Airlock stopped in less than 24 hours

Hi all, i really didnt want to take your time but had a question that i couldnt really find answer of. I just brewed Oktoberfest and it was a kit from homebrewery.com . I did all according to the kit instructions and cooled the worth to the around 70 F quickly after broiling and pith the yeast. I started this sunday may 17th and was done brewing around 10 pm. My first bubble from the airlock was around i think late night. After 12 am certainly . On monday around 6 when i got back from work there was no airlock activity at all. The yeast was saflager s-23 which came with the kit. The temperature in the house was around 72 -74 during the day. Should i be concerned about the sudden stop of the airlock activity ??? I m new to this but so far what i seen is non starting airlock. Mine started but stopped in less than 24 hours. Thanks all,

Oktoberfests are usually lagers, aren't they? Lagers need to be temperature controlled, around 50-58 degrees. You should check to see if this is a lager or ale. 72-74 is an ok temperature for an ale, but way too high for a lager.

If it's an ale, it's possible it just heated up during the day and fermented fast. I had an IPA finish fermenting in 3 days before. 1 day seems pretty short, and no bubbles does not mean no fermentation.

Hows the color look liek? Can you see any activity in the carboy? Or is it plastic?

Recommended fermentation range for Saflager S-23 is 48.2 - 59 degrees F. The yeast probably blasted through it.

Check your gravity, that's the only way to tell what's going on.

The kit says its a Lager, and since i m a beginner i bought the kit which had the plastic bucket so i cant really say much bout the color. i know it should be dark tho Oktoberfest . This morning the bubbles were almost every second. not sure exactly what time it stopped. Any clues?? Is the beer still good or i should start another batch

It really just means that there is no excess co2 that needs to be released right now, or it is venting elsewhere...it doesn't mean fermentation has stopped or anything like that.

That's why you need to take a gravity reading, NOT go by airlocks. The most important tool you can use is a hydrometer. It;'s the only way you will truly know when your beer is ready...airlock bubbles and other things are faulty. So is looking at the amount of kra usen you have or whether it is still there or not . It could have been a very fast and clean ferment and the krausen could have formed and fallen quicky, or it still hasn't formed yet, since sometimes there's a 72 hour lag time before it even begins to form.

The only way to truly know what is going on in your fermenter is with your hydrometer. Like I said here in my blog, which I encourage you to read, Think evaluation before action you sure as HELL wouldn't want a doctor to start cutting on you unless he used the proper diagnostic instuments like x-rays first, right? You wouldn't want him to just take a look in your eyes briefly and say "I'm cutting into your chest first thing in the morning." You would want them to use the right diagnostic tools before the slice and dice, right? You'd cry malpractice, I would hope, if they didn't say they were sending you for an MRI and other things before going in....

Thinking about "doing anything" without taking a hydrometer reading is tantamount to the doctor deciding to cut you open without running any diagnostic tests....Taking one look at you and saying, "Yeah I'm going in." You would really want the doctor to use all means to properly diagnose what's going on?

In your case, wait till it's been 10 days and take a reading.

an airlock is not a fermentation indicator its a pressure release valve. if your brewing in a bucket it is posable the gas is escaping elsewhere. buckets are well known for this. if your worried put your ear up to the side of the bucket. if you hear hissing you know its fermenting. take a hydrometer reading. wait 3 days and take another hydrometer reading. if the reading hasn't changed then fermentation is over.

Well if it's a lager, then I would think you're not going to get the desired taste unless you cool it down into the 50s. I'm not exactly sure what happens to lager yeast if it's too hot, but there's a possibility that the yeast either only partially fermented everything, or died out completely, or can't continue to ferment as they should.

I'd try to see if you can cool it down at all. If not, you may have to add some ale yeast to it and get it fermenting at room temp. But that step you can wait a while to try, and see what the other guys on here, who know more then me think.

I wouldn't worry too much, either way it seems pretty fixable.

bosox said:

Well if it's a lager, then I would think you're not going to get the desired taste unless you cool it down into the 50s. I'm not exactly sure what happens to lager yeast if it's too hot, but there's a possibility that the yeast either only partially fermented everything, or died out completely, or can't continue to ferment as they should.

I'd try to see if you can cool it down at all. If not, you may have to add some ale yeast to it and get it fermenting at room temp. But that step you can wait a while to try, and see what the other guys on here, who know more then me think.

I wouldn't worry too much, either way it seems pretty fixable.

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Nah, lager yeast will ferment just fine at higher temperatures. You may notice some fruity flavors or sulfur notes as a result, but it should ferment out just fine.

The mid-70s is even high for most ales, and that is one of the issues with brewing in the warmer months. Trying to keep the fermenter in the mid 60s is a challenge even for the most experienced brewers!

My Second batch was an Oktoberfest it fermented around 70 for a few days then I built a fermentation chiller to really help out. I am letting it sit for another 3 weeks at lower temps then in to the bottle for conditioning.

thanks all for sharp reply. I feel better now. I cant really hear much inside but as all suggested i think its safe bet to wait till weekend and then do a hydro test on it. It is likely to be around 65- 70 tomorrow in the house as well. For hydro meter testing i can safely open the cap get sample and close the cap again right ??? ( and by the way all these questions are coming from a computer programmer ))

Just try putting it somewhere in your house where the temp is most steady, and ideally the coolest. Leave it there for a while and try taking a reading, and post back on what happened

murat said:

For hydro meter testing i can safely open the cap get sample and close the cap again right ??? ( and by the way all these questions are coming from a computer programmer ))

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Yeap, you sure can. Just don't spit in it or anything silly like that.

I'm a computer programmer myself, and you have to get over the tendency to make everything precise. This hobby will give you a lot of wiggle room. A lot.

Thanks all i will leave my bucket closed till Sunday then i will get the reading and post. my first batch reading was 1.05 as for gravity and around 5 percent alcohol i just hope it comes out OK. Again thanks all for the quick answers. Till Sunday i will enjoy my Guinness and my keg Heineken