First batch

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cbarker777

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So I have a newbie question I am sure has been asked before. I brewed my first batch last night about this time i just looked at the air lock I am using and there are no bubbles. Not big ones any way just some little ones looks like a carbonated soda or something. Is that normal or should I be worried? I only worried because everything I read says to hydrate the yeast before pitching even the yeast packaging it self. The kit said not to it said to poor the dry yeast in no starter and stir well. I did what the kit said. Did I mess up?
 
Bubbling isn't a sign of fermentation. You're fine, pitching dry is the safest and surest way for a beginner to get a clean fermentation.
 
Thank you 1977Brewer. So if I do a starter I increase my chances of contamination I guess due to there are more things I have to sterilize and or forget to sterilize?
 
Most often with dry yeast you won't need a starter, there will be enough healthy cells after rehydration to ferment a "normal" strength beer. I'm sure even though you didn't rehydrate your still going to get beer though! And that's pretty effin awesome right???

As 1977 mentioned, you can't trust an airlock as a visual sign of fermentation. If you see bubbles, then it IS fermenting, but just because you don't doesn't mean it's not. Lids and air lock grommets can leak, fermentation can be so slow you can't see the bubbles, something to keep in mind.

Oh and you didn't tell us what kind of beer you brewed??
 
You also failed to mention what yeast you pitched, and what temp you are fermenting at. I have seen yeast take up to 72 hours before it gets going. Plus dependant on the yeast you are using the temp plays a big part in how well the yeast gets going.
 
Well it's an American ale (I think it would be called a partial extract, I had to do a boil in a bag with one grain for 20 min at 150 to 165 then I added amber lme and amber dme) kit but I don't remember what yeast it was it is a dry yeast. The wort was cooled to 70 before pitching and it is right about 70 now.
 
Well it's an American ale (I think it would be called a partial extract, I had to do a boil in a bag with one grain for 20 min at 150 to 165 then I added amber lme and amber dme) kit but I don't remember what yeast it was it is a dry yeast. The wort was cooled to 70 before pitching and it is right about 70 now.

Well congrats on your American Ale, let us know how it turns out!
 
Well it's an American ale (I think it would be called a partial extract, I had to do a boil in a bag with one grain for 20 min at 150 to 165 then I added amber lme and amber dme) kit but I don't remember what yeast it was it is a dry yeast. The wort was cooled to 70 before pitching and it is right about 70 now.

You should be fine then. Give it a bit more than 48 hours and I'll bet it gets going. And like the others said, don't completely trust the air lock, bad seals are common.
 
So it seems to be bubbleing away now and has been for 24 hours or so. The kit says 4-6 days and 48 hours after the last sign of fermentation. Can you leave it too long? I mean could I just leave it for 2 weeks and what would be the pros/cons of doing that?
 
So my beer is at its final gravity can I bottle now or should I still wait a few days?
 
2 weeks is the MINIMUM I would advise to let a beer ferment out. I've bottled beers too early and they get overcarbed, carbonic, or become bottle bombs.

Even if there hasnt been airlock activity for days on end, that doesnt mean the whole fermentation process is complete. Any beer you make will benefit from a bit more time sitting on the yeast cake
 
Okay thank you. I just didn't know since I say no activity and I checked the FG and it is on mark. I thought maybe too many yeast would die it that time.
 
nah, you dont need to worry about yeast autolysis nearly as much these days. The quality of yeast has gotten much much better. Hell one guy here even left a beer on the yeast cake for 2.5 years and it didnt turn out horrible, maybe a bit dull and muddled though
 
The thermometer on the side reads 68*. I know what you mean about having a hard time waiting I am already planing my next batch and have not tasted this one yet. Response to a message that was deleted. Lol.
 
