Fermentation Issue??

Ok, so I have read on here that people were having problems with their fermentation process not starting right off the bat.

Mine started within about 3 hours and had serious bubbles in my airlock; however my issue now after about 72 hours the bubbling has stopped completely. I cannot find anywhere on this forum where this is talked about so maybe one of you guys can share with me what's happening here? I am sure everything is going to plan and fermentation is still happening, but just want to make sure.

thats it just clean up time for the yeast now

Did you take gravity readings? If you don't have a hydrometer, you are in the dark. I would just let it sit for 14 days or so to finish, settle and clear, then rack.

Ok, I was just checking. I will sit and let it do its thing for the next week and I will get a hydrometer this weekend and get a reading.

Once you have a hydrometer, you can take two readings spaced at least 3 days apart and then compare the readings to see if there is change. If not, then sugars have been converted. I broke my hydrometer recently and this was not a problem, I just had to be patient and let the yeast take its time.

Also, maybe a stupid question...but what do you mean by "rack?"

VegasBrewMan said:

Also, maybe a stupid question...but what do you mean by "rack?"

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Rack = remove from primary fermentor to a secondary, bottling bucket, keg, etc. It's a transfer.

You are in no hurry and fermentations go through their own timeline. Leaving it sit longer is always a safe choice. The advice of taking a reading with a hydrometer is a good one - it tells you current gravity (how much sugars are left) and if that doesn't change in 3 days, and you are near the recipes projected final gravity, you are safe to move it to the next step. I like to give my beers a minimum of 10 - 14 days in primary and leave them a little longer to let the yeast clean up after themselves and floculate (drop out of suspension to the bottom).

VegasBrewMan said:

Also, maybe a stupid question...but what do you mean by "rack?"

Click to expand...

Not stupid... ask away. It means transferring beer to something else, like bottles or a secondary.

This page has better info though (and worth browsing other areas). https://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Racking