Made my first 5 gallon batch last Sunday, opened fermentor today

Made my first 5 gallon batch last Sunday, opened fermentor today and it looks like nothing happened. It is extremely clean in the bucket. The airlock was bubbling like crazy the first few days. Temperature has been at 63 degrees most of the time. Took a hydrometer reading and it said it was 1.016. It is an autumn amber ale from midwest supplies. Says FG should be 1.010 to 1.012. Did fermentation actually happen?

Suggestions on what I should do would be greatly appreciated.

fermentation takes 2-3 weeks........

Should I move the bucket around to try to stimulate the yeast?

Do you know what the original gravity was? It should have been in the 1.050's or so. In that case you are down to 1.016 in a week. That is fine. Cover it up and check it next weekend. Also, I like to run the temperature up a couple of degrees when it is almost done. That seems to help it finish out. If you have somewhere you get get it up to 68 or so, that would be helpful.

tochsner said:

Do you know what the original gravity was? It should have been in the 1.050's or so. In that case you are down to 1.016 in a week. That is fine. Cover it up and check it next weekend. Also, I like to run the temperature up a couple of degrees when it is almost done. That seems to help it finish out. If you have somewhere you get get it up to 68 or so, that would be helpful.

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Unfortunately I didn't take an original gravity. Their sheet says it should have been 1.042 to 1.046.

I can try to get it up to around 68 degrees.

Fermentation has definitely happened. If the airlock bubbled actively for a few days and the gravity is down to 1.016, the yeast have done a significant part of their job. You would have had to make a major error in the brewing process to create wort at such a low gravity.

I would theorize that you did not use a yeast starter and did not sufficiently aerate the wort prior to fermentation. This is a common beginner mistake and is not a major deal, just means you'll have to give what few yeast cells are in there a little more time than usual to get down to FG.

The bottom line is this: don't worry, the beer's fine. Give it a few weeks to mellow out, bottle it up and enjoy.

(Also, don't open up a fermenter like the pic shows unless you absolutely have to. Once fermentation has started, oxygen is your enemy).

Also, I agree with Tochsner that a few degrees of temperature will help you out. 63 is on the low end of what makes most ale yeast comfortable. 68-70 will help it finish out the job, and will certainly speed things along.

Thanks I appreciate all the info. I will definitely get the temperature up.

It would help to know what yeast you used. I, very often, ferment in the low end of a strain's listed range. Still does a fine job. I'm even using a strain below the publicly listed range (checked with White Labs first). If the brew isn't inside the listed temperature range, I would get it into it by maybe two degrees (F) and leave it there for another week.

I just kegged a batch (last night) that has been sitting at 48-52F for weeks. It finished within a single gravity point of the estimate. It fermented at the yeasts lower temperature range while active, then calmed/cooled down. The sample I pulled tastes great too. Got one keg in the brew fridge to carbonate and carbonating the rest of the batch in the basement (on gas).

Was it extract? If it was extract, then their predicted OG is almost definitely what you ended up with. In that case, it is pretty close to being finished fermenting.

My only guess as to why it looks like nothing has happened is that you washed your bucket with some sort of soap/detergent and then didn't rinse it thoroughly enough before pouring in the wort. The detergent could keep foam/krausen from sticking around (or even forming) just like a glass with some residue that kills the head when you pour a beer.

I actually just bottled this same kit from Midwest Yesterday. I let it ferment for 2 weeks before bottling and everything looked fine. I agree with everyone else, give it some more time and a little more heat.

signpost said:

Was it extract? If it was extract, then their predicted OG is almost definitely what you ended up with. In that case, it is pretty close to being finished fermenting.

My only guess as to why it looks like nothing has happened is that you washed your bucket with some sort of soap/detergent and then didn't rinse it thoroughly enough before pouring in the wort. The detergent could keep foam/krausen from sticking around (or even forming) just like a glass with some residue that kills the head when you pour a beer.

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Yes it was Midwest Supplies Autumn Amber Ale Extract Kit. I did in fact spray the bucket with star san before using it so maybe that is why there is no residue.

One other thing I noticed is that I poured more than 5 gallons of water in the bucket, looks like about an extra 1/4 to 1/3 of a gallon. Would this have a major impact?

beaker11 said:

I actually just bottled this same kit from Midwest Yesterday. I let it ferment for 2 weeks before bottling and everything looked fine. I agree with everyone else, give it some more time and a little more heat.

