no airlock activity

OK, so made a batch and transferred onto yeast cake a bit early (80-90° wort). No activity after 48 hours. Pitched some Nottingham on the assumption the yeast were over stressed. Nothing. Pitched aglob of cake from a batch I was transferring to secondary. Nothing. This thing should be going like a bat out of hell. Wtf?

Sometimes my airlock gets stuck or I have put too much water in it for it to move. I am assuming though that you are past that, seeing that you are using yeast cake, you must be very knowledgeable. I just did my first yeast cake pitch last night. I added some new wort to it to get it going. Today it is fermenting like mad! Can I get a "hell yeah!" New tricks!!! Does the yeast need oxygen or nutrients?
-Roscoe

I'd take a gravity reading & see if it changed. Although it is odd that you have no airlock bubbling after pitching on a yeast cake, it's not a good indication of fermentation.

If you have a lot of headspace in the fermenter, it could take awhile to build up CO2 pressure...or maybe you don't have an airtight seal?

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Airlock activity is irrevelent. Just gravity points on a hydrometer. Besides, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/fermentation-can-take-24-[B]72[/B]-hrs-show-visible-signs-43635/, and by visible signs we don't necessarily mean a bubbling airlock. it means gravity reading

It IS a sticky at the top of the beginners forum for a reason, afterall.

Airlock bubbling (or lack) and fermentation are not the same thing. You have to separate that from your mindset. Airlock bubbling can be a sign of fermentation, but not a good one, because the airlock will often blip or not blip for various other reasons...so it is a tenuous connection at best.

If your airlock was bubbling and stopped---It doesn't mean fermentation has stopped.

If you airlock isn't bubbling, it doesn't mean your fermentation hasn't started....

If your airlock starts bubbling, it really doesn't matter.

If your airlock NEVER bubbles, it doesn't mean anything is wrong or right.

Your airlock is not a fermentation gauge, it is a VALVE to release excess co2. If it bubbles it is because it needs to, if it doesn't, it just means it doesn't need too...


Your HYDROMETER is the only BEST indicator of fermentation activity. Nothing else is accurate or consistent...

Unless you take a gravity reading you don't know what's really going on, not by airlock bubbling or by krausen formation. Neither of those signs are effective, they don't tell you exactly where on the fermentation process you are.

The amount of krausen can vary for whatever reason, it can come quick and depart quickly or it can linger long after fermentation is complete, and it all be normal.

And airlocks sometimes bubble or they don't. And airlock is a valve, a vent to release excess co2...NOT a fermentation gauge. It's important to make that distinction, or you'll be panicking everytime a an airlock doesn't bubble, or stops bubbling.

Fermentation is not always "dynamic," just because you don't SEE anything happening, doesn't mean that any-thing's wrong,, and also doesn't mean that the yeast are still not working diligently away, doing what they've been doing for over 4,000 years.

That's why you need to take a gravity reading to know how your fermentation is going, NOT go by airlocks, or size of krausen, or a calendar, the horoscope or the phases of the moon (those things in my mind are equally accurate).

The most important tool you can use is a hydrometer. It's the only way you will truly know when your beer is ready...airlock bubbles and other things are faulty.

The only way to truly know what is going on in your fermenter is with your hydrometer. Like I said here in my blog, which I encourage you to read, Think evaluation before action you sure as HELL wouldn't want a doctor to start cutting on you unless he used the proper diagnostic instuments like x-rays first, right? You wouldn't want him to just take a look in your eyes briefly and say "I'm cutting into your chest first thing in the morning." You would want them to use the right diagnostic tools before the slice and dice, right? You'd cry malpractice, I would hope, if they didn't say they were sending you for an MRI and other things before going in....

Fast fermentations/slow fermentations/big krausens/small krausens/bubbles starting and stopping, in the long run is really irrevelent....just that you have fermentation. Yeast don't normal normally die/stop fermenting/get tired, that's a premise new brewers believe, but it's not the truth. Yeast have been doing this for 4,000 years, and know how to ferment the beer, they WANT to ferment the beer, it's their entire purpose in life is to eat sugar, peer alcohol and fart co2 (along with some major screwing during the reproductive phase) especially modern 21st century yeast.

All those other things are really just superficial to the purpose at hand, if your yeast took off, unless you let the temp go down near 50, your yeast is still working happily away, despite what the supreficial signs like airlock may indicate.

Relax and take a gravity reading after 72 hours...

I know airlock isn't reliable, but every batch I've brewed had nice bubble action going and most yeast cake brews needed a blow off. Yeast have to be working I know, but I want bubbles damnit!

yes! i knew i would see revvy on here!

dantose said:

Yeast have to be working I know, but I want bubbles damnit!

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Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew, and take a bubble bath.

It will be interesting to see if Revvy is right, definately repost. Is your temp right since your first pitch? Funny, mine stopped bubbling today and I was worried, maybe I should relax. I'll wait till tonight for the Home brew though, still coffee time...

It smells like a brewery in here...!

Although airlock activity is not reliable, it's the only evidense we have of activity in a bucket unless you want to keep popping the lid off. The second batch I brewed using a Mr. Beer fermentor which dosn't use an airlock I let it set for 7 days just like you'r supposed to, took a gravity reading and it was the same as when put it in. I tasted the sample and it didn't tast bad so i pitched some yeast I just took from another beer and let it go again. Seven days later I took the gravity and it was done. I bottled that beer and you can't drink it. Very sour like vinigar. So now I rely on my airlock if I dont get activity in 24 hrs I start looking for the reason. Now that I'm doing 6 gal. batches I dont want to have to dump it.

rod734 said:

Although airlock activity is not reliable, it's the only evidense we have of activity in a bucket unless you want to keep popping the lid off. .

