Wilko wheat beer kit still fermenting

[John C]

Hi, I started my first batch 8 days ago - once I had achieved the onerous preparations of accumulating enough bottles! - and was expecting per the instructions to have got to the bottling stage by now. The first 24 hours were rather cold - around 15 deg C until I'd sorted the heat mat since when it's been steadily in the range 18 - 20 deg. The instructions state to "leave to stand for 4-6 days" and that "Fermentation will be complete when bubbles cease to rise" but the airlock is still gurgling away once every minute or so. Does that indicate a problem? Everything went pretty much to plan on the day except I forgot to check the SG before adding the yeast.
Any advice?

 

[AdeDunn]

My advice would be to get a hydrometer and check the specific gravity, then again about 3 days later. If it's the same reading, it's finished, if not give it a bit longer. Don't rely on airlock activity, the AG golden I have on at the moment still bloops every now and then, and that's finished, it's just CO2 been released from solution bubbling off.

 

[terrym]

There is not a problem if its still fermenting. Its done when its done. My suggestion is to leave it a full 14 days before you do anything. It wont do it any harm, the primary fermentation should have finished and the yeast will have cleaned up.
And if its your first brew you might find this useful
Basic beginners guide to brewing your own beer from a kit - The HomeBrew Forum

 

[John C]

OK, I've got a hydrometer.. sorry if this sounds a daft question but opening up the lid to take a SG reading will open it up to any bacteria that may be floating around. Is that simply an unavoidable risk? Also I covered it over in a big fleecy top to help keep it warm so it's also been kept dark - does that make a difference? Did the instructions refer to bubbles rising from the bottom of the bin rather than bubbling through the airlock? The plastic bin is too opaque to see any activity.

 

[John C]

Thanks for the replies. If leaving it a few days longer does no harm then that answers an important question. Also, the instructions do not refer to using finings, would using finings be appropriate on a wheat beer?

 

[AdeDunn]

I don't use finings (other than kettle finings) at all, I certainly wouldn't on a wheat beer as they're supposed to be a bit cloudy. :wink:

Seriously though, bin the instructions. Bubbles rising mean literally nothing, in the bin or the airlock. It'll bubble in the bucket for weeks even after it's finished fermenting. It'll still have a few bubbles probably when you come to bottle it, after which it'll have lots of bubbles.

Oh, and don't panic if it needs more than 14 days even! Back when I was making kits I had a couple take even longer than that, it all depends on how fast the yeast is. Kits do seem to take a bit longer anyway than an all grain brew in my experience.

 

[ACBEV]

Ignore the instruction with the kit. Leave in FV for 14 days @ 18-20c, take a reading on day 14. If it need longer, check every other day until you get two consecutive readings that are the same. Then bottle and condition for 2 weeks @ 18-20c. Then leave for another 2 weeks before drinking... The wait is worth it...

 

[John C]

Oh well. I went with the bubbles rising meaning nothing and cracked on with bottling before reading the last post! So it's all done now. Note to self - large Hoegaarden bottles don't fit standard bottle tops.