fermentation question

[rickyspalding]

I just started brewing and didn't think I would screw up on the first attempt but I did! I had a MR. Beer Kit (2 gallons) and did the kit in my carboy. 36 hours later I noticed bubbles were very very slow at this point. Then I realized I actually had calculated that i needed to add 3 quarts of water at the end of the process I actually added 3 gallons.... I went to the LHB store and was thinking of adding "things" to keep it going. The guy working there said I could just let it go and it would be fine, I said I am stubborn and would like to add to it, if this can help fix it. I was doing the American Hop Devil, and the guy recommended, I can't remember exactly what it was called but to add 3 pounds of some type of light malt with one gallon of water and that would do the trick, I also added another packet of cascade hops. So now its a batch of about 5.5 gallons Now this was just to preface everybody if any of that information helps where I am going with this. In two days it will be two weeks since I added the additional malts and hops. Since I am a noob I am a little paranoid on the fermentation bubbling. It passed its anaerobic fermentation (for a second time), and started to slow. It had been around 68 to 70 degrees. Now with the last few days I figured the "bubbling" would slow more, but instead of 60 seconds or more between bubbles, I have seen in the last couple days go from 45 seconds, to 30 seconds and today to about 15 seconds, the temp has been just under 68 to 66 degrees now. I understand the lock is not an indicator of fermentation but a preventer of bad bacteria but this seems all wrong. If in two days its still acting like this what should I do? Just bottle it, or keep waiting for a sign? Any ideas what I should do here? Yes I am thinking too much because I never did this before. Thanks for any input

 

[mlg5039]

Can you post your entire process/recipe??

Also, do you own a hydrometer and if you do can you post a sg reading?

 

[Runyanka]

What was your starting volume and OG? He is probably telling you to boil 3 lbs of light dry malt extract with a gallon of water, and add that to the beer. However, then you have to account for the gallon of water added. If its at 5.5 gallons now, and your most likely in a 6 or 6.5 gallon carboy, you don't have any room to add anything else, so I would say your options are limited. You could... again could... add corn sugar to it, but all this would do is boost your abv% and possibly give you a really dry, cidery tasting beer. I would not do this if it were me, and just let it ride.

 

[rickyspalding]

yeah... i dont have a hydrometer yet, i figured if it tasted sweet to let it keep going, not very scientific i know, but I just have not bought one yet. I followed the recipe for the american hopdevil ipa, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013M4KGO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

and my jackass self at the end added 3 gallons of water instead of 3 quarts. When I realized what I did I went to the LHB, and talked to the guy. So I did the wort of 3 pounds of malt and the hops (all in a gallon of water), cooled it down and by the time I added it to my first solution Its been about 48 hours now. It all looked good and it did its thing for days. I am just really confused when its about two days a way from bottling its bubbling even more. Is that normal? Yeah I screwed up not taking a gravity reading either. Deuce I am confused as to why I would add corn sugar to it now? Maybe I explained myself poorly but the first solution was suppose to be around 2.5 gallons and it ended up being 4.5 gallons (extra water). So the added wort two days later now makes it 5.5 gallons. Again the higher frequency of bubbling is baffling me. Just let it go until it slows? or just bottle it in two days? Thanks again from a noob!

 

[Runyanka]

yeah... i dont have a hydrometer yet, i figured if it tasted sweet to let it keep going, not very scientific i know, but I just have not bought one yet. I followed the recipe for the american hopdevil ipa, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013M4KGO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

and my jackass self at the end added 3 gallons of water instead of 3 quarts. When I realized what I did I went to the LHB, and talked to the guy. So I did the wort of 3 pounds of malt and the hops (all in a gallon of water), cooled it down and by the time I added it to my first solution Its been about 48 hours now. It all looked good and it did its thing for days. I am just really confused when its about two days a way from bottling its bubbling even more. Is that normal? Yeah I screwed up not taking a gravity reading either. Deuce I am confused as to why I would add corn sugar to it now? Maybe I explained myself poorly but the first solution was suppose to be around 2.5 gallons and it ended up being 4.5 gallons (extra water). So the added wort two days later now makes it 5.5 gallons. Again the higher frequency of bubbling is baffling me. Just let it go until it slows? or just bottle it in two days? Thanks again from a noob!

Or I was confused
I thought you hadn't added anything yet. It will be fine adding it in late, just delay your bottling. Much of us on here don't do secondary fermentation, and just leave our beer in the primary for 3-4 weeks. I would suggest doing this, seeing that you don't have a hydrometer to measure when its done.

 

[rickyspalding]

Thank you Deuce, you have eased my pain. One additional general question. How long is too long to let it sit in the first fermentation? As a noob reading around, I've come across if it sits in all the dead yeast and such for too long it will start to ruin the taste of the beer? I was not planning to do a secondary, and let it sit two weeks, and you say I should go 3 to 4, is there a point where its just too long in the fermentation stage? Thanks again

 

[Calder]

Leaving it for 4 weeks will not be an issue. It is best not to move it until after it is done fermenting ......... often that is over in a week, but the yeast still work to clean up their bi-products after that.

Do yourself a favor and buy an hydrometer and a jar. If you continue with this hobby, you will be using it all the time. Check the gravity before bottling to ensure it is done.

What did you have. A Mr.Beer kit - If I remember correctly they usually run about 1.036 for 2 gallons. Plus 3 lbs of DME (I assume it was dry extract as opposed to liquid) will give you about 207 gravity points; in 5.5 gallons that would give you an OG of about 1.037. Your FG will probably be somewhere around 1.010.