Early start for fermentation

Hi!

This is my first time homebrewing so forgive me if this is a stupid question. About 11 hours after I put the wort in my primary, my airlock started bubbling. About 5 hours later, it just stopped. Its been 2 days now. What are possible problems/solutions?

Thanks!

lazalaz said:

Hi!

This is my first time homebrewing so forgive me if this is a stupid question. About 11 hours after I put the wort in my primary, my airlock started bubbling. About 5 hours later, it just stopped. Its been 2 days now. What are possible problems/solutions?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Hi! Welcome to the forum.

There are many reasons airlocks bubble or don't- usually there is a small leak somewhere.

I'd suggest taking an SG reading with your hydrometer if you're really worried, or taking a look to see how much krausen you have. You may have a krausen ring where the krausen dropped backed into the beer, if fermentation is finished.

I'd wait about a week before worrying, though. Airlock bubbling isn't a reliable sign of fermentation or the lack of fermentation, and I've had beers ferment out in less than 24 hours if the temperature was very warm.

Even if fermentation is finished, or nearly so, there is still plenty of work to be done by the yeast. They actually digest their own waste products where there aren't any more fermentable sugars for them to eat, so it's good to leave them to it for a week or so before worrying about it.

Problem: Everything is going well.
Solution: Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew.

Thanks for the reassurances everyone! I checked the fermenter and there is a bit of green residue about inches above the wort. Is that the krausen? Also, if I put it in Thursday at midnight, when is it definitely safe to rack over to the secondary?

lazalaz said:

Thanks for the reassurances everyone! I checked the fermenter and there is a bit of green residue about inches above the wort. Is that the krausen? Also, if I put it in Thursday at midnight, when is it definitely safe to rack over to the secondary?

Click to expand...

Yes, that's the remnants of the krausen. That ring verifies that the krausen was way up there, and has now fallen back into the wort.

If you're using a secondary, you can check the SG on Monday night. Then check it again Thursday night. If it's the same, and it's where expected at the final gravity, you can rack to secondary.

I don't use a secondary any more so I just leave it in the primary for about 3 weeks.

+1 on not using a secondary unless absolutely required, especially for your first brew. It's a bit hard to give advice without knowing the style of beer, but the majority are well served by leaving in primary for three weeks then bottling/kegging.

So I should just leave it? And I know this is unrelated... but can I return the wort to the fermenter after testing it? I don't have a hydrometer jar, so it would be a big waste if I had to throw it out.

Don't add it back, drink it. It only takes about 4 ounces to take a reading and the chance of contamination is too great to add that small amount back to your brew.

Not knowing the style, yes, I'd leave it. But don't try to put the beer back in the fermenter; the odds of contamination are way too high. If you don't have a small cylinder to do readings in, I'd pick one up at the first opportunity. They're $4 at my local homebrew store.

The closest shop I found was about 45 min away, so for now I'm going to have to make do w/o one. What would you suggest?

I'd suggest making the drive. There really isn't any good substitute in the average house for a sample tube, except a really tall, skinny vase.

You'll be leaving the beer in the fermenter for 3-4 weeks, so no rush.

Thanks. The hydrometer came in a plastic container. Is that useable as a test jar?

lazalaz said:

Thanks. The hydrometer came in a plastic container. Is that useable as a test jar?

Click to expand...

Bingo, that's what i use.

Great! The top and bottom caps have foam attached. Does that make a difference?

take the foam off of the bottom.

The tube it came in It takes less beer than the proper sample tube.

David

Invest in one of these: http://www.brewcat.com/Merchant2/me...e=hbps2&Product_Code=5432&Category_Code=21002

One of the best things I bought. If the thief and hydrometer are sanitized, you can just hold the thief to the side of the carboy and dump it back in.