Fermentation Time

I started my very first batch Sunday afternoon. I have done everything by the letter. I started the fermentation process on Sunday afternoon at 5pm. By 3am Monday morning the valve was bubbling like crazy. Now here it is Tuesday morning at 5am and it is only bubbling every 2 minutes. Is this normal? I am brewing 5 gallons in a pale. The beginning SG was 1.040. Thanks in advance for your help..

Ok what temp are you fermenting at?
The airlock does not indicate much except that Co2 is leaving.
Be patient let it sit 3 weeks.
a low gravity beer like that the primary fermentation may already be done or close to it.
But leave it alone for at least 3 weeks.
I am no pro or seasoned vet but I have seen this question a lot. so now just wait for the rest to answer your questions. A ton of great people on this forum.
so let me be the first to tell you.
RDWHAHB

The temperature is 65 to 68 degrees

You are fine RDWHAHB and give it 3 weeks at least.

It may be hard to do but, like what was said, "leave it alone!"
Every time you open up the bucket to see what's goin on, or check the gravity you run the risk of some bacteria or wild yeast getting in there to spoil it.
Keep the bucket closed and be patient. The yeast is gonna do their job.
Check it after at least 3 weeks.
You'll thank yourself for it, with something you can drink and enjoy.

I pitched Saturday night - had a blow Off at 11:00 Sunday and Monday it was calm with a bubble ever few minutes - all is well. Yeast do things their own way and every batch can be different - I've had active fermentation last 10 days and 2 days. Even when there are no bubbles after a week - it's still working.

Thank you for the info

From what I can gather most of the fermentation is done in the first few days. Then the yeast start cleaning up after the party. This helps to clear the beer. I know this first hand. Because of the batch I just bottled. And they are clearing really nice.

dmfa200 said:

It may be hard to do but, like what was said, "leave it alone!"
Every time you open up the bucket to see what's goin on, or check the gravity you run the risk of some bacteria or wild yeast getting in there to spoil it.
Keep the bucket closed and be patient. The yeast is gonna do their job.
Check it after at least 3 weeks.
You'll thank yourself for it, with something you can drink and enjoy.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info... on the advice of a family member I created a satilite fermenter which I use for testing specific gravity...

I did my first boil yesterday and went into the primary at 4:00 pm. Prior to boil I monitered a spot in my house for three days, it held a constant 68° to 69°. I placed my primary in that spot and now the temp is 65° according to the sticky thermometer on the primary. I'm using a WLP300, optimal range 68° to 72°. I've been in the primary for 17 hours and am getting a bubble every 6 to 8 seconds. Will the temp rise as the yeast begin to really party? Should I make efforts to raise the temprature a few degrees or should I RDWHA...crap...I don't have any home brew yet?

Yes, the process of fermentation produces some heat. So the temperature of your fermenter will likely come up. Also keep in mind that if you monitored the spot in your home with thermometer A and then used thermometer B (the sticky one) on your fermenter, there is a very high likelihood that the two thermometers won't agree exactly. Nothing wrong with that--just a fact of life. You're awfully close to the proper temperature range. So if you're location has a consistent temperature I wouldn't worry about it.

Brian

Raven101 said:

Thanks for the info... on the advice of a family member I created a satilite fermenter which I use for testing specific gravity...

Click to expand...

This technique will tell you where your fermentation SHOULD end (in FG) but will not tell you WHEN it is done. Typically the satellite finishes sooner than the main fermentor due to the difference in size, shape, temp, etc, you should also let the beer sit on the yeast for cleanup after the FG is reached as others have said.

Brew on my friend

All excellent information. I am learning more each day..... Todays reading is 1.016. this is down from 1.040 the day I started the fermentation ....