I realize airlock activity is not an indication of fermentation but just an example I brewed a Caribou slobber and fermentation was riggorous the first 4 days and then went down to a bubble in the airlock every 10 min or so this was brewed on the 28th and gravity was at 1.017 on 1/9 and now it started bubbling like it did on the first day a bubble every 5 seconds. My question is what is happening to cause this?
airlock activity
- Thread starter Dougie63
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If your gravities are always on schedule then the CO2 is escaping via someplace else. No worries though, you're still fermenting beer. :rockin:
Young Caine: You cannot see.
Master Po: You think I cannot see?
Young Caine: Of all things, to live in darkness must be worst.
Master Po: Fear is the only darkness. Unless you keep looking at your fermenter wondering when your beer is ready to be bottled. Damnit man! Do something else with your time and forget about it for a month.
I think this was the Unrated version of Kung Fu
Master Po: You think I cannot see?
Young Caine: Of all things, to live in darkness must be worst.
Master Po: Fear is the only darkness. Unless you keep looking at your fermenter wondering when your beer is ready to be bottled. Damnit man! Do something else with your time and forget about it for a month.
I think this was the Unrated version of Kung Fu
OP
OP
Dougie63
Well-Known Member
What?
EDIT: After my semi-long post I re-read your question. Yeast as you know are affected by temperature or by how many of them have dropped to the bottom of a fermenter and gone to sleep. Repositioning a fermenter can jostle up the yeast enough to be resuspended into the food they love eating and get them to start fermenting again, and an increase in temp changes can make lethargic yeast wake up again and start eating, or if a fermenter is moved CO2 can just come out of solution and produce some airlock activity. Gravity readings, I believe are the only way to tell if 1. Fermentation is taking place. 2. Fermentation is complete.
I once fermented with a 10g Rubbermaid cooler lid covering a 6g bucket because my nearly airtight fermenter bucket lid was not to be found. There were no reassuring little glub-glubs coming from an airlock, no hiss coming from the very loose fitting lid.
On day three I checked gravity and fermentation was certainly happening, on day six and seven I took gravity readingd and it was at final.
Left the bucket sitting that way another 3 weeks and then replaced the Rubbermaid lid with saran wrap. (the lid wouldnt fit into the temp controlled freezer) crash cooled it for another 3 weeks (mainly out of laziness after the first week of cold crashing) at 30 degrees and the Beer turned out just fine, clear, no off flavors and it is yummy!
I'm forcing myself to be patient, use great sanitation, and not worry about the brew so much. Take care of the yeast and they take care of the brew, they know what they are doing .
Sanitation, temp control and patience are probably the most important three ingredients to making beer.
Fresh ingredients are at the top list as well.
I once fermented with a 10g Rubbermaid cooler lid covering a 6g bucket because my nearly airtight fermenter bucket lid was not to be found. There were no reassuring little glub-glubs coming from an airlock, no hiss coming from the very loose fitting lid.
On day three I checked gravity and fermentation was certainly happening, on day six and seven I took gravity readingd and it was at final.
Left the bucket sitting that way another 3 weeks and then replaced the Rubbermaid lid with saran wrap. (the lid wouldnt fit into the temp controlled freezer) crash cooled it for another 3 weeks (mainly out of laziness after the first week of cold crashing) at 30 degrees and the Beer turned out just fine, clear, no off flavors and it is yummy!
I'm forcing myself to be patient, use great sanitation, and not worry about the brew so much. Take care of the yeast and they take care of the brew, they know what they are doing .
Sanitation, temp control and patience are probably the most important three ingredients to making beer.
Fresh ingredients are at the top list as well.I installed an airlock and ... no activity, yet if I watch the surface of the beer it is definately fermenting.
I believe both of us have a leak.
It'll taste something like that because of all the sugars that haven't been converted yet.
That cidery flavor is from high initial ferment temps. The OS lager is really a light pale ale,& def needs some flavor hops to balance it out. The OS kits,especially the lager,are made that way so the home brewer can get their feet wet in regard to finishing hops & the like. Also to make various beers from them. In AU,they do what are called toucans,"two cans". I like using cooper's cans as a base for other styles,& it works quite well.
Sounds like what you're tasting at this point is the malt. The OS lager is malt-forward,since the only hopping the Original Series gets is some bittering with Pride of Ringwood hops,a rather clean bittering hop down under.
