First brew.. No bubbles after 2 days?

[blewis1984]

So I brewed my first batch on Thursday. Everything went really well. Took a little longer to cool down the wort than I expected but other than that, smooth sailing.

By that night, my airlock was bubbling away. I'd say a bubble every 2-3 seconds. Friday, it seemed to have slowed down slightly. I checked on it today.. zero bubbles. I watched it for a minute or two and didn't see any activity.

What's the deal?

 

[hoppymonkey]

Primary is probably mostly done. Leave it alone a couple weeks and check the gravity after that.

 

[birvine]

Even though no or little bubbling the yeast is still working. In 3 to 4 weeks you'll likely be ready to bottle.

B

 

[blewis1984]

Thanks for easing my worry, guys. My way of thinking was no bubbles = nothing's happening.

Still a noob.

 

[TheDom]

What temp are you fermenting at? What was your original gravity? How much yeast did you pitch? Did you remember to rdwhahb? Did you remember to take the square root of the signifigance of bubble rate and multiply by 3 to get 0? ;-)

It could be a couple things. Most likely the seal on ye bucket isn't 100 percent, and as fermentation slows, it isn't kicking out enough gas fast enough to push through both the rim of the bucket and the airlock. If this is the case, and you were to open your fermenter and take a peek, you'd see kreusen (sp?). If this is the case, RDWHAHB, you're good, just let that puppy be for a few weeks.

If you are fermenting super cold, or didn't pitch enough healthy yeast, your fermentation could be stuck. If there is no kreusen, your fermentation is either done or stuck. I doubt either is the case at this point, but with more info we can help figure out if anything is wrong.

Edit: posting from my phone takes way too long!

 

[blewis1984]

Temp is around 75F. OG was 1.040. I used one packet of the Munton standard yeast, rehydrated according to the instructions on the pack. And I couldn't RDWHAHB, as this is my first brew

 

[TheDom]

Awesome! With an OG that low, your fermentation is probably done, and the yeast is cleaning stuff up. Give em another 2 weeks or so, and bottle or keg. Congrats on your first brew, and welcome to the addiction!

 

[BrewBoy19]

Temp is around 75F. OG was 1.040. I used one packet of the Munton standard yeast, rehydrated according to the instructions on the pack. And I couldn't RDWHAHB, as this is my first brew

Then RDWHAMB

 

[dfc]

Temp is around 75F. OG was 1.040. I used one packet of the Munton standard yeast, rehydrated according to the instructions on the pack. And I couldn't RDWHAHB, as this is my first brew

Depending on the yeast you use 65°F is a MUCH better temperature. Most yeasts are happy around that temp.

 

[Calder]

Check the gravity. If you don't have an hydrometer and plan to brew more than once, get one. A gravity check would tell you if anything has happened.

Leaks in buckets can mask the actual fermentation. Is there any ring around the top of the wort/beer. If there is, that will tell you some activity has happened.

As noted previously, 75 is a little high for fermentation. 65 to 70 will give you a cleaner flavor, less esters, less fusels and overall a better beer, but .... it's beer, enjoy it!

 

[blewis1984]

Depending on the yeast you use 65°F is a MUCH better temperature. Most yeasts are happy around that temp.

Unfortunately, I don't think I could get it that low. It stays super hot in my house during the summer. I put a window unit A/C in the room I'm keeping the brew in. I've just had it set at 75. I'll crank it lower and see what I can get it down to.

If it does get closer to 65, would my yeast start back up on their own, or would I need to pitch more yeast?

 

[Yooper]

Unfortunately, I don't think I could get it that low. It stays super hot in my house during the summer. I put a window unit A/C in the room I'm keeping the brew in. I've just had it set at 75. I'll crank it lower and see what I can get it down to.

If it does get closer to 65, would my yeast start back up on their own, or would I need to pitch more yeast?

IF the yeast is done, it's done no matter what the temperature. It's too late now, but for next time, try to not let the beer get over 68 degrees. It'll make a much better beer.

