Airlock Troubles/Questions

Ok, I mixed up the ingredients for a three gallon batch of apfelwein. It has been in the primary for three weeks in a six gallon ale pail. The air lock never moved once during the whole time. I chalked it up to too much headspace in the bucket. I transferred last week to a 3 gallon glass car boy. Still, no movement in my airlock. Is it possible that this never fermented? When I opened the bucket, i saw tiny bubbles moving to the top of the wort, which appeared to be fermentation related. Is my airlock busted?

I thought of doing an experiment. Since I have no hydrometer readings (it broke) I'm going to drink a half gallon tonight and see if I can feel any of the lovely side effects pertaining to fermented beverages... As far as I can tell its the only way to know

airlock bubbling, lack of airlock bubbling, stopped airlock bubbling, fast airlock bubbling, slow airlcok bubbling, heavy metal airlcok bubbling, or disco airlock bubbling really is not an indicator of what is happening to your beer. It is NOT a fermentation gauge, it is a valve to release excess pressure, excess CO2...NOT AN ACCURATE INSTRUMENT....

I have 9 different fermenters and have been brewing for a few years, and OVER HALF OF MY BEERS NEVER HAVE ANY BUBBLING IN THE AIRLOCK AND THEY ALL TURN OUT FINE!

Fermentation is not always "dynamic," just because you don't SEE anything happenning, 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....

If you've oxygentated, and pitched plenty of yeast, then you SHOULD reach your yeast attenuation, and get close to the final gravity.....that is all that is important...NOT whether or not you airlock goes "blip" or "Rattattattatta!!!!"

An airlock is a vent for excess co2, nothing more, it's to keep your beer off the ceiling, and is designed to vent and still keep stuff out of your beer....that's really it...

In fact many no longer use airlocks at all, just cover the hole with a piece of tinfoil, or use a piece of plexiglass instead of a lid.

Read this for why airlock analysing is useless, and what is the only gauge of ferementation...https://www.homebrewtalk.com/1217925-post3.html And there is a link to my blog in there as well....

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.....

Buy a new hydrometer, ok? It will save having to ask whether or not fermentation is happening

I don't know if apfelwein puts of as much co2 as beer but I have never had an airlock not bubble with beer. Not trying to argue with revvy just my experience. But really get a hydrometer.

t-dogg said:

I don't know if apfelwein puts of as much co2 as beer but I have never had an airlock not bubble with beer. Not trying to argue with revvy just my experience. But really get a hydrometer.

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If I recall, my apfelwein batch took off like a rocket, adn was one of the few fermentations I had that did trip the airlock, but that doesn't mean everyone's will...that's why worrying about airlocks is such an un-necessary thing. It's not a consistant way to go about things/

I mean if we fermented it 100% airtight vessels, with welded seals and some sort of calibrated big brass gauge on it like this;



That would be a different story...but we don't, we ferment in plastic or glass, with rubber that sometimes is extra slick from sanitizer, and isn't going to be a tight seal. ANd a tight seal isn't really necessary anyway. that co2 that is not going out the airlock, either doesn't need to (the airlock should be thought of as a valve) or is getting out elsewhere, and if that's the case, then if co2 is getting out, nothing bad is getting in.

Dtown, a half gallon????

Oh boy.

+1 on everything Revvy sez.

And... half a gallon?!?!?! Have fun waking up tomorrow afternoon!

-Steve

yeah yeah mom. I heed your warnings. haha I am already feeling it. I guess it did ferment after all! The taste is pretty much awful, but it's very young. I'm going to be a trooper and get through it. I need a new hydro for sure

Maybe thats why your airlock doesnt bubble, with a 7500 psi gauge mine wouldn't either

SavageSteve said:

+1 on everything Revvy sez.

And... half a gallon?!?!?! Have fun waking up tomorrow afternoon!

-Steve

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Hey that's dedication....Since his hydro is broken he decided not to rely on bubbling and sought an "alternative" method to gauge fermentation.

The trouble is that after testing his half gallon sample of hi-test rocket fuel, er I mean pretty green Apfelwein...he may need to find an alternative method for walking.

Apfelwein definitely improves with age... I have some from over a year ago and it's awesome. Much smoother.

-Steve

DtownRiot said:

yeah yeah mom. I heed your warnings. haha I am already feeling it. I guess it did ferment after all! The taste is pretty much awful, but it's very young. I'm going to be a trooper and get through it. I need a new hydro for sure

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We Have A Winner!!! Fermentation has occured!

LOL.....Mods, it's time to move this thread over to drunken ramblings, I think this thread could have potential:rockin:

I know how raw green apfelwein can taste...no one I knew would drink more than a few sips until it had been about 7 or 8 months old...then they loved it. But before that people couldn't stand it.

And, I am not your mother.

I was fortunate when I started brewing in that I had a certain background in laboratory science, and thus with the necessity of taking measurements, and being comfortable with test equipment. It's no different than trying to cook in an oven without a means to determine the correct temperature. There is no way to determine contents such as the amount of sugar or alcohol without the appropriate tool. And at current prices ($6 for a hydrometer and $20 for a refractometer), these can hardly be considered a major financial obstacle to homebrewing.

It should also be noted that with buckets, the simple fact is that most can't be counted on to reliably seal around the edge of the lid.....and therefore observed airlock action due to CO2 generation inside becomes iffy, at best.