Using Wyeast products

Ok, so this is my second batch that I used a Wyeast German Ale type(1007) and the air lock movement is really lacking.

To be clear, I'm using a 7.5 gallon fermentor and the initial lid to the fermentor had a hairline crack right at the airlock hole. I only noticed this crack because initial bubbles were coming out the crack and not the airlock.

So, thinking this was bad, I sanitized with SS a new 7.5 lid, and very quickly, pulled the cracked lid off and slapped the new lid on. While doing the quick change, I thought I noticed the wort looking REALLY dark with little to no krasuen. I then put the old airlock on the new lid.

I figure any gas that built up escaped during the lid transfer - and the fact that there was no head on the wort may have allowed a stray bacteria into the wort- but that's a long shot and not a real worry of mine.

The real concern is that there is no NEW movement of the airlock- I get the fact that C02 has to build up again but, it's now been 14+ hours (and a constant 68 degrees) since pitching AND since there was some sign of fermentation prior to the quick change, albeit escaping the wrong place, suggests that the yeast were happily doing their jobs and gas should be flowing and trying to escape.

The only thing I can think that I'm screwing up is I aerate the wort via paddle prior to pitching for about a minute (as well as vigorous splashing when dumping wort into fermentor). Then, I further use the paddle for another 30-60 seconds once the Wyeast is pitched.

Is this technique too long? Too short? Wrong sequence?

Thanks for enduring the long post and any thoughts anybody has!


Cheers!

How long has it been in the primary fermenter total? A day? or just 14 hours?

Okay, a couple of things.

First - observing the airlock tells you nothing except that gas is devolving from a sealed container. If the container is not sealed, and it's really quite difficult to seal an Ale Pail, gas will escape without causing the slightest "blup" in the airlock.

Second - You need not hermetically seal a primary ferment away from the outside world. The ferment will build a layer of krausen and carbon dioxide gas in the bucket which provides an environment extremely inhospitable to spoilage-causing microflora.

I use Ale Pails almost exclusively for my ferments. Usually I cover the mouth of the bucket with a large square sheet of clear Plexiglas. No airlocks, no seals. Just covering the entire mouth of the bucket, but clear so I can peer therein and visually observe the ferment. Before I got the Plexiglas, I just loosely laid an undrilled lid on the bucket. Either way, the intent was to keep dust and other solids from falling into the bucket. Because that's all you need to do. Don't go giving yourself hives because you don't see any airlock action or you can't seal the lid onto the bucket. Just go and have a beer and leave your ferment alone for a couple of weeks.

Cheers,

Bob

Thanks guys, I realize that I'm being obsessive and there is probably nothing wrong.

In the last hour I moved the fermentor from the ferment room to a warmer area - either the movement, the slightly warmer temp or both have sprung the air lock to life.

Either way, everybody, once again, confirms what I'm seeing - that there was plenty of activity going on behind the scenes.

And that's correct, it's only been about 15 1/2 hours since I pitched the yeast. So it is pretty early in the grand scheme of things.

Thanks again!