Just transfered to secondary...

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Kiana

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I did my first all grain last Wednesday (7.7.7 IPA) and just transferred from primary to secondary.

I tasted it and it wasn't quite where I wanted it, and I noticed that it was really short as far as volume goes. I happened to have some purified water on hand and figured that adding it would fix both of my problems.
I did this for a partial mash a few months back and everything worked out

Fast forward 13 hours and my bubbler isn't bubbling.

I know that it might be premature, but I am freaking out.

Any reassurance either way?

Thanks,
-Kian
 
By the time you move to secondary (if you do move to secondary), fermentation should be finished. Actually, you should have taken a hydrometer reading to be sure before you moved it. The fact that it isn't bubbling (which is a whole other topic) isn't significant. If you waited for fermentation to be finished, there shouldn't be any bubbling anyway.

As for the airlock thing, it's always much more likely that CO2 is simply escaping elsewhere, as opposed to stuck fermentation. We get a few threads a week (sometimes a few per day) from people who panic when the airlock doesn't move.

Long story short, RDWHAHB. :mug:
 
+1 for RDWHAHB

When you say "it wasn't quite where I wanted it", what was it missing? A little dry hopping in the secondary can cure a lot of "not quite."
 
I'm pretty new to brewing but had a similar question. I have a large brew kettle so I get a LOT of evap during the boil. My first batch was only 4 gallons. I didn't add any water, I just dealt w/it. However my airlock stopped bubbling a few days in. I checked the gravity 3x after that and sure enough even w/o any visible bubbles the gravity did drop. It seemed to bottom out and I transfered to secondary.

I think if you go ahead and take a hydrometer reading now, and again in a day or two, and it's the same you can be sure it's done. Or just do that from now on. And be sure to check right before going from boil to primary to get your OG.
 
Hydrometer broke when I was sanitizing, so no OG and my LHBS is closed on Wednesdays, so no FG...

It was a little too thick for me, I dry hopped it too.

Thanks for the reassurance, I see the freak out posts up all the time and I was trying not to add to it, but not having any local support from my club I figured one more would push the total number of did I screw my beer up posts closer to the million mark, which is a pretty good goal.
 
That's why I keep one extra on hand. Plus a refractometer!

Usually a short volume post-boil is due to the evaporation during the lengthy boil-downs. It is more important when doing All-Grain to track this over several batches so you can compensate in the future. Keeping some distilled water to the side is wise.

I'll boil off 3 gallons easily in 90 minutes. So I compensate with my mash water and my efficiency goes up a point or so.

Just ONE of the many variables one needs to contend with when brewing...
 
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