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Wrong....if you use it an your airlock doesn't bubble in your bucket are you just gonna assume somethings wrong??? I've been saying this for years, over half my fementations, whether it's buckets or carboys, different size batches, every combination imaginable, have never blipped a single airlock bubble....ever. Yet I've never had a fermentation NOT happen. So if I used your logic, I would be saying 50% of my beers had something wrong with them....Sorry but it's a faulty indicator no matter if it's a bucket or a carboy........

There's nothing inherently wrong with popping the lid on your bucket..especially if you are going to be taking a grav reading. And if you've waited the 72 hours we talk about in the sticky more than likely when you DO open the bucket, you are going to see evidence of a krausen, or you will have a drop in gravity.....

But it also comes down to faith...sorry but the idea that yeast don't work is mostly a noob fallacy....modern yeasts DO perform as they are supposed to...they just may not work as the new brewer THINKS they should, or when they should....But unless you've dumped the yeast into boiling wort, more than l

Likely your yeast will do it's job...Especially if in the case of a liquid you've made a starter which proves viability, and jumpstarts the process. But the instances of a yeast truly NOT performing is very very rare.....

I subscribe to the Colobrewer philosophy as mentioned here Stop bashing my yeast friends!!!

As hard as it may sound for some brewers, just pitch the yeast and leave it alone for a week. The yeast dont benefit from being babysat!

MashTun-Kutcher said:

As hard as it may sound for some brewers, just pitch the yeast and leave it alone for a week. The yeast dont benefit from being babysat!

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Exactly...they've been doing this for 4,000 or more years...they know what they're doing, better than we do. Heck most of us pitch our yeast and walk away for a month, then come back and bottle. That's why I suggest new brewers tattoo this on their foreheads or mount it over their fermenters.

I've been saying this for years, over half my fementations, whether it's buckets or carboys, different size batches, every combination imaginable, have never blipped a single airlock bubble....ever. Yet I've never had a fermentation NOT happen.

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Over half of your fermentations have never had a bubble? I call bull****. I have never had a fermentation without a bubble. Hmmm.. where is all that CO2 going then? Are you using open fermentation?

MachineShopBrewing said:

Over half of your fermentations have never had a bubble? I call bull****. I have never had a fermentation without a bubble. Hmmm.. where is all that CO2 going then? Are you using open fermentation?

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Call BS if you want...it's the truth...I wouldn't be writing about airlocks so much if that weren't the case, would I? I've been saying it for years...even doing counts. Like I said, I wouldn't write it if it weren't true....

Whatever......

MachineShopBrewing said:

Over half of your fermentations have never had a bubble? I call bull****. I have never had a fermentation without a bubble. Hmmm.. where is all that CO2 going then? Are you using open fermentation?

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You can call it sally for all I give care...it's the truth...I wouldn't be writing about airlocks so much if that weren't the case, would I?

Whatever......

I could believe that you may have had a few over the years due to leaky bucket and such, but over half? That I cannot believe unless you are doing open fermentation. Where is your CO2 going when you use a carboy with a stopper? It has to go somewhere? If it is staying in solution, that is not good either. Yeast don't like CO2.

MachineShopBrewing said:

I could believe that you may have had a few over the years due to leaky bucket and such, but over half? That I cannot believe unless you are doing open fermentation. Where is your CO2 going when you use a carboy with a stopper? It has to go somewhere? If it is staying in solution, that is not good either. Yeast don't like CO2.

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Whatever floats your boat....It's been discussed ad nauseum on here, and not just by me, for years, as other folks have attested to as well...so I'm not gonna re-invent the wheel and disguss/debate it again just to suit you....*yawn*

Revvy,

I know you are trying to help and are just trying to calm down new brewers and keep them from getting over anxious. I appreciate that fact. I just can't believe that half of your ferments have not shown airlock activity if you are sealing up your fermentation vessel.

If you really believe this, what you should be promoting and doing yourself is not using an airlock at all. If you can’t or won’t seal your fermenters any arguments you make about airlocks are a just cluttering the the many threads you post them in.

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Amen. That is how I feel too. I'm really not trying to be a ******. If he seriously never has a bubble then he isn't really qualified to post about airlock activity.

Revvy said:

Whatever floats your boat....

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With your knack for leaky vessels, that's an odd metaphor to use.

With your knack for leaky vessels, that's an odd metaphor to use.

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:cross:

...and meanwhile back in the tens of thousands of fermentation vessels around the world, yeast are doing their job while we're debating.

Personally, I make sure i'm pitching enough yeast for the job. Second, I create as healthy an environment as possible and trust the yeast to do their job.

And then I walk away.

If there is airlock activity within 72 hours, great.

If not, then I remove the lid (or in case of glass carboy just see) and look for krausen.

If not, then I take a gravity reading.

In other words, I move towards more accurate means of measurement as less accurate means of measurement fail.

Fermentation can occur despite no airlock activity.

Fermentation can occur despite no visible signs of krausen.

But fermentation cannot occur despite no change in gravity points (as measured by hydrometer or refractometer).

If there is airlock activity within 72 hours, great.

If not, then I remove the lid (or in case of glass carboy just see) and look for krausen.

If not, then I take a gravity reading.

In other words, I move towards more accurate means of measurement as less accurate means of measurement fail.

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yep, that would be the way I would go about it too. Completely disregarding the airlock is a mistake. When used properly, it can be a useful tool in the brewers toolbox and a first line of defense.

Who cares if the airlock is bubbling? As long as good beer is the outcome i could care less. I rarely even look at my carboys anymore. Its not like checking it every 6 hours will make it go faster.