IPA 1 gallon brew

I have been fermenting this brew for 6 days now, and the first three there was a ton of activity. However, I am not getting anything from the air lock. There are some bubbles on the surface but I do not see any rising. Is my brew ready to bottle or is it infected? I dont know what to do.

Equipment is: 1 gallon glass carboy, vinty air lock.
current temp 74 F

This may help...I panicked one time because I noticed no airlock activity. It turned out that the fermentation completed so quickly that I completely missed it. I would recommend taking a hydrometer reading to see if fermentation is complete. My guess is it is.

74 seems like a high temp. It could be done, but you won't know for sure until you take a gravity reading.

Josiah2729 said:

This may help...I panicked one time because I noticed no airlock activity. It turned out that the fermentation completed so quickly that I completely missed it. I would recommend taking a hydrometer reading to see if fermentation is complete. My guess is it is.

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I really dont have a hydrometer...hahaha is there a way to tell without one?

ThreeSheetsBrewing said:

74 seems like a high temp. It could be done, but you won't know for sure until you take a gravity reading.

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Is there a way to tell with out a gravity reading. I do not have the equipment.

brewbrah said:

Is there a way to tell with out a gravity reading. I do not have the equipment.

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If you have a graduated cylinder and a scale you could weigh a small sample and calculated the gravity. I don't imagine you have that though if you don't have a hydrometer. You really need a hydrometer. It's one of the most basic brewing tools and really isn't very expensive.

Or if you're going to keep brewing small batches, a refractometer since they require a much smaller sample size.

Ebay is your friend.

Thank you all, this is my first batch and i was afraid of ruining it. I know if you let it sit for a spell it will clear up. however, i went a head and bottled/tasted the beer. it tasts wonderful and if my taste buds are correct i would say it has an APV of about 9%. how long should I keep it bottled before fridging it?

brewbrah said:

Thank you all, this is my first batch and i was afraid of ruining it. I know if you let it sit for a spell it will clear up. however, i went a head and bottled/tasted the beer. it tasts wonderful and if my taste buds are correct i would say it has an APV of about 9%. how long should I keep it bottled before fridging it?

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In certain aspects of brewing it helps to be lazy. If you can leave it in bottles for three weeks before chilling/serving, it usually be better. If you can't wait that long, distract yourself by making a second batch of something so you have beer to look forward to while you taste the first batch.

Buy a refractometer.

Your tastebuds may not be calibrated that well.

the yeast need time to do more than just ferment and 6 days just isn't enough. 6 days isn't enough for dry hop. it was probably done fermenting, so you might get lucky and have no bottle bombs.

you'll have made beer, but that's about it. doesn't sound like you've got the patience to do much more. you asked for advice at 6:30am on a Sunday, then an hour & ½ later posted you bottled it.

3 weeks in the fermenter
for bottling, it's the same; THREE WEEKS



bookies in Vegas have your over/under at 5 days before you crack one open to try it, and my money is on under

Barnesie said:

In certain aspects of brewing it helps to be lazy. If you can leave it in bottles for three weeks before chilling/serving, it usually be better. If you can't wait that long, distract yourself by making a second batch of something so you have beer to look forward to while you taste the first batch.

Buy a refractometer.

Your tastebuds may not be calibrated that well.

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I am brewing overseas in germany right now...Due to the fact that i am in the army....anyways I will buy some more equipment before my next brew

brewbrah said:

I am brewing overseas in germany right now...Due to the fact that i am in the army....anyways I will buy some more equipment before my next brew

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thank you for your service!