How can I tell......

That everthing as going as planned? I pitched the yeast last night but I have one of those white 6 gallon True Brew pails and can't see what's going on inside.
My airlock is one of those round ones with the cap. Will I see moisture build up inside the airlock??

The airlock will bubble once the yeast get going. What kind of yeast did you pitch?

BrodieBrewer said:

That everthing as going as planned? I pitched the yeast last night but I have one of those white 6 gallon True Brew pails and can't see what's going on inside.
My airlock is one of those round ones with the cap. Will I see moisture build up inside the airlock??

Click to expand...

Is it bubbling? If you didn't make a starter, it might take a while to start bubbling. I wouldn't even think of starting to worrying until the 48 hour mark.

"Round ones with the cap" I assume means bubbler?

What I like to do if I have a brew that isn't bubbling (which seems to happen a lot, my bucket sucks) is press down on the top of the bucket, increasing the pressure enough to make a bubble go through the airlock. I put my nose right above the airlock when I'm doing this, and take a big whiff as the bubble comes out. If it doesn't smell like it did when you put it in, things are probably going just fine in there!

I used a champagne yeast and it has been 24 hours. I also used a yeast nutrient.
I am using a Buon Visto 3 piece airlock.
Could I have messed up the yeast?? I mixed it with 1/4 cup warm water.

Did you put water in the airlock?

No, I did not put water in the airlock. I mixed the yeast with water in a pot and then dumped it in with the juice.

You need to fill your airlock half-way with water.

D'oh!

Woops..

Well it has been 48 hrs and still no bubbling..I think something may start soon because the piece inside airlock appears to be getting pushed up and If I push down very lightly on the cover it forces gas out of the airlock.
I do not want to open the cover because I do not want to ruin my batch.
Would this ruin the batch?
When people talk about a starter for the yeast...what are they talking about?
Could I have just thrown the packet of yeast in the pail?
What is the proper way to pitch the yeast?
Should I shake the pail?

opening the lid won't ruin your batch, just don't do it too much and don't leave the lid off. Just open it up and take a peak and seal it back up. Pushing down on the lid will always make the airlock bubble no matter if fermentation has started or not. Since you didn't make a starter, I wouldn't worry about it just yet. Go have a beer and check on it tomorrow morning.

a starter is boiling a little DME/LME in some water for about 10 minutes, letting it cool, then pitching the yeast in it and seal it up. Some people use a growler to do this, I use a pyrex pint or quart measuring glass and cover the top with saran wrap. The idea is that you give the yeast a head start on multiplying before you pitch it into the wort so fermentation starts sooner. Some do their starters days in advance, I usually do it a few hours ahead of time.
Yes, you could just pitch the yeast into the 70 degree wort, it would just take a while to start (like it's doing now).