Big beers = longer fermentation

[michaewa]

I made an Epic Ale clone, OG 1.076. I expected it would take longer to ferment, as there is more sugar than previous batches, but I'm a little confused.

At 10 days, it was still bubbling once every 15 seconds, and the SG was 1.03, stayed there for a few days. I swirled it a little, and the bubbling speeded up to once every 7 or so seconds. I checked the SG again today, it is still 1.03. Temp in the room has been 65-70F consistently.

Am I crazy, or is the bubbling caused by the yeast eating the sugar and releasing CO2, which would cause the SG to drop? How much will the SG drop after racking to 2ndary? Today is day 15 in the primary, but my target SG is 1.014, and I don't want to make any bombs...

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Theakston]

I would get it into the carboy for secondary right away, then leave it there until it has completely stopped bubbling. It can take a long time, once the alcohol has got to a certain level the yeast slows down a lot and really struggles to the finish. This is when all the fruity esthers get created. Best to have it airtight and off the lees during this time. You may never reach your target finishing gravity but let it do what it can until it stops. I've had great beers that took almost a month to finish!