Many of us use a cooler or a bin, and set the fermenter in it. I add some water and a couple of frozen water bottles. I have a stick-on thermometer on the side, so I can see at a glance what the temperature is. It works pretty well for summer time brewing.

One other thing- Munton's yeast is not a good quality yeast. The package is too small (it's about 7 grams), and that yeast has trouble fermenting malt. It's really junk, so when you make the next beer simply buy a better quality yeast. A 10 gram package of Safale s04 or s05 or nottingham yeast will be much better!

 

[hoppymonkey]

Unfortunately, I don't think I could get it that low. It stays super hot in my house during the summer. I put a window unit A/C in the room I'm keeping the brew in. I've just had it set at 75. I'll crank it lower and see what I can get it down to.

If it does get closer to 65, would my yeast start back up on their own, or would I need to pitch more yeast?

Do you have a spare bathtub or large trash can? What about a box fan? I do the swamp cooler for every brew at the house . Throw a tee over my fermenter with just a bit of ice in tub and keep the shirt wet and the fan blowing. It keeps the beer easily 10 degrees lower than ambient temp. i find that the ice is barely if at out nessecary.

 

[Tall_Yotie]

Unfortunately, I don't think I could get it that low. It stays super hot in my house during the summer. I put a window unit A/C in the room I'm keeping the brew in. I've just had it set at 75. I'll crank it lower and see what I can get it down to.

If it does get closer to 65, would my yeast start back up on their own, or would I need to pitch more yeast?

Lowering the temperature will not get the yeast going. The way you stop yeast is to get it cold, not hot. It if is too hot you will kill the yeast, but in the mid 70's will not do that. Yeast has done what it is going to do.

75 is not too hot for yeast, but may give it some off flavors (minor ones, aromatic).

As others have said, check the gravity. That is the only way to tell if the yeast is done. Is there any krausen (foam) left on top of the beer? If so then it is indeed still fermenting.

Check the SG before doing anything to the brew.

 

[unionrdr]

To be more accurate,your initial fermentation is done. The vigorous,wild part. Some brews make a lot of krausen (yeast foam),some make little or none. The lack of krausen is no indicator of fermentation being done,stuck,or non existent.
I've had ferments with no more than about 1/8" of foam on top for less than a day that were nowhere near done fermenting. Always let your hydrometer be your gauge of fermenter activity. I virtually always wait 12-14 days before checking for FG (final Gravity). Do this 2-3 days apart. If the #'s match,it's done. Then give it 5-7 days to clear a bit more,then bottle.

 

[flabyboy]

Unfortunately, I don't think I could get it that low. It stays super hot in my house during the summer. I put a window unit A/C in the room I'm keeping the brew in. I've just had it set at 75. I'll crank it lower and see what I can get it down to.

If it does get closer to 65, would my yeast start back up on their own, or would I need to pitch more yeast?

Or. Next time make a Saison or Belgian ale. Many of the yeast used to make those styles actually require higher temps for fermentation. I am making a brew right now that requires 65-85 degree fermentation. Do your cleaner ale styles during the colder months of the year

 

[blewis1984]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I've definitely learned a lot from you all.

 

[Riddick]

question about the hydrometer, how do you get the beer out of the fermenter? i cleaned the hell out of a cup to get a reading, is there a slightly....less wasteful way to check the gravity with the hydrometer? just seems like i threw out half a glass of beer with the amount i took out.

 

[Tall_Yotie]

question about the hydrometer, how do you get the beer out of the fermenter? i cleaned the hell out of a cup to get a reading, is there a slightly....less wasteful way to check the gravity with the hydrometer? just seems like i threw out half a glass of beer with the amount i took out.

Well, technically you could sanitize the hydrometer and put it in the carboy, put that is difficult and leads to inaccurate readings.

You will lose a few ounces of beer taking readings, but you can drink the sample and get a feel of how the beer is developing. I do this with all my batches and I can now figure where the beer is going to lead to when all done.

 

[Riddick]

oh thats a good thought. i just poured it down the sink lol.