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NJTomatoguy · 02-23-2009, 07:13 PM

I have 2 fermenters. The ale pail with the little grooved o-ring,
and bucket/drilled lid/stopper.
Mild brown kit went into ale pail,
blonde ale went into bucket with stopper and lid

Brown ale started right up as usual.(sat evening)
Blonde lagged from sat at noon, saw some airlock activity last night-
now nothing. Checked stopper, does not seem loose, airlock filled to line.
house at 65, with woodstove going, bring temps up to 72.
Any ideas why my blonde started then stopped?

ArcaneXor · 02-23-2009, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJTomatoguy

I have 2 fermenters. The ale pail with the little grooved o-ring,
and bucket/drilled lid/stopper.
Mild brown kit went into ale pail,
blonde ale went into bucket with stopper and lid

Brown ale started right up as usual.(sat evening)
Blonde lagged from sat at noon, saw some airlock activity last night-
now nothing. Checked stopper, does not seem loose, airlock filled to line.
house at 65, with woodstove going, bring temps up to 72.
Any ideas why my blonde started then stopped?

I doubt it stopped. Buckets are notorious for sealing poorly, so you probably just have a leak somewhere.

ohiobrewtus · 02-23-2009, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArcaneXor

I doubt it stopped. Buckets are notorious for sealing poorly, so you probably just have a leak somewhere.

Agreed. A hydrometer reading will tell you for sure.

Papinquack · 02-23-2009, 07:24 PM

I'd keep it as warm as I could. I've had some beers finish fermenting literally over night, that might be the case? I always trust my hydrometer in these situations. if it hasnt hit the correct gravity check it again in three days. If theres been little or no change you could always repitch. What kind of yeast did you use?

NJTomatoguy · 02-23-2009, 07:30 PM

S 05
came with the kit

64 degrees right now on the stick on thermometer

Papinquack · 02-23-2009, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJTomatoguy

S 05
came with the kit

64 degrees right now on the stick on thermometer

I'd put the fermenter in the warmest part of the house I could right now preferably near a heating vent. Throw a blanket around the back to kind of contain the heat. I hear that strain of yeast (S05) is pretty good so It just might be temp. alone. I just wanted to see if you were using Muntons yeast, I was going to tell you that I'd only use that for rootbeer...

PseudoChef · 02-23-2009, 07:49 PM

I wouldn't raise S-05 much over 68 degrees. 64 is perfect for S-05.

My advice is wait 10 days and take a hydro reading. You'll gain nothing from staring at an airlock and trying to figure out the characteristics of your fermentation.

XXguy · 02-23-2009, 09:00 PM

Before raising the temperature & assuming something is wrong with the beer...... check your gravity & assume something is probably wrong with your seal on the plastic pail.

My guess is you had a semi-seal & a minor leak..... which is why the air lock bubbled just a little for a short time (during the height of fermentation).

NJTomatoguy · 02-23-2009, 09:04 PM

it's a leak. I switched airlocks on pails, no problem with mild. Pulled the rubber
stopper out, reseated airlock, peeked inside(MAJOR Fermentation)reseated rubber plug, a few minutes later- got action. Thanks for the help.

I feel dumb now.
Maybe my 6 pack of SN Torpedo will make me brains work better.

chrishart7 · 02-24-2009, 03:24 AM

If you want to test the seal on your ale pail, you can secure the lid on the pail and place an airlock with water in it. Then, press down gently on the lid so it "oil cans" and if the seal is tight the airlock should bubble, otherwise you may have a poor seal. You should be able to do this during fermentation too!