# .992 and still bubbles...



## M38A1 (Apr 11, 2019)

Now what?

When I checked SG this evening, in my hydrometer tube I noted .992 and could see little itty bitty bubbles breaking the surface still. I'm guessing it's still fermenting.

Do I let it run it's course or should I re-rack/de-gas/kmeta/sorbate it now? 

Starting SG was 1.070 on 3/24/19 so I 'think' this will come in around 10.24ABV as it sits now.


Oh, and when I took it out of primary fermentation and did the quick de-gas? My first volcano. Man, was that a mess. I'm guessing I'll get it again?


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## dralarms (Apr 11, 2019)

Probably co2, I’d leave it a few days and check the sg again


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## M38A1 (Apr 11, 2019)

PF was done with a towel on top. When I did the first racking (where i'm at now) I stuck an airlock on it. Bubbles have really slowed down now, but still present.

Is CO2 the reason for the volcano when I stirred it?


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## dralarms (Apr 11, 2019)

Probably


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## jgmann67 (Apr 11, 2019)

I like your handle M38A1. Miss the old Willy’s Jeep. They were phasing the last of them out of the cavalry unit I was in back in the 1980’s.


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## M38A1 (Apr 12, 2019)

jgmann67 said:


> I like your handle M38A1. Miss the old Willy’s Jeep. They were phasing the last of them out of the cavalry unit I was in back in the 1980’s.



Thx. I've had this old gal for 21+ years now. Dad and I took it down to the bare frame and did it right from the ground up. Well, everything except body work since I'm not a body guy at all. lol.... Actually, the body was in awesome shape to begin with. I'm the third private party owner and I know it's history starting new/delivered in August 1953 to the 45th ID / 45th Brigade out of the Tulsa OK area where it spent it's life before being transferred to Civil Defense. There, it was painted pumpkin orange and stenciled/stickered "A Unit Of Your Civil Defense". Spent time with them before being sold to a pecan farm, again in the Tulsa area where it was used extensively, and still quite orange/unmolested. (I found tons of pecan hulls EVERYWHERE in it) From there, my uncle bought it (again Tulsa area) with hopes of restoration but he located an M38 that better matched his L19 "Bird Dog" FAC airplane he had at the time. So he sold it to me in December of 1997 where it's new life began.

Had her out Tuesday night for a Veterans Appreciation night at the local movie theater and as always a bit hit with the people in attendance.

But no comment on the tiny bubbles? lol


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## Ryan S (Apr 12, 2019)

My only batch so far was still blooping the airlock even though the SG was 0.990, three weeks after I had pitched the yeast. I figured it was just off-gassing (despite my vigorous degassing efforts) so I just bottled it up, pasteurized it, and it all magically vanished from the work beer fridge over the next few days


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## M38A1 (Apr 13, 2019)

So I degassed both batches today and man, that was um.... interesting. I wound up having to put a towel around the shaft of my drill whip to try and keep the foam from escaping. 

Then came time for the kmeta/sorbate/sparkloid. My little test quart jar cleared in about 2 hours. The big 5gal carboys not so much. The big difference I believe is the CO2 content. I kept shaking the little quart jar until releasing the lid had no 'whoosh' of pressure release. The big carboys I just whipped about 4min each and I'm 'guessing' there's still quite a bit of CO2.

Question: I put an airlock on each of the carboys. Would that be proper? Can the CO2 still off-gas with that and will the two weeks generally be enough time? The little quart is so clear!


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## Johnd (Apr 13, 2019)

M38A1 said:


> So I degassed both batches today and man, that was um.... interesting. I wound up having to put a towel around the shaft of my drill whip to try and keep the foam from escaping.
> 
> Then came time for the kmeta/sorbate/sparkloid. My little test quart jar cleared in about 2 hours. The big 5gal carboys not so much. The big difference I believe is the CO2 content. I kept shaking the little quart jar until releasing the lid had no 'whoosh' of pressure release. The big carboys I just whipped about 4min each and I'm 'guessing' there's still quite a bit of CO2.
> 
> Question: I put an airlock on each of the carboys. Would that be proper? Can the CO2 still off-gas with that and will the two weeks generally be enough time? The little quart is so clear!



Yes, it’s appropriate to keep your carboys under airlock, for as long as it takes to degas and clear. It’ll clear quickly once free of gas, that may or may not happen in two months, you shouldn’t bottle til both occur definitively.


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## M38A1 (Apr 15, 2019)

HOLY COW!
Sparkloid added after that degas and within 4 hours it was amazing. The 12 hour mark it was almost completely clear. This is going to be a long four weeks, then rack/backsweeten/bottle. Can't wait!


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## M38A1 (May 14, 2019)

Bottled!

This double batch for my first attempt is a WINNER. I wound up doing about 14 750ml bottles and the rest (about 72) in 12oz beer bottles. I'd guess half is already consumed by friends and family.

Thanks for all your help! I'm kicking off another batch tonight, and tomorrow I'll pitch the gross lees from a batch of peach that gets it's first racking tomorrow evening. Should be interesting for me trying the 'donor' yeast approach and see what happens.

Again - thank you all.
~M


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## mainshipfred (May 14, 2019)

jgmann67 said:


> I like your handle M38A1. Miss the old Willy’s Jeep. They were phasing the last of them out of the cavalry unit I was in back in the 1980’s.



I learned to drive on a Willy's Jeep. The clutch had about a 1/4" of play and I learned on gravel roads.


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