Fermentation question (yes another one!)

Quick question. I started fermentation on Sunday, so it has been a little over 48 hours since the beer (a nut brown ale) went into the primary carboy. The first 24 hours there was significant activity at the top of the beer (foam and such) and the gas lock was happily bubbling away. However upon checking it today, they was much less "foam" and the gas lock was not nearly as active. Is it typical that it slows down that much?

This is my first batch, so like a parent with their first kid, I am not sure what I am looking for here and probably worrying too much. Help?

definitely worrying too much. the 'what goes up, must come down' rule applies to krausen. they usually last only a few days, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter.

AMW345 said:

Quick question. I started fermentation on Sunday, so it has been a little over 48 hours since the beer (a nut brown ale) went into the primary carboy. The first 24 hours there was significant activity at the top of the beer (foam and such) and the gas lock was happily bubbling away. However upon checking it today, they was much less "foam" and the gas lock was not nearly as active. Is it typical that it slows down that much?

This is my first batch, so like a parent with their first kid, I am not sure what I am looking for here and probably worrying too much. Help?

Click to expand...

Yup. Absolutely typical. I put my kolsch into fermenters Sunday. Monday I thought the airlock was going to blow out of the lid. Today - nothing. No worries, it's just that the yeast have converted the bulk of the sugars into alcohol and CO2. They still have quite a ways to go before they're done, but the remaining activity doesn't produce the same activity.

Just keep your temp in the range where the yeasties are happy, and let it sit for another couple of weeks so they clean up after themselves. Then check your grav on consecutive days to make sure you have reached full attenuation. Once you hit that you can bottle at any time, but I usually like to let it sit in primary for 3-4 weeks after active fermentation ceases.

Length and strength of the fermentation depend on a whole host of factors: temperature, type of yeast, how much yeast you pitched, OG of the beer, etc.

At this point, though, all you can really do is change the temperature that the beer is sitting in. Make sure that you're in the ideal range for fermentation for the particular yeast strain you used and then relax and let the yeast do its thing.

+1 to all above.

If it's at a temp that makes the yeast happy, don't worry and let it do it's thing.

I have a temp sticker on the side of the carboy, and it indicates a good range for ales (I didn't check the yeast itself ) to ferment. Thanks for helping this nervous brewer calm down a little!