K Hinze wrote:[color=blue]
>
> Hello all,
> I have made a few batches of homebrew in my life, but have always used
> corn sugar for fermenting.
>
> This time around I aquired three cans of pre-made malt syrup, and set out
> looking for some sugar.
> Some guy at the local homebrew store suggested I use powdered malt extract
> instead, indicating it would give the beer a richer, 'darker' flavor. So,
> I did try that, and the result is that my beers have been actively
> fermenting now for 20 days. I sure would like to bottle and sample my
> beer, but when, oh when will they ever stop fermenting? I just used the
> dry yeast packets that came with the cans.[/color]

Did you take a gravity reading? That's really the _only_ way to know
for certain what's going on. It could be done fermenting and just
outgassing CO2 due to temp. and/or pressure variations.
[color=blue]
> Also, of the three batches I started, two of them foamed up substantially
> in the first few days, and even spilled out into the airlock and out,
> creating a fun mess. But the third, while actively fermenting like the
> rest, never bubbled up more than a few centimeters.[/color]

Doesn't really mean anything. Were all 3 fermented at the same temps?
Same ingreients? Same yeast?
[color=blue]
> What might this mean? The carbon dioxide escaping from the airlock smells
> sweet, just like the other brews, just no foam. Aside from the obvious
> signs of fermenting, it looks 'flat', the bubbles pop the moment they
> break the surface of the beer, the other two have surface bubbles to this
> day.[/color]

You _really_ need to get a hydrometer and learn to use it. They're
inexpensive and easy to use. Aside from that, take a look at
[url]www.howtobrew.com[/url] for great information.

---------->Denny
--
Life begins at 60 - 1.060, that is.