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fa1321tx · 08-12-2007, 01:46 PM

I brewed a pale ale yesterday the gravity was low 1.041 but six hours after pitching safale s-04 the airlock had no movement so I pushed down on the lid of the fermentor and then the airlock started moving fast like it was stuck but now everything seemed good. But this morning the airlock is showing no movement it looks like the fermentation is done. I have never seen this happen before but also I have never used that type of yeast before. Should I buy new yeast or just take a new gravity reading? The temp in the fridge is 70F & there should be plenty of oxygen. Suggestions Please!

rdwj · 08-12-2007, 01:52 PM

Take a reading - it might be done

**BierMuncher** · 08-12-2007, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fa1321tx

I brewed a pale ale yesterday the gravity was low 1.041 but six hours after pitching safale s-04 the airlock had no movement so I pushed down on the lid of the fermentor and then the airlock started moving fast like it was stuck but now everything seemed good. But this morning the airlock is showing no movement it looks like the fermentation is done. I have never seen this happen before but also I have never used that type of yeast before. Should I buy new yeast or just take a new gravity reading? The temp in the fridge is 70F & there should be plenty of oxygen. Suggestions Please!

Take a hydrometer reading.

I've had complete fermentation in as little as 20 hours with some dry yeasts.

fa1321tx · 08-14-2007, 02:54 AM

I took a gravity reading and it was 1.046?? I dont think the temp correction in beer smith is accurate because this is a higher gravity then what I took after mashing. But it was still too high so went to my lhbs and got more yeast hydrated in warm water then opened the lid on my primary bucket, Wow the yeast was busy nice krausen but I dumped in the additional yeast anyway. At this point I suspected there is a leak allowing my fermenter to vent the co2. Upon inspection I detected the trouble the lid has a gromet the airlock goes into, part of this was pushed in on the back so I did not notice the small gap. Funny thing is today when I opened the fridge it smelled fruity like most of my pale ales do when fermenting. Hope the extra yeast doesnt cause problems.

Sorry for the long ramble!

Thalon · 08-14-2007, 03:07 AM

I found out the hard way that reading the hydrometer at extreme temps (say, <45*F or >90*) is what causes it to be off by so much. Your margin of error is incredibly small when you're measuring at 160* right after the sparge. Play around with some SG numbers that are 0.001 apart at 160* and you'll see how wide it swings at the adjusted end of the calculation. What I'm going to do next time is take a sample at 160* but cool it down to ~70* before taking the hydro reading for the pre-boil.

You're right, the extra yeast should be just fine. It's in a little different phase than the yeast already there but it'll get used to the wort soon enough.

Hehe that wasn't long at all. You should see how long-winded I can get!

Nostrildamus · 08-14-2007, 01:23 PM

I'd say, don't sweat it.... chances are it was the tiny leak that caused the inactivity. I speak from experience on this one. There was an undetectable leak between my primary lid and bucket and I thought my fermentation had stopped the other day so I wrapped the lid edge to the bucket with duct tape (the cure all) and within 10 minutes the airlock was burping again. The most likely reason is usually the answer.

dantodd · 08-14-2007, 02:31 PM

As thalon said hydros are tough to get accurate readings at high temp but remember that if you took the SG after mashing that doesn't include the gravity increase you get from your boil so it is certainly possible if fermentation hadn't taken off that you'd see a higher SG.

New2HomeBrew · 08-14-2007, 04:33 PM

Edited for double post.

New2HomeBrew · 08-14-2007, 04:33 PM

So what is the optimal temp for taking a gravity reading? I've never really understood the temperature correction that you have to make.

**niquejim** · 08-14-2007, 04:40 PM

Look here for temp info
http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixA.html