I believe it is not recommended to leave the beer in primary (on the yeast cake) for more than 4 weeks. IIRC, I heard that from one of the founders of MoreBeer on a BeerSmith podcast. There's also this tidbit from "How to Brew" regarding leaving your beer on the trub for too long :

"Soapy
Soapy flavors can caused by not washing your glass very well, but they can also be produced by the fermentation conditions. If you leave the beer in the primary fermentor for a relatively long period of time after primary fermentation is over ("long" depends on the style and other fermentation factors), soapy flavors can result from the breakdown of fatty acids in the trub. Soap is, by definition, the salt of a fatty acid; so you are literally tasting soap."
 
You can totally leave a beer on the primary yeast cake for more than 4 weeks. That belief comes from decades ago when the yeast available to homebrewers was not nearly as healthy as what we have access to now. You can find tons of brewers on this site going up to like 2 months in the primary on big OG beers with no off flavors
 
I think we all agree--2 to 3 weeks in primary should be no problem. Especially if you keep it on the cool side. The predicted FG is not always accurate, due to variances in fermentability. Best to take gravity readings 24 hours apart to ensure that it's done.
 
You can totally leave a beer on the primary yeast cake for more than 4 weeks. That belief comes from decades ago when the yeast available to homebrewers was not nearly as healthy as what we have access to now. You can find tons of brewers on this site going up to like 2 months in the primary on big OG beers with no off flavors

You can totally leave your beer on the cake in primary as long as you want. Everybody has their own beliefs and methods that work for them. To each their own, it's your beer. I'm just passing along information I obtained from a fairly reputable source. This podcast I got this info from is really not that old either (October 2014).

Again, there are other factors, like ferm temp and OG, that will affect how long it may take for these off-flavors to develop in your beer when left on the trub.
 
Well it's an American ale (I think it would be called a partial extract, I had to do a boil in a bag with one grain for 20 min at 150 to 165 then I added amber lme and amber dme) kit but I don't remember what yeast it was it is a dry yeast. The wort was cooled to 70 before pitching and it is right about 70 now.

Going back to one of your 1st posts on this thread cbarker.
I'd recommend keeping the directions around, and much more importantly, keep a detailed record of your brewing day and the fermentation process. Also record how it turns out. That way, if something is off, you (and us) can go back to the process and see if we can help figure it out. And hopefully as it turns out great, you'll be able to reproduce the brew in the same way. Records are essential.
Good luck, and keep on brewing! :mug:
 
I just opened my first bottle it taste good and is carbonated well but I have always heard that home brew will have a sediment at the bottom of the bottle that you don't want to pore into the glass but mine had no sediment at the bottom should I be worried?
 
i always drink my sediment.

you can taste it. i don't consider a yeasty taste a bad thing... but im a belgian fan.


So the sediment does not make you sick? I read somewhere that it gives you the runs but I can't figure how because there is very little in my bottles and you eat yeast in bread and don't get sick.
 
Yeah, airlocks are not trustworthy. I've found that getting a see-through fermenter (like a Big Mouth) will really help set your mind at ease. Get a 6.5 gallon Bubbler so you can literally SEE fermentation going and while you SEE FERMENTATION happening you will NOT SEE the airlock move a lot of the time. It helps PROVE that airlocks don't necessarily directly correlate with fermentation. Plus, with another primary, you can brew more beer! Between now and then, take hydrometer readings, if you have one. If the gravity lowers, fermentation is still happening.
 
I pour mine so the last 1/3" inch or so stays in the bottle just so I have a clear beer as possible. When you pour in sediment, it clouds the beer. If you have no sediment (which I find odd) I guess you don't have to worry about special pours. As long as the beer tastes good (and if you care about color, aroma) looks and smells good - and if you're smiling a lot after 4 or more, then you did your job :)
 
So the sediment does not make you sick? I read somewhere that it gives you the runs but I can't figure how because there is very little in my bottles and you eat yeast in bread and don't get sick.

healthy yeast is probiotic, and fights candida in the gut.

nothing wrong with drinking the sediment ( or Lees ) in any beer.

never noticed it gave me the runs before either, but maybe that's just me.
 
Agree with hanuswalrus. You probably do have a thin layer of yeast at the bottom--next one you open, after pouring the beer,put a little water in & shake it up & pour into a glass.
 
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