Noob True Brew Porter Questions

Hi all.
I just found this site while in my panic, and thanks to all who can offer any advice.

As I stated in my profile, my wife and I are brewing our first batch together. We bought a kit from True Brew (Porter).

All seemed to be going quite well at the outset, the yeast was pitched at about 80degF, air locked in a 8 gallon glass carboy, and placed in dark 68degF room.

By hour 4 things were really starting, by hour 8 there was a very handsome raft of foam and "stuff" floating over the beer. Ther air lock was gurgling very fast. By this am (hour 16) things had already settled down. The raft was still present, but not much through the air lock. Maybe one bubble every minute. It's now about hour 30 and all signs of fermentation have stopped!!!! Is this "normal", or has my yeast died?

What should my next move be? What should I check to diagnose any problem, or should I just relax as Charlie Papazian suggests?...

Thanks for any help!!

Welcome!

It sounds like you had good fermentation. Don't panic if your airlock is not doing anything, it's doing just what is suppose to do. Main fermentation can be done in a day or two but the yeast is still busy in there. There is really nothing to do for the next week or two but let the yeast clean up it's waste and clear you beer.

If you can stand the wait, leave your beer for three weeks then you can bottle if you want. If you are moving it to secondary, wait 10 days, take an hydrometer reading (to be sure it's done), then rack to secondary for clearing.

Thanks a bunch! I checked the beer first thing this am. The lock is very slowly passing gass!! Sweet. Im going to just relax here and let the yeast continue to work. Ill check back in with reports on how the batch turns out.

Thanks again!

Yep, the number 1 thing to learn from this forum is that if you did things right when you were brewing, then just be patient and your beer's gonna be fine. Brewing is like 75% sanitation, 20% relaxing and being patient, and 5% actual brewing.

That was my first kit as well. Fermentation went about the same as you saw. For this beer I followed the directions and bottled after week one. It took about 4 weeks in the bottles to carbonate and the beer tasted really good at 5 weeks. too bad at that time most of it was gone.

definitely wait to bottle at least 2 weeks and wait for it to condition in the bottle for at least 3 weeks. It will be hard to wait but it is worth it.

Do yourself a favor and start another batch as soon as your fermentor is empty to keep the beer flowing...

I'm drinking a True Brew Porter right now! This kit made an awesome porter. I have about four 22oz bottles left of what I brewed it back in August. I drank my first one after 10 days in the primary, 24 days in secondary, and three weeks in the bottle. That's 56 days from the boil to my gullet. You guys are going to love this beer!

maxbing said:

Do yourself a favor and start another batch as soon as your fermentor is empty to keep the beer flowing...

Click to expand...

LOL... I was already talking to the wife about getting a second batch going once we bottle so we can establish a pipeline of sort. I think I had better see one batch from end to end first, but Im already thinking...

Thanks again everyone.