doodeyfoodle
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- Joined
- Jun 4, 2008
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Hello all,
I'm in the middle of my first brew and (of course) am worried about the fermentation. I used an open-air pail (with a lid, just not air-tight) for the primary fermentation and there was definitely activity going on after the first day - the krausen was four to five inches high. The book I have (Joy of Homebrewing) recommends not leaving open-air fermentation for longer than a week, and another recommends transferring after only a few days.
So yesterday (day 4) I transferred to the secondary, a carboy sealed with a fermentation lock. There's about three or four inches from the top of the beer to the top of the neck. I haven't seen any bubbling in the airlock, and I'm worried (again, of course) that nothing is happening with the fermentation.
Here's the weird thing: my original gravity rating was 1.098, which seems ridiculously high. As of yesterday it was 1.009 - which would suggest that fermentation is done and that's why there's no bubbling in the airlock. I also now know that my thermometer is off, because when I checked the temperature while transferring to the secondary, the thermometer said under 10 degrees Celsius while the brew was at room temperature (approx. 20 degrees Celsius). I don't think this had a detrimental effect when I pitched the yeast though, because it obviously survived and started working, as evidenced by the huge krausen that developed.
So: it is possible that all fermentation has ceased after only three to four days? If not, what should I do to remedy the situation? If so, how long should the non-fermenting brew sit in the secondary? Do I simply have a fast-fermented, super-high alcohol brew?
Sorry for the length of the post, I just want to be as clear as possible.
Edit: I forgot to mention, I used two 1.9 kg batches of malt extract to try and get a heavy, full flavour. This might explain the high alcohol, but I didn't think it would be that high.
I'm in the middle of my first brew and (of course) am worried about the fermentation. I used an open-air pail (with a lid, just not air-tight) for the primary fermentation and there was definitely activity going on after the first day - the krausen was four to five inches high. The book I have (Joy of Homebrewing) recommends not leaving open-air fermentation for longer than a week, and another recommends transferring after only a few days.
So yesterday (day 4) I transferred to the secondary, a carboy sealed with a fermentation lock. There's about three or four inches from the top of the beer to the top of the neck. I haven't seen any bubbling in the airlock, and I'm worried (again, of course) that nothing is happening with the fermentation.
Here's the weird thing: my original gravity rating was 1.098, which seems ridiculously high. As of yesterday it was 1.009 - which would suggest that fermentation is done and that's why there's no bubbling in the airlock. I also now know that my thermometer is off, because when I checked the temperature while transferring to the secondary, the thermometer said under 10 degrees Celsius while the brew was at room temperature (approx. 20 degrees Celsius). I don't think this had a detrimental effect when I pitched the yeast though, because it obviously survived and started working, as evidenced by the huge krausen that developed.
So: it is possible that all fermentation has ceased after only three to four days? If not, what should I do to remedy the situation? If so, how long should the non-fermenting brew sit in the secondary? Do I simply have a fast-fermented, super-high alcohol brew?
Sorry for the length of the post, I just want to be as clear as possible.
Edit: I forgot to mention, I used two 1.9 kg batches of malt extract to try and get a heavy, full flavour. This might explain the high alcohol, but I didn't think it would be that high.