Fermentation question

I brewed up a batch on the 29th and the next morning the airlock was going crazy. But, it stopped about a day or two after and i havent seen it bubble since. Its showing signs of fermentation. There is a bunch of foam on the top...
Im thinking that maybe the bucket is leaking around the lid. I took it off and noticed that there is no rubber seal? Is that normal?
I have an avaliable 6 gal. carboy that i could use if the seal is a big issue other wise i was going to use it as a secondary at the end of the week. I took a gravity reading today the beer is already at its FG but there is still tons of foam on the top.

What should i do? Keep it in this container for the rest of the week or move it? If i move it will it have a affect on the fermentation process? Im leaning towards leaving it but want to make sure its ok even though this lid may be leaking.

First off, you've got to chill while around the beer. Much like little kids, young beer will pick up on it's creators anxiety and it will never again be able to achieve it's full potential. I'd probably rack it to the carboy if it's gravity is where you want it to be and you are worried about a seal. If you want to keep it where it is though, no more testing/checking. Either way, and most importantly, keep it covered and let it do it's thing. Too much testing and checking is asking for off tastes, infection and general bad behavior as the young'un becomes an adolescent beer.

Fiery Sword said:

First off, you've got to chill while around the beer. Much like little kids, young beer will pick up on it's creators anxiety and it will never again be able to achieve it's full potential. I'd probably rack it to the carboy if it's gravity is where you want it to be and you are worried about a seal. If you want to keep it where it is though, no more testing/checking. Either way, and most importantly, keep it covered and let it do it's thing. Too much testing and checking is asking for off tastes, infection and general bad behavior as the young'un becomes an adolescent beer.

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THanks, I know i was probably getting overly excited but im a newbee... Thats my excuse!?!
A couple more questions.

Should i be worried about the seal? Will it hurt anything at this point?

If i move it should i just move it like a normal secondary and leave all the sediment at the bottom behind?

Thanks,

Chris

If I were the brewmaster here, I'd transfer it to a secondary and leave behind as much of the crud as possible. With every opening and closing of the fermenter you increased the probability of infection (though it is still very low). If in fact the bucket is not really sealing, then lots of things could potentially creep in there. If you rack it to a secondary and put an airlock on it then we would be confident that any NEW infections wouldn't be able to invade. If it already got one, we'd know in due time because the beer would taste and smell very, very funky. (It is harder to get infected beer than you'd think as a nervous newbie!!!) You want to leave the crud (trub) behind though so that it doesn't impart off flavors to your beer. For now, consider it "dead stuff" that will put "dead taste" into your beer if it sits in there for 2-3-4 weeks. One week in the crud is good.

I wouldn't worry about your primary seal. If the bucket wasn't sealed, then your airlock wouldn't have been "going crazy", as you stated, because the gas would have leaked out the bucket via the unsealed cap and not been forced through the airlock.

I'm at the point now where my primary lid has been opened too many times and I rarely get any airlock activity, although I do get fermenation and I've never had an infection problem.

Im in the same boat right now. I had vigorous fermentation for 24-48 hours and now nothing. its been about 3 days since i put it in the primary. I havent opened it even once to look at it though. Im just hoping it will turn out ok. Im going to rack it to my secondary at the 1 week point.

Other members here told me not to worry as well. There is some info as to why this may happen in chapter 21 of How to brew but i cant tell you if they apply in our situation or not. Sorry.

RyanJE said:

Im in the same boat right now. I had vigorous fermentation for 24-48 hours and now nothing. its been about 3 days since i put it in the primary. I havent opened it even once to look at it though. Im just hoping it will turn out ok. Im going to rack it to my secondary at the 1 week point.

Other members here told me not to worry as well. There is some info as to why this may happen in chapter 21 of How to brew but i cant tell you if they apply in our situation or not. Sorry.

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NP, Thanks for the post. Makes me feel a bit better. I think ill wait until friday to move it and just leave it alone till then.

Sure. I was toying with the idea of pitching another batch of yeast as John Palmer explains. Any opinions or insight about this anyone???

Except Im not sure of the exact cause so i dont know if that would be a good idea or not. Did you prepare a starter cnapierala? I did.

Sounds like it and you are doing what new beers and brewers do. It foams and gets quiet, and the brewer gets worried. I did too, at first. Let it sit a week (no more peeking) and then go to your settling (secondary) vessel. Let it sit another couple weeks and then bottle. Relax, it'll be okay. Beer has been doing this thing longer than you or I have been alive, and it is pretty good at it.

RyanJE said:

Sure. I was toying with the idea of pitching another batch of yeast as John Palmer explains. Any opinions or insight about this anyone???

Except Im not sure of the exact cause so i dont know if that would be a good idea or not. Did you prepare a starter cnapierala? I did.

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No starter. I just used the "Activator" wet yeast.

If it ferments vigorously for one or two days, you have to understand that the available sugars fall off pretty quickly. That's when things slow down and ferment more inconspicuously. I'm instating a HBT newbie rule: if you see any signs of fermentation in the first 3 days after pitching, you must waiting exactly 7 days before touching the fermenter. You get extra points for waiting 10 days.

Bobby_M said:

If it ferments vigorously for one or two days, you have to understand that the available sugars fall off pretty quickly. That's when things slow down and ferment more inconspicuously. I'm instating a HBT newbie rule: if you see any signs of fermentation in the first 3 days after pitching, you must waiting exactly 7 days before touching the fermenter. You get extra points for waiting 10 days.

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Lol! Sounds like a good rule. I shall obey the rule from now on.

the beer is already at its FG

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If the that's the case and it hasn't changed for three days, it's done. Rack it and let it clear.