to keg it yesterday. However, when i tested it, its reading had dropped from an OG of 1041 down to 1014 (an alc/vol% of around 3.5). The liquid in the hydrometer tube was also really carbonated, with bubbles floating rapidly to the top (I had to wait a little while so i could get an accurate reading through the bubbles). I've been brewing for around 5-6years, quite seriously over the past 2 years though, and this has only happened once before. I know that if i keg it, i'll just be pouring head, and if i bottle it, the damn bottles will near explode.
I have no idea what has happened and can't understand how it can be so carbonated whilst I have an airlock fitted. I'm assuming the beer is still fermenting, and can still see some small bubbles on the surface, though not quite the light film I'm used to seeing. As a result I am happy to leave it for a bit longer and hope its just fermenting really really slowly, but i don't want to do this and wait if the beer has gone sour. It tasted relatively ok, but probably not how i was expecting (it is a new recipe that i haven't tasted before though, extract pale malt with nelson sauvin and cascade hops, and i know the sauvin imparts a certain citrus bitterness). Anyways, as I don't have immediate access to a homebrew shop to give them a sample I was wondering if anybody has had this happen and if they had any words of wisdom? Should I transfer to a secondary fermenter, please help?
Cheers
Sim
I've been fermenting a lager in a primary fermenter for the last 3 weeks and was getting ready to keg it yesterday. However, when i tested it, its reading had dropped from an OG of 1041 down to 1014 (an alc/vol% of around 3.5). The liquid in the hydrometer tube was also really carbonated, with bubbles floating rapidly to the top (I had to wait a little while so i could get an accurate reading through the bubbles). I've been brewing for around 5-6years, quite seriously over the past 2 years though, and this has only happened once before. I know that if i keg it, i'll just be pouring head, and if i bottle it, the damn bottles will near explode.
I have no idea what has happened and can't understand how it can be so carbonated whilst I have an airlock fitted. I'm assuming the beer is still fermenting, and can still see some small bubbles on the surface, though not quite the light film I'm used to seeing. As a result I am happy to leave it for a bit longer and hope its just fermenting really really slowly, but i don't want to do this and wait if the beer has gone sour. It tasted relatively ok, but probably not how i was expecting (it is a new recipe that i haven't tasted before though, extract pale malt with nelson sauvin and cascade hops, and i know the sauvin imparts a certain citrus bitterness). Anyways, as I don't have immediate access to a homebrew shop to give them a sample I was wondering if anybody has had this happen and if they had any words of wisdom? Should I transfer to a secondary fermenter, please help?
Cheers
Sim