Any tips for checking krausen in a bucket you can't see through?

[Tripod]

Greetings All!

I have a glass carboy now but it didn't arrive until after I brewed my first batch. So my beer is sitting in a white bucket that I can't see through. Other than removing the lid and exposing my beer, does anyone know of a good way I can "eyeball" the krausen to see what is going on with it?

I've had people ask if the krausen has formed or if it has began to drop back but I can't answer them. Any advice or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

-Tripod

 

[Edcculus]

There is nothing you can do. I had this problem before I started to ferment in glass.

It really doesn't matter when the krausen drops. That is not a sign that fermentation is over. I'd just leave it in the fermenter for at least 2 weeks and you will be fine.

 

[Ecnerwal]

If it comes out the airlock, it's a big one.

Otherwise, don't ask, don't tell, don't bother it. Yeast at work, don't disturb. It will be just fine without you knowing what it looks like. If you want to see one, and your new carboy is actually large enough for primary, brew a batch and watch it. If your carboy is 5 and your fermenter bucket is 6.5, resign yourself to not seeing them, or buy a bigger carboy (or better bottle) for primary.

 

[BigKahuna]

Leave it alone. The best part of a bucket is that you can't see it and therefore don't need to worry about it. Trust me, it'll keep you from asking repetative and ignorant questions (there are no stupid questions)






Having said all that....I tend to check mine with a 1,000,000 CP cordless spot light.

 

[IFMracin]

I also wanted to take a peak at my brew since it too was my first one.
What I did to keep from taking the entire lid off was just to pull the airlock out and peer through the hole in the lid. Sure, I couldn't see it great, but I could tell it was there, and then a few days later I could tell it had fallen.

Worked good enough for my needs.

 

[Mirage]

+1 on pulling out the airlock.

 

[BearsWickedBrew]

I've never pulled the airlock (when putting it back be careful not to let the grommet slip in). I have the same problem, my primary is a bucket...and my airlock (this is my 3rd batch) has going crazy since Saturday....I'm dying to see whats going on in there...but I will be giving it 2 weeks before I take the lid off.

Instead of watching krausen...I watch my airlock...it annoy's the hell out of my SWMBO.

 

[Joker]

+2 on pulling the airlock out and taking a peak. I always use a bucket from my primary, they are so much easier to clean.

 

[flyangler18]

Watching/sniffing the airlock never gets old!

As far as peeking- don't. As tempting as it is, just leave it alone for a month. The fact that those lids can be a PITA to get off keeps me from fiddling too much!

 

[Revvy]

Patience and trust is the answer...The yeast doesn't need you to hover over it like a new mother to do it's job...It's been doing it for 2,000 years on it's own. Your job is over for now...you build it a nice office, so it is it's turn to go to work.

Your beer is much stronger than most n00bs give it credit for.... Just wait 10 days, then take a hydro reading...Or do like a lot of us and ignore your bucket for a month, then bottle...

 

[Needsanamebrewery]

Thanks for this thread, OP. Tonight I am doing an English Nut Brown Ale using Ringwood yeast so I'll have to keep an eye on it. I've been wondering just how I'm going to accomplish this with a bucket.

Airlock. Now I know.

Thanks again.

 

[dzlater]

 

[IFMracin]

ImageQUOTE]



So, do those give you the "illusion" of seeing your krausen?

 

[Tripod]

Thanks All for the super quick replies!

I wasn't really wanting to look out of fear but rather scientific curiousity. I'm just too damned curious for my own good sometimes. Thanks for keeping me on track. I'm planning to use the glass from this point on.

Big Kahuna has a point about out of sight = out of mind though...but I recommend against the "1,000,000 CP cordless spot light"...I hear light is bad for beer! I really like the "x-ray specs" idea! I'll get the boys in the lab right on that one...

Seriously, thanks All! You guys are good to us noobies!

-Tripod

 

[Tripod]

Thanks for this thread, OP. Tonight I am doing an English Nut Brown Ale using Ringwood yeast so I'll have to keep an eye on it. I've been wondering just how I'm going to accomplish this with a bucket.

Airlock. Now I know.

Thanks again.

You are quite welcome! My aim is to gain and pass on knowledge...never to annoy...

 

[goplayoutside]

I do all my ferments in a plastic bucket. I never bother with a secondary. My beer is good. Here is what I do:

1) Remember to take an OG reading on brew day
2) After you pitch, if you feel the need you can watch for signs of active fermentation. You don't need to open the bucket, just watch to see if the airlock bubbles. If it doesn't, your grommet or your lid might not be sealing 100%, don't worry it's fine. You should still smell beer-yeasty goodness around the bucket within 24 to 48 hours after pitching. It will probably go away by a couple days after that.
3) Regardless of what you think may or may not have happened in the fermentation, do nothing. A week or two after brew day (if I was happy with my bubbles and smells, I do it after a week. If I wasn't, maybe the ferment was just going slow so I wait two weeks. Or just wait three.), sanitize your hands and a turkey baster. Open the bucket just enough to draw a hydrometer sample and you will probably find that your yeast did their job.
4) Assuming it is at or near the final gravity, so you know your ferment is not stuck (using dry yeast and very basic sloshing/stirring oxidation I only get stuck if my fermenter gets too cold -- like below about 62 F using US-05), now move the bucket someplace cooler if you can. Like 50-55 F is fine. Leave it there for two weeks, this will let the yeast flocculate out and leave you with nice clear brew.
5) Bottle it and wait a month before you even taste it (either drink other homebrew or go get a case of bass to hold you over).

 

[bmarley5780]

speaking of krausen- does it fully go away?

My beer is 2 weeks old and still has lil circles of it on top...

 

[BooneDocks]

Looks like a great marketing opportunity for a see-through lid for bottling buckets. Hmmmmmm.

 

[TeleTwanger]

Here's a tip: don't do it!

Get a glass primary and you can enjoy countless hours of scientific observation lol.

 

[Chriso]

I brew too much to stare at my beer. THere's always a project needin' doin'.

But if I want to see how a beer came out, I crack the lid slightly, take a big ol whiff, and seal it right back up.

I've never tried to peek at my yeasties while they're "doin' it". That'd be rude!

 

[michael88n]

Leave it alone. The best part of a bucket is that you can't see it and therefore don't need to worry about it.

+1

Just leave it alone. Someone once said something like, "Stand back. Let the yeast do its work."

Anyone know the source of the quote?


Michael