No bubbling....

I brewed up a batch of Red Ale from a Brewer's Best kit on Friday. Within hours, bubbles were coming through the air lock.

It continued to bubble at about a bubble every second or two through the weekend.

Yesterday, there were few bubbles. Today there are no bubbles.

Is the batch dead? If so, what happened?

Thanks.

Mark

Bubbling in primary SHOULD slow or stop eventually...Bubbling stopping or slowing down doesn't mean fermentation has stopped it ONLY means bubbling has. An airlock is a VENT, a VALVE for EXCESS CO2. It's not a magic fermentation gauge. When the majority of sugars are eaten in the initial burst of fermentation, lots of co2 is released. As it slows down, bubbling ceases or stops altogether because there's not as much EXCESS Co2 being released.

But that doesn't mean fermentation is over, just that it's slowed down.

Fermentation is not always dynamic...just because you don't SEE anything happening doesn't mean that the yeast aren't happily chewing away at whatever fermentables are in there....the only way to know comes from gravity readings, and nothing else.

Activity, action, bubbles, even krausen can be affected by the envoironment just as much as it being caused by the yeast...so going by that is NOT reliable.

If you want to know what's going on with your beer, then take a gravity reading. 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....

Counting bubbles does not equate to anything usable in fermentation. It's not like "x bubbles/minute= y gravity points." It just means that co2 is being released....but it could also NOT be bubbling, and still fermenting away.


Relax, leave your beer alone and let it do it's thing for a couple more weeks, and most importantly, IGNORE what your airlock does or doesn't do.

You should really a few stickies on here that are all about this topic. They are extremely helpful for beginning brewers and they answer a lot of these questions that many new brewers come across.

Chances are most of your beer has been fermented over the weekend but it's still likely fermenting but at a slower rate. It's usually a good idea to wait at least two weeks for fermentation to finish. It's an even better idea to buy hydrometer and check for completion. You do this by taking gravity readings a day or two apart. If the readings are the same that means your fermentation is done, if they are different it means it's not done.

Edit: or what revvy said.

Thanks, guys. I have a hydrometer, but I'm a bit squeamish about opening up the fermenter before it's done.

Do I take the top off, or remove the airlock and siphon some out for the SG reading? And, given that I don't get any hints from the airlock, when's the best time to do that?

Mark

124Spider said:

Thanks, guys. I have a hydrometer, but I'm a bit squeamish about opening up the fermenter before it's done.

Do I take the top off, or remove the airlock and siphon some out for the SG reading? And, given that I don't get any hints from the airlock, when's the best time to do that?

Mark

Click to expand...

There's no need to be squeamish as long as you are smart and sanitary about what you are doing. To take a sample for a gravity reading I simply sanitize a metal measuring cup and scoop out about a 1/2 cup of beer. (I assume you're using a bucket...if a carboy, you'll need to siphon or use a wine thief or even a sanitized turkey baster). Take your measurement and then drink the sample. Do not return the sample to the fermenter.

There is no need to do this now. Generally I wait at least 10 days before taking a sample. And then another 4-10 days for a second reading and determine if it's ready to bottle. Of course there is no harm in doing it earlier - in fact, opening it up and taking a peek would be very educational in terms of experiencing what the various stages of beer making looks like.

On another topic...Given that you had a very active airlock in the first couple of days, I am concerned that you had a too warm fermentation, which tends to speed things up, but which can also lead to some unwanted flavors. At What temp are you fermenting this?

124Spider said:

Thanks, guys. I have a hydrometer, but I'm a bit squeamish about opening up the fermenter before it's done.

Do I take the top off, or remove the airlock and siphon some out for the SG reading? And, given that I don't get any hints from the airlock, when's the best time to do that?

Mark

Click to expand...

