1

I am working on a Gluten Free clone of Sam Summer for my wife, I took a kit from a home brew store that was close and added some lemon and lime zest, and some grains of paradise. The kit uses sorghum extract, and this is the first time I have used this in a beer.

I boiled on Saturday April 26th, almost 3 weeks ago, and I am still seeing bubbles in my primary fermenter. Has anyone brewed with sorghum before? Is this length of fermentation normal?

enter image description here

Improve this question
3
  • 4
    Have you taken any gravity readings recently?
    – Graham
    May 16, 2014 at 12:43
  • To expand on @Graham how does it taste and look?
    – Neil
    May 18, 2014 at 17:44
  • I added a picture to my original post. I think the color is spot on for a sam summer clone, and the aroma was a nice citrus scent. This is only my second batch, and my first behaved so nicely in that fermentation stopped right at about 14 days, and so it just "made sense" that it was time to bottle. I am embarrassed I didn't think to take a gravity reading, I know better than that! The FG was supposed to be between 1.013 and 1.016, mine came in at 1.008, so I missed the mark a bit on this one. I bottled on Saturday, hopefully the final product wasn't ruined, will know in 2 weeks.
    – Nibroc A Rehpotsirhc
    May 20, 2014 at 3:45

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

Given that your FG ended well below what you anticipated, so long as there weren't any noticeable off flavors or aromas at bottling (indicative of a contamination would could affect the FG in a similar fashion), it's probably just that it took a bit longer to ferment to get down that low, and there was still CO2 escaping from the solution. I've seen batches bubble for up to a month after pitching the yeast when in reality, it was done after a week (which is still quite a while for most ales). Give the bottles a week or two, try one, and if they're gushers or over-carbonated, make sure you immediately refrigerate the remainder of the bottles to try and prevent any accidents.

For future reference, if you're curious in the future, take measurements 3 days in a row. If the gravity reading doesn't change, it's done fermenting and would be safe for bottling.

Improve this answer
2
  • You mention flavors at bottling, should I be sampling my beer before I bottle it? Thanks for the advice, are there any techniques when opening up the fermenter to check gravity which should be used to avoid contamination? When I take off the stopper with the airlock, to insert the wine thief to take the sample, do I need to block with a solid stopper while I am testing before I put the airlock back on if I need to continue fermenting?
    – Nibroc A Rehpotsirhc
    May 20, 2014 at 15:40
  • I almost always sample my beers as time progresses. For me, I have a bucket filled with a star san solution. I dunk my thief in there to sanitize it. I draw a sample into a graduated cylinder to take a hydrometer reading. I'd recommend in the summer months to draw a sample, and put the stopper back on after drawing to ensure no critters fly in (I have fruit flies all over) and contaminate your beer. If you're bug free (as I am in the winter), you probably don't have to be as concerned.
    – Scott
    May 20, 2014 at 16:02

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.