First Batch fermentaion issues

[DublinVision]

I made mash on thursday night. I checked it all day friday and saturday and I was not getting any "bubbling" through the specialized cap on my carboy. So I slowly rolled the beer around in the carboy. This morning I checked it and there is about 4 inches of what looks like regular head on the top, it is bubbling constant but from what I understood there should be no change in the carboy.

Is this a normal occurrence during the first days of the fermention?

Why would the yeast not start until I rolled the carboy a few times?

 

[BmillaTheBrewzilla]

What kind of yeast did you use? Dry, liquid? How much?

It isn't really unusual not to see any bubbling in the airlock until 24 to 48 hours after pitching the yeast (although I've noticed this time go down quite a bit since I began making yeast starters). You may have helped the yeast along when you shook up the carboy- especially if the wort wasn't really aerated well at the beginning.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I'm not sure what you're saying about "there should be no change in the carboy". When fermentation starts, which could take a few hours to a few days depending on a lot of variables, you may or may not see any activity. So yeah, it sounds normal to me.

 

[DublinVision]

I used 6oz of dry power Muntons standard yeast, I waited until the next morning to add the yeast so the wort would cool down to below 90F.

I asked a buddy who brews and he was saying he never see's changes in the carboy so when I woke up this morning and there was 4-5 inches of foam I started worrying.

Also, I have heard stories of exploding carboys...should I be worried and what could cause this?

 

[BmillaTheBrewzilla]

I think the foam you're talking about is the krausen- that is definitely normal during fermentation. I'd be worried if I didn't see that. As for exploding carboys... if you had a really vigorous fermentation, the krausen could rise up and could clog up your airlock- then the pressure could do some fun things. This is why a lot of people use blow-off tubes during the first few days of fermentation. A lot of it depends on how much space you have at the top of the carboy.

 

[Yooper]

I used 6oz of dry power Muntons standard yeast, I waited until the next morning to add the yeast so the wort would cool down to below 90F.

I asked a buddy who brews and he was saying he never see's changes in the carboy so when I woke up this morning and there was 4-5 inches of foam I started worrying.

Also, I have heard stories of exploding carboys...should I be worried and what could cause this?

You probably used 6 grams, not ounces, which is not really all that much. That's why it took so long to get going. That foam is called "krausen" and it's supposed to happen. In a few days, it'll start to sink back into the beer and disappear, leaving a brown/green krausen ring around the top of the beer.

Your carboy won't explode, as I assume you don't have it sealed airtight. You probably have a tube or airlock on it. That allows the co2 to escape. If it gets too warm, and the krausen rises very high and out the top, it could get plugged up with krausen and hop debris, but otherwise the airlock should do the job. (If the airlock does get blocked, don't panic, just clean it out resanitize and stick it back on- or use a blow off tube. We can help you with that).

 

[DublinVision]

6 Grams is right, not sure why I said ounces.

Awesome help, thanks. Cheers to the first of many batches!