Low SG, but still fermenting

Paul Bennett · Post by **Paul Bennett** » Tuesday Aug 23, 2005 2:17 pm

19 days ago I put on a Brigalow lager/dextrose/Saflager (farmed) and the SG calculator gave me a range 1.048 to 1.006. 15 days ago I put on a Coopers lager/LME/dextrose/Saflager (farmed), with figures of 1.043 to 1.009.

Today, for two days, my hydrometer has shown both beers at 1.004. OK to bottle, right?

Wrong. I have just done a careful sight check on the airlocks, and both are still blooping, the 19-day-old Brigalow at about 30 min intervals, and the Coopers a bit slower.

I have seen what an exploding bottle did on two occasions, and I swear I'll never see another, so I am reluctant to bottle. Has anyone else brewed to such a low SG (lower than the calculator predictions) but still seen movement in the airlock?

The fermenters are in a Brisbane garden, shaded from the sun, at temperatures from 9 to 24 degrees.

Paleman · Post by **Paleman** » Tuesday Aug 23, 2005 2:26 pm

I wonder if the blooping is to do with the large difference in temperature range 9-24 degrees.

Maybe expansion and contraction of your fermenter and/or gases inside. I would say that those final sg's are pretty close to final. I have found that some activity through the airlock doesnt neccessarily mean the yeast is still active.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tuesday Aug 23, 2005 3:42 pm

If it were just temp. diference, it would happen perhaps once in the morning and once in the evening, or when there's a sudden change in atmospheric temp. (which doesn't happen here), but my locks are blooping, very slowly, throughout the day. I just went out and looked, and the airlock water level has moved about 4mm in the past hour. It's about to bloop again.
I have never seen this before when brewing ales in the summer. They bloop like mad, then slow down, then stop entirely after 4 or 5 days. I am wondering whether my present bloopation is anything to do with using farmed Saflager rather than virgin Saflager from the sachet. The two lager brews I made just before my current pair used Saflager from the sachet, and fermentation was all over in about 11 days, and the SGs were much higher, at 1012.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tuesday Aug 23, 2005 3:45 pm

I am not a guest. I am Paul Bennett, and I started this section. How do I reply to this thing without seeing "user name already taken" ?

Post by **Oliver** » Tuesday Aug 23, 2005 4:27 pm

Paul,

You need to make sure you're logged on before you post.

If you go to the front page of the forum here - http://www.homebrewandbeer.com/forum/index.php - there's a logon bit down the bottom where you enter your username and password.

Otherwise click on "Log in" at the top of that page.

Let me know if you have any more problems.

Oliver

Post by **Oliver** » Tuesday Aug 23, 2005 4:29 pm

Paul,

The 1004 SG is well within the bottling range.

The slow blooping is of no consequence. All it means is that some residual sugars are very slowly being fermented. This will not present a problem.

Bottle the buggers

Oliver

Paleman · Post by **Paleman** » Tuesday Aug 23, 2005 4:36 pm

And bugga the blooping !!

gregb · Post by **gregb** » Tuesday Aug 23, 2005 6:23 pm

I'd leave till the weekend to bottle, but that is more to do with free time.

Greg.

Dogger Dan · Post by **Dogger Dan** » Wednesday Aug 24, 2005 2:20 am

Its cool.

If you transfered it to leave the sediment behind it would stop. It is just an over agressive yeast. I would transfer it today, let it sit until the weekend to clear and bottle

Dogger

Paul Bennett · Post by **Paul Bennett** » Wednesday Aug 24, 2005 10:13 am

Thanks all, for the blooping tips, and for how to reply to my own section.
Five minutes ago, I finished bottling the 20-day Brigalow lager, as it showed 1004 again, for the third day. (It tasted good. I tried Brigalow instead of Coopers to make a saatzy lager because it seems to be out of fashion. I think people connect it with the bad old days. If it's bonzer, I'll tell you in December.)