captaineriv
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone. This is my first batch and I used the Cooper's 3.3 lb ingredient kit that includes the malt and dried yeast. Also, my local homebrew store reccomended that I use 3.3 lbs more of malt for 5 gallons. I did all of this, combined the wort to the water in my fermenter, gave it a few brisk stirs to aerate, took an initial hydrometer reading of 1.041, and pitched the ale yeast at around 83-84 degrees (so said my brewing thermometer). Just as expected, the float piece in the airlock rose, bubbling started around 18 hours following pitching, and peak bubbling (1 bubble every 2-3 seconds) started at around 36 hours. However, at just less than 24 hours after peak bubbling, the bubbling stopped completely (I watched it for a while) and the floating piece in the airlock is no longer pressed up against the airlock's cap like it had been. The temperature in the room has not changed from 70-72 and there is a very good seal on the fermenter. From what I've read, it seems a little too soon for fermentation to subside so drastically for using 6.6 lbs of liquid malt. Is this a correct assumption? If so, can anyone offer some possible solutions. Also, is it too late to add more yeast to restart the process or has the damage been done? Any help would be great!