Autoylsis guidance...????

[dmtaylor]

An infection!?!? That's a pretty big leap. This was a big OG beer, so it's understandable that it will take a while longer than usual to ferment. And it might not even be fermenting anymore -- it might just be dissolved CO2 coming out of solution.

[Ozwald]

An infection!?!? That's a pretty big leap. This was a big OG beer, so it's understandable that it will take a while longer than usual to ferment. And it might not even be fermenting anymore -- it might just be dissolved CO2 coming out of solution.

Exactly. I figured it was trolling, so I just ignored it. I've done tests to see how long I could go. I gave up when the days in the carboy hit triple digits & still no problems. Even my 25 gallon conical wouldn't put that kind of pressure on a yeast cake. Get a 330bbl conical & you can start to worry

[brewinhard]

No worries. That yeast strain can take a while to finish out. I would take a gravity reading and then make your decision as to what to do next. If your gravity is acceptable, then feel free to package it. If it is still higher than you would like (1.012 or greater) than I would give the fermentor a good swirl and try to raise the temps a bit higher to help it finish out.

[spiderwrangler]

Autolysis isn't the issue that older references make it out to be. Had 3+ month in carboy and it still bottle carbed after gelatin floccing. Like Ozwald said, you don't have pressure on the bottom of your carboy, and you pitched healthy yeast. Good yeast health + small amount of pressure = no worries

[samsonave]

Autolysis isn't the issue that older references make it out to be. Had 3+ month in carboy and it still bottle carbed after gelatin floccing. Like Ozwald said, you don't have pressure on the bottom of your carboy, and you pitched healthy yeast. Good yeast health + small amount of pressure = no worries

Thanks Spider, I appreciate the advice from all. I reached out to White Labs(which by the way responded to my question in like an hour)

here is his response: I wouldn't worry too much about autolysis at 4 weeks, but bubbling in the airlock could just be CO2 coming out of solution. The only way to really know if your fermentation is finished is to take a gravity reading, so now might be a good time to rack into secondary and take a reading. If you are at your target final gravity then you can either package the beer or leave it in secondary to mature for a while. If you are still not quite where you want to be, then racking the beer can sometimes kick start fermentation again; so either way it might be a good time to rack.

Sounds right in line with the reponses in this thread...

[spiderwrangler]

As far as racking kickstarting ferment, much of that may just be the CO2 coming out of solution, or if there is some level of stratification following the yeast settling early, you can get pretty much the same by giving the fermentor a good swirl/shake to get it roused up.

[samsonave]

Bottled this brew this weekend and FG was 1.002. FYI...

[tlael]

Bottled this brew this weekend and FG was 1.002. FYI...

1.082 all the way down to 1.002?

OK, NOW it sounds infected!