I'm squeamish about that too so I just leave mine alone for at least 2 weeks before I open them. Most of the time I wait for three weeks before I check them. If you are in a hurry for your beer, open the top at the end of 2 weeks and check, making sure to sanitize anything that goes into the fermenter. I use a turkey baster to collect my sample and have the hydrometer in it's plastic tube to do the reading. The plastic tube caps leak slowly so don't leave your sample in it longer than it takes to get your reading, then drink the sample (don't drop the hydrometer when you do that, they are very fragile) so you can see how the ferment has progressed. A second sample 2 or 3 days later that is the same reading means you can bottle it.

124Spider said:

Thanks, guys. I have a hydrometer, but I'm a bit squeamish about opening up the fermenter before it's done.

Do I take the top off, or remove the airlock and siphon some out for the SG reading? And, given that I don't get any hints from the airlock, when's the best time to do that?

Mark

Click to expand...

I've had a dog that eats his own **** drink unfermented wort out of the bucket before I put the lid on and the beer survived. Someone might tell you differently but I honestly believe it is rather difficult to infect your beer so long as the environment is right for yeast to survive and you pitch enough in to gain the upper hand. There will ALWAYS be microbes hanging out in your unfermented wort but given that the environment is friendly and your yeast pitch rate is proper it's like sending in all branches of the military to break up a gas station hold up.

DISCLAIMER: I am in NO WAY suggesting you throw feces into or use your fermenter as a trash receptacle.

JLem said:

There's no need to be squeamish as long as you are smart and sanitary about what you are doing. To take a sample for a gravity reading I simply sanitize a metal measuring cup and scoop out about a 1/2 cup of beer. (I assume you're using a bucket...if a carboy, you'll need to siphon or use a wine thief or even a sanitized turkey baster). Take your measurement and then drink the sample. Do not return the sample to the fermenter.

There is no need to do this now. Generally I wait at least 10 days before taking a sample. And then another 4-10 days for a second reading and determine if it's ready to bottle. Of course there is no harm in doing it earlier - in fact, opening it up and taking a peek would be very educational in terms of experiencing what the various stages of beer making looks like.

On another topic...Given that you had a very active airlock in the first couple of days, I am concerned that you had a too warm fermentation, which tends to speed things up, but which can also lead to some unwanted flavors. At What temp are you fermenting this?

Click to expand...

Every time I've looked at it, it's been at 70 degrees F, well within the 64-72 recommended range. I don't think temperature should be a problem.

124Spider said:

Every time I've looked at it, it's been at 70 degrees F, well within the 64-72 recommended range. I don't think temperature should be a problem.

Click to expand...

Well, if the ambient air temperature is at 70°F, your actual fermentation temp may be as high as 75-78°F (the metabolic activity of the yeast produces heat). The temperatures listed for the yeast are usually fermentation temps, so you probably fermented it above the recommended temperatures.

I do not know that this will definitely cause any off-flavors...but if you notice any out of place fruitiness and/or hot alcohols, it could be from too warm a fermentation.

+1 for what Phelan said... Not the dog thing though. I haven't had that happen yet.

JLem said:

Well, if the ambient air temperature is at 70°F, your actual fermentation temp may be as high as 75-78°F (the metabolic activity of the yeast produces heat). The temperatures listed for the yeast are usually fermentation temps, so you probably fermented it above the recommended temperatures.

I do not know that this will definitely cause any off-flavors...but if you notice any out of place fruitiness and/or hot alcohols, it could be from too warm a fermentation.

Click to expand...

The ambient air temp is much lower (we never heat our house to more than 68). This is a thermometer strip attached to the fermentation bucket; I suspect the liquid inside does a pretty good job of keeping the container the same temperature as the liquid.

124Spider said:

The ambient air temp is much lower (we never heat our house to more than 68). This is a thermometer strip attached to the fermentation bucket; I suspect the liquid inside does a pretty good job of keeping the container the same temperature as the liquid.

Click to expand...

It's pretty close. This link is the fermometer instructions and has info on the accuracy - but only for a glass carboy: http://tkachenterprises.com/Products.html

I was curious how it was going, so I decided to move the brew to a secondary fermenter. I took a specific gravity reading (indicated exactly 5% ABV, right on for this brew), and siphoned it into the carboy. Then drank the bit from the SG reading; it's pretty good (for flat beer); could use a little finishing, perhaps (it's only 6 days old), but I'm hopeful.

