Should I stop active fermentation

[BrewNoob78]

Hey Guys/Gals,

I am in my 5th year doing extract kits and for the first time actually went into a brew store and bought fresh ingredients for a found recipe opposed to a NB kit. It was a wheat (oberon clone) recipe and we are using WLP400 (Belgian Wit) yeast. Did a starter for it, added 1/4 tsp of DAP (yeast energizer) to the starter and left it on the stir plate for roughly 12-14 hours. Did the normal brew session and then pitched the yeast at temp per usual. Temp dropped down to about 59 F at pitch and I slowly warmed it up to 68 (temp I wanted to hold at). We reached temp but the yeast was slow to start day 1. Day 2 Krausen was up through the air lock so I popped it out and added the blowoff which sits in a 5 gallon bucket of Star San. Once the Krausen looked to subside I popped a clean air lock back in. Another 3 days goes by and I get another blow out excpet this time it was enough pressure to push the lid almost all the way off on one side and seaped a bit of krausen out. I wiped up what I could popped the lid back down, put the blow out tube in and then had to tape the lid down as it just kept coming back up. I have just left the blowoff tube in at this point as I am not keen on the mess I just had to clean up. We are now on day 12 and I am still getting a bubble every 5 secs and you can see the fermentation actively going inside. Typically every beer I have done has hit the 30-40 sec a bubble mark by day 12. I dont see this slowing down by the end of the second week in primary (this coming Saturday). The temp was pushed up to 71 F for these last 2 days just to try and ensure we are cleaning up, but with as active as this brew has been I am not sure it was really necessary.

Few questions:

1.) Should I consider dropping the temp to dormant the yeast the closer I approach to my second week? I cant imagine by Saturday (3 days) its going to be churning like this but its hard to tell at this point as I expected to see it slow down already. I would assume racking inot a secondary while active is not a good idea.

2.) Was using the DAP overkill?

3.) Should I be overly concerened with the lid popping off? It was caked with Krausen so I just did a quick wipe with Star San soaked towel, got what I could and just pushed the lid back on and taped it down as I was concerned about exposure to the elements during an extremely active ferementation. I am hoping the dried Krausen on the lid wont cause an infection but I dont know.

Thanks for any insights.

Brew Well!

 

[DVCNick]

I only had a lid actually pop off on me once. I imagine there is definitely an elevated risk, but hopefully the outward pressure is enough to limit it. Had an extra clean lid available, so I just sanitized it and replaced the one that was popped off. As far as I know, there was no infection in the batch.

Personally I've had fermentations proceed at different rates, and especially ones that I didn't oxygenate, I've noted take longer and can definitely still be swirling at 2 weeks and beyond. (I've never needed a blowoff tube two weeks in though).

Personally I wouldn't stop it while it looks like it is actively fermenting; I'd wait till it was still + a few days before packaging. But opinions might vary.

 

[bucketnative]

Fermentation will be done when it's done, why would you want to stop it before it is complete? I agree that this sounds like an interesting fermentation, but I would still let it complete on it's own schedule. Beer will be done when the microbes are finished fermenting, not when the software or paper instructions predict it will be done.

I don't think DAP hurt (or caused) you situation. The yeast are going to ferment sugars available to them. Sounds like you had a very fermentable wort, and in my experience, the extra protein in a witbier tends to give a more impressive krausen.

Dried krausen is just yeast and beer/wort residue... there's nothing inherent to krausen that would cause an infection. An infection would only come from poor sanitation or keeping the fermenter open for a long period of time.

Note that temperature changes can induce CO2 to leave solution from the beer and for the headspace in the fermenter to expand, which will cause the air lock to bump. So it is not uncommon to see bubbles in an airlock post-fermentation when temperature (or external, ambient pressure) is changing.

 

[BrewNoob78]

Fermentation will be done when it's done, why would you want to stop it before it is complete? I agree that this sounds like an interesting fermentation, but I would still let it complete on it's own schedule. Beer will be done when the microbes are finished fermenting, not when the software or paper instructions predict it will be done.

I don't think DAP hurt (or caused) you situation. The yeast are going to ferment sugars available to them. Sounds like you had a very fermentable wort, and in my experience, the extra protein in a witbier tends to give a more impressive krausen.

Dried krausen is just yeast and beer/wort residue... there's nothing inherent to krausen that would cause an infection. An infection would only come from poor sanitation or keeping the fermenter open for a long period of time.

Note that temperature changes can induce CO2 to leave solution from the beer and for the headspace in the fermenter to expand, which will cause the air lock to bump. So it is not uncommon to see bubbles in an airlock post-fermentation when temperature (or external, ambient pressure) is changing.

I guess my only concern with how long it goes is that it will produce too much alcohol and not be drinkable. Thanks for the response its put me a little at ease. Guess I will just ride this one out until shes done. Cheers!

 

[RM-MN]

It will only produce alcohol until the fermentable sugars are gone so if your recipe was good, the beer will be good too.

 

[BrewNoob78]

Just a quick update. We hit day 13 in primary and it finally slowed down. I fully suspect it will finish up by rack time tomorrow PM. Interesting fermentation to say the least. Can't wait to check the see the F.G.

 

[BrewNoob78]

Final update on the OP......

O.G. 1.070 / F.G. finished at 1.010 on the 14th day, putting us at 7.88% ABV.

Thanks again all for your feedback. Love this forum!