Is this normal?

[alan_marks]

Yep. That is the reason to use a blowoff instead of an airlock. I enjoy the sounds when the krausen finally makes it into the blowoff bucket (or bottle).

...and I'll bet you like farting in the bathtub, too...

[snowcapt]

Yep. That is the reason to use a blowoff instead of an airlock. I enjoy the sounds when the krausen finally makes it into the blowoff bucket (or bottle).

...and I'll bet you like farting in the bathtub, too...

Who doesnt? It the only way to reach maximum odor potential.

[adamK]

Yep. That is the reason to use a blowoff instead of an airlock. I enjoy the sounds when the krausen finally makes it into the blowoff bucket (or bottle).

...and I'll bet you like farting in the bathtub, too...

Potentially, but I am not one for sitting in a tepid pool of my own filth.

[Damented]

Was this with a yeast starter, repitched yeast, or just several vials? You should see the sucker take off when you use repitched yeast...WooHoo!!

This was a dry yeast, I can't remember which one it was, i think it came in a blue package and i think it may have been like a 005 or something.

I have been fermenting for aout 17-18 days now, and was planning on bottling. But, when i check the hydrometer it was still pretty high at 1.029 or so. I just transfered it to my bottling bucket, which will prolly be my secondary for about a week or so.

Is there any reason the hydrometer is still showing as high after more then 2 weeks in the buckets?

Should I pitch more yeast?

I appreciate all the responses even the farting ones!!

Happy Brewing
-Dam

[adamK]

If it was an imperial anything, it is most likely that the yeast got stressed and quit. If you can, take a few more gravity readings over a couple of days to see if it has stopped.

If it has stopped, it likely won't drop any further on its own (if it does it might be a bad thing). Did you just use a single packet? Big beers really benefit from multiple packets of yeast (and/or a starter). If you decide to pitch more, you will want to make a yeast starter, and wait till that starter is going at full steam before adding it. Otherwise, the alcohol will be toxic to the yeast, and it will just drop out again.

I don't know how big of a starter to add at this point, though I would recommend at least a liter (w/ ~3.5 oz DME). Boil the water and DME for ~10mins and stick it in a sanitized container (with sanitized foil covering). When the temp drops to ~70 add the (hydrated) yeast and shake to add oxygen frequently. When the krausen gets full, dump it into your bucket. That should get you a few more points.

All else fails, you can drink it how it is and brew it again with a bigger pitch. Then you can have a good comparison point as well. More beer is good.

Good Luck!

[spiderwrangler]

If it was a blue pack, it was probably S-04, which may be a bit less attenuative than if you'd used the US-05. I'd recommend against using a bottling bucket a secondary, you won't have a good way to mix in priming sugar without stirring up settled yeast/etc (would have to dose per bottle), and the spigot will pull settle stuff out too.