Fermentation

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

cjmaurer

New Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
First time brewing and I locked everything in the 1st fermenter on Saturday at 5pm. The instructions said it would take 4-6 days for the CO2 to stop in the airlock but it is now Monday at 9pm and I haven't really seen much air escaping in the last 24 hours.

Is it safe to switch to secondary fermentation at this point or should I leave it a few more days?

Advanced thanks for any advice!
 
Just leave it in the primary for 3 weeks. No need to transfer. Most kit brews have pretty bad fermentation instructions.

Bubbling of the airlock is not really a good indication of what is going on with your fermentation. Sometimes you will not even see any bubbles. All that ahows is that the pressure in the fermenter is higher than out of the fermenter. A pressure or temperature fluctuation can cause the airlock to bubble.

Just let it sit.
 
As long as you pitched enough healthy yeast and you are in the proper temps you should be fine. Just let it play out. If you're really worried I'm sure you can take a hydrometer reading in a few days and make sure there's something going on.
 
Just leave it in the primary for 3 weeks. No need to transfer. Most kit brews have pretty bad fermentation instructions.

Bubbling of the airlock is not really a good indication of what is going on with your fermentation. Sometimes you will not even see any bubbles. All that ahows is that the pressure in the fermenter is higher than out of the fermenter. A pressure or temperature fluctuation can cause the airlock to bubble.

Just let it sit.

+1 to this. Leave it alone.
 
Thanks for the answers! Was getting worried but I will let it set through the weekend before I do the second fermentation. Speaking of, is a 2nd fermentation recommended?
 
Secondary is not recommended. There are many threads/debates on here about it.

That said, I secondary almost every batch I do BUT only because I have unlimited PET bottles and only 3 fermentors. I do 10 gallon batches, so 1 batch would tie up 2 fermentors for 3+ weeks and I try to brew every other weekend. If I were still doing 5 gallon batches I'd just leave it in the fermentor the whole time.
 
If your not adding additional hops (dry hopping) just leave it in the primary for 3 weeks. This gives the yeast time to properly clean up all the leftovers.
 
Thanks for the answers! Was getting worried but I will let it set through the weekend before I do the second fermentation. Speaking of, is a 2nd fermentation recommended?

Not unless you are adding something ike fruit or you're making a barly wine type strong beer.
 
Thanks so much for all the feedback and tips...big help to this first-timer!
 
I secondary every beer, but this is due to personal preference - I like leaving behind most of the trub so that I don't get it in my bottling bucket. Secondary is not necessary.

OP, the best thing you can do is to learn to be patient. Give the beer plenty of time to ferment. Once you bottle, give it plenty of time (at least three weeks) to carb up.
 
I secondary nearly everything. Just my preference...you don't need to, but like you I want a clearer beer and less bottle junk. I wait 10-14 days after pitching my yeast, and the 2-4 weeks after that depending on what it is. This method has not failed me yet. It is more work, but work will to do.
 
Back
Top