Well, it's been about 72 hours...

This is my second brew and everything went pretty well on brewday. It's an AHS American Wheat.
It's been in the fermenter for about 72 hours and I haven't seen any airlock activity. My wife said she thought she heard something from the "fermenting room" yesterday but even if the airlock was "clicking" it stopped shortly after.
There isn't any airlock activity as of right now... so I just HAD TO lift the lid and see what's going on...
There is a definite thick Krausen that has formed over the entire surface the the brew... Does this indicate anything? Should I post a pic of it?
I did a starter by the book with the WLP320 (white labs american hef yeast) and that seemed okay... My brew process went fine and the OG was 1.042 (goal was 1.048)...

I know the airlock isn't the most important indicator, but what do you think???

If you've got krausen, you're fine. Are you sure the lid is sealing well? Is the airlock filled with enough liquid?

If you have krausen, you have fermentation. Probably a leak somwhere

airlock has enough liquid... The lid seems to seal somewhat decent... When I push down on the lid, the pressure causes bubbles to come up through the airlock. Does this indicate a good seal? I would think so.

Use it.

k... I thought it might be too early, but I'll sanitize and take a reading.

As a beginning brewer…the hydrometer is your best friend…IMHO.

Beers can ferment out in as little as 24 hours. I’ve had it happen numerous times.

Don’t worry about contamination if you’re careful. Stories of instantaneous infection occurring just because you “think” about your beer are greatly exaggerated.

Okay... so I took the reading and it was down to about 1.028 so fermentation is definitely taking place. I wonder where the air leak could be... hmm... It doesn't seem like it's so exposed that it will be a problem.
Thanks for the help!

burton178 said:

Okay... so I took the reading and it was down to about 1.028 so fermentation is definitely taking place. I wonder where the air leak could be... hmm... It doesn't seem like it's so exposed that it will be a problem.
Thanks for the help!

Click to expand...

The inside of your fermenter is under a slight pressure with all the CO2 being produced. Right now, there is really nothing that could creep in there to do any damage if your lid is secure and airlock in place. Are you sure the three piece airlocks has that third piece inside?

Also, if your lid is not absolutely tight, pressure could be escaping there.

For right now…don’t worry about it . Your beer will be fine.

a pin hole of a gap offers less resistence than the water in the airlock. pushing on the lid creates too much pressure too quickly so the airlock bubbles.

I'd say the lid just isn't perfectly sealed. fine for primary, but for secondary, use a glass carboy or better bottle. you want a seal, and you want no headspace.