I'll bottle it in ten days or so.

Mark

124Spider said:

I was curious how it was going, so I decided to move the brew to a secondary fermenter. I took a specific gravity reading (indicated exactly 5% ABV, right on for this brew), and siphoned it into the carboy. Then drank the bit from the SG reading; it's pretty good (for flat beer); could use a little finishing, perhaps (it's only 6 days old), but I'm hopeful.

I'll bottle it in ten days or so.

Mark

Click to expand...

Probably should have waited at least 2 weeks in the primary, most people say 3 weeks is the mark you should go for.

A secondary for a Red Ale probably isn't needed, unless you plan on dry hopping or adding chips or something like that, but that is a debate you'll see around here a lot (use of a secondary).

In any event, you probably should have just taken a reading, and then waited a few days and taken another reading. Even if you wanted to transfer into a secondary you should have waited until the gravity readings matched (or pretty close to it) and then moved it. Taking one reading only tells you where it is at today...tomorrow it could have dropped and in two days it most definately would have dropped.

Also, leaving it in the primary for 2-3 weeks allows for the yeast to do their job and clean up. The bubbles may stop, but remember that doesn't mean the yeast still aren't doing their work clearing up your beer. You'll find that leaving it in the primary will help clear your beer and give you a bit more fuller and deeper flavor.

However, you'll be fine. Your beer, no doubt, will turn out tastey. :rockin:

I should have mentioned that the directions that came with the Brewer's Best kit I'm brewing said to transfer to secondary in 5-7 days.

124Spider said:

I should have mentioned that the directions that came with the Brewer's Best kit I'm brewing said to transfer to secondary in 5-7 days.

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You'll see that a lot on basic instructions. Just about anyone on this forum will tell you that you should take a gravity reading, and then take another one a few days later. Once they are the same (or close to it) only then you should rack to the secondary (if using one).

The thing about these basic instructions is, they are made to cover just about ALL of their beer recipes, when buying premade kits. They are generic. Same thing with the instructions stating that "bubbles should appear and subside after 2-3 days", but the fact is, bubbles may, or may not occur. There are a lot of factors that go into that, and it is why you see so many of thse "not bubbling" threads by people new to the addiction.

124Spider said:

I was curious how it was going, so I decided to move the brew to a secondary fermenter. I took a specific gravity reading (indicated exactly 5% ABV, right on for this brew), and siphoned it into the carboy. Then drank the bit from the SG reading; it's pretty good (for flat beer); could use a little finishing, perhaps (it's only 6 days old), but I'm hopeful.

I'll bottle it in ten days or so.

Mark

Click to expand...

When you say it indicated "exactly 5% ABV", is that a reading off your hydrometer? Or something you calculated based on your OG and current gravity?

JLem said:

When you say it indicated "exactly 5% ABV", is that a reading off your hydrometer? Or something you calculated based on your OG and current gravity?

Click to expand...

The OG was 1.050; it's now 1.012, yielding ABV of 5%.

124Spider said:

The OG was 1.050; it's now 1.012, yielding ABV of 5%.

Click to expand...

Good...just making sure

Yeah, a lot of new brewers think they're supposed to use the potential alcohol scale on a triple scale hydromter to take grav readings; that's why we usually double check when someone posts a % as a grav reading.

Bottling day.

The five gallons that I had at the end of the boil have reduced to about 4-1/2 gallons for bottling (presumably due to leaving some in the primary and secondary jugs to avoid transferring sediment, plus the 8oz each of the two times I took a gravity measurement). I assume that this is standard, but I wanted to check.

ABV increased slightly from the transfer to secondary. It was exactly 5% then, and now is 5.25% (of course, readings being inexact, this may not be a real change).

I'll be putting the bottles in a closet and leaving them at about 66 degrees for several weeks before I refrigerate them.

I'm looking forward (with a bit of trepidation) to that first taste!

Mark