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Very cool. Did you rack to secondary like they suggested in the kit? I am unsure if I will or not since this is my first batch.

BonzoAPD said:

Yes it was Midwest Supplies Autumn Amber Ale Extract Kit. I did in fact spray the bucket with star san before using it so maybe that is why there is no residue.

One other thing I noticed is that I poured more than 5 gallons of water in the bucket, looks like about an extra 1/4 to 1/3 of a gallon. Would this have a major impact?

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Star San would not have a foam-killing effect; this would have to be caused by a detergent (which Star San is not).

The extra 1/4 to 1/3 of a gallon would not have a significant effect other than to knock a few points off your OG (because the wort contains more water than planned). This isn't a big deal.

Regarding your other post about using a secondary: if you have one, use it. If not, no need to rush out and buy one. This will help you get clearer beer but will not have a major impact on your final gravity.

wilconrad said:

Star San would not have a foam-killing effect; this would have to be caused by a detergent (which Star San is not).

The extra 1/4 to 1/3 of a gallon would not have a significant effect other than to knock a few points off your OG (because the wort contains more water than planned). This isn't a big deal.

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It can impact (might not be enough to notice by most people, but it can) hop levels/IBUs in a batch too.

Regarding your other post about using a secondary: if you have one, use it. If not, no need to rush out and buy one. This will help you get clearer beer but will not have a major impact on your final gravity.

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That myth has been completely busted so many times it's not even funny anymore. The use of a secondary is completely optional at least 98% of the time with ales (or using ale yeast). People have gone over 6 months in primary without negative impact. The less times you dicker around with the batch, the less risks of contamination, infection and oxidization you encounter. Every time you rack/transfer via siphon, you're rolling the dice.

BonzoAPD said:

Very cool. Did you rack to secondary like they suggested in the kit? I am unsure if I will or not since this is my first batch.

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I left it in the primary. I've heard mixed opinions on racking to secondary if you don't intend to dry hop or add anything else so I left it in primary to avoid unnecessary chance for contamination. Also, I only have one fermenter so I didn't have much of a choice!

Since it was extract, there is no reason at all to worry about whether or not your OG was what it was supposed to be. The tiny bit of extra water will have minimal effects (slight change in OG, IBUs, maybe even color), and isn't anything to worry about. Being your first brew, chances are you wouldn't know what a perfectly brewed batch would taste like in order to notice those differences.

Wait a few more days and take another gravity reading. If it has dropped a bit more, then wait a couple more days and take another reading.

The whole secondary option is pretty straight forward. There is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping your brew in the primary fermenter until you are ready to bottle. ABSOLUTELY nothing to worry about if you choose this.

The one reason I continue to use a secondary on most of my batches is because that means there is less trub/gunk at the bottom that I could accidentally transfer into the bottling bucket, and then into the bottles. Transferring to secondary DOES NOT make your beer clearer or clear your beer quicker. However, it provides another step to help keep that trub out of your bottles. So, if you are comfortable with your ability to keep everything sanitized, and you want to avoid accidentally transferring the trub, then go ahead and use a secondary. If you are comfortable with your ability to use the siphon and leave behind the trub when transferring into your bottling bucket and would rather not risk the extra step of transferring more than once, then just stick with the primary.

Sorry for babbling for so long.

I checked the gravity today and it was down to its Target of 1.010. How long should I leave it in primary before bottling for best results?

BonzoAPD said:

I checked the gravity today and it was down to its Target of 1.010. How long should I leave it in primary before bottling for best results?

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As long as it needs.

I would go at least 2 weeks before pulling a sample to see if it's ready. Take another SG reading 3+ days from that one to confirm it has reached FG. Taste the samples to see if there are any off flavors detected. IF it tastes good (zero off flavors and you'd be able to drink pints of it at a time), then prime when it's convenient for you. There's no real rush to bottle a batch. If things make it so it goes 2-4 weeks more, no biggie.

Once in bottles, give it at least three weeks at 70F to bottle carbonate (and condition) before chilling one for a week (or more) and then pouring to glass. IF it's good, then chill more for a week (or more) and get to drinking. Just be sure to keep replacing the bottles you're drinking.

BTW, once you've made some more batches (how many varies by person), with the same yeast strains (especially) and under the same conditions/temperatures, you'll get a much better idea of how long to leave it. Then you'll know (without the constant checking) when a batch is ready/done.