18 hour fermentation

[b2harless]

First brew (all grain). Seems everything went fine during mash and wort. OG was 1047. Pitched a packet of wyeast 1056 at 65 degrees. Maintained temp at 66. Had lag time of about 20 hours. Started decent active fermentation and remained for about only 18 hours. Now I have no action on the airlock. I peeked in the bucket to find about 5-6 inches of krausen. Obviously I'm going to let it ride for another 6-8 days before I move it to secondary, but I'm concerned about only 18 hours of active airlock. Teach me, oh wise ones.

 

[Cyclman]

It can happen, airlock activity doesn't correlate to fermentation, just air release.

 

[dawgmatic]

I like to pitch lots of healthy yeast so crazy activity right away isn't that strange. My airlocks usually stop bubbling around day 4. Sometimes sooner. I would not worry about it.
Once it gets most of the work done it slows down, so just give it time to clean up after the party

 

[ILoveBeer2]

If you see big krausen in the bucket, it is still fermenting.

Here is what you need to do...

Walk away from the bucket and forget about it. Check the airlock fluid level periodically. Check its temperature. Then leave it alone.

Waiting is the hardest part.

 

[b2harless]

Upped the temp to 68 at hour 48. Now at hour 56 I has bubbling again. We'll see what happens.

 

[PhelanKA7]

Upped the temp to 68 at hour 48. Now at hour 56 I has bubbling again. We'll see what happens.

Changes in temperature can release CO2 from suspension. Bubbling airlocks do not indicate fermentation. This has been preached on these forums ad nauseum for good reason. A gravity reading is the only method to prove active fermentation.

 

[b2harless]

same brew, different question. i'm stable at 68 degrees. using american ale 1056 (wyeast). should i get banana smell from the fermenter?

 

[PhelanKA7]

You will get a lot of different smells probably. I wouldn't sweat it. You've got a while to go before you drink it and most esters will evaporate given enough time.

 

[b2harless]

update,

checked gravity this weekend. reads 1008. obviously it worked. so racked to secondary last night (7 total days in primary). i'll give it a few weeks there and then prime to bottles. thanks guys.

 

[JSomps6]

you probably didn't have a good seal on the lid of your bucket and the bubble was only moving as the c02 was building up faster the leak could release... when pressure lulled, the leak provided enough exit space. No worries, beer should be fine. Get yourself a carboy and a good carboy cap to avoid issues... good luck