stopped fermenting?

Hey, I just brewed my second batch. The yeast seems to be behaving differently than my first batch.

Batch 1 (Belgian trippel)- slow start, blew consistant bubbles for about a week. I used a smack pack, but didn't smack it until about 10 minutes before my pitch. I pitched this yeast at ~ 65*

Batch 2 (irish red) - this time I smacked the yeast pack as I was leaving the brew shop. I checked on it before I went to bed and I already had krausen near the top of my 6 gal carboy. Within a day, the bubbles decreased substantially. There are still bubbles, but not a steady flow like batch 1. I pitched this yeast at ~ 75 - 80*

Is batch two normal?

Have you checked the SG?

If you pitched the yeast at 80 degrees, it could go hot and furious and be finishing up within 24 hours.

(That's way too hot by the way. For better beer, pitch at no higher than 70 degrees, and make sure it doesn't go above the yeast strain's recommended temperature range)

I haven't checked the SG yet. I will do that today to see what's going on.

I will pay closer attention to my wort temp next time. I hope it still turns out!

jakeshivers said:

I haven't checked the SG yet. I will do that today to see what's going on.

Click to expand...

If you haven't taken a grav reading you don't know if it has stopped fermenting or not...All you know is your airlock isn't bubbling, or has slowed down, and that is not the same thing.

If your airlock was bubbling and stopped---It doesn't mean fermentation has stopped.

If you airlock isn't bubbling, it doesn't mean your fermentation hasn't started....

If your airlock starts bubbling, it really doesn't matter.

If your airlock NEVER bubbles, it doesn't mean anything is wrong or right.

Your airlock is not a fermentation gauge, it is a VALVE to release excess co2.

So get out of the habit of thinking that an airlock bubble it telling you anything.

Fermentation is not always "dynamic," just because you don't SEE anything happening, doesn't mean that anything's wrong, and also doesn't mean that the yeast are still not working dilligantly away, doing what they've been doing for over 4,000 years....


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....

It's the same with out beer, to know what's going on with your beer, you should check your gravity.

Every batch is a little different, unless you are really, really AR or have professional gear or both.