Fermentation has slowed on Razorback, just one short burst of bubbles every 2.5 minutes now. The instructions said to add hop pellets (75 g, IPA-specific) 5 days after starting the brew and then ferment for a further 5 days (or at least until it’s stable for 48 hours at or below 1.005) but I heard that you can increase the hop flavour by adding hops closer to bottling, so I added the hops today, technically six days after the start, hoping to bottle in around 4 days. Once sprinkled on top (as instructed, not stirred) the hop pellets increased the rate of bubbling from once every 2.5 minutes to once every 5 seconds. Amazing. Soon dropped back down to previous level though.
I took the opportunity to measure SG as well today, and it’s now at 1.016. That’s a good reduction from 1.052 at the start but nowhere near where we need to be, so let’s see what the briefly increased rate of fermentation brings. Rather than returning the sample we tasted it, and while it was flat, warm, and quite raw, it definitely tasted of beer. The fumes from the bucket were noticeably alcoholic too, so it feels like we’re moving in the right direction.