I know I am supposed to leave it alone and let it do it's thing.... But I am worried

[TBaGZ]

I did my first batch on Saturday. Saw bubbles in air lock on Sunday with a layer of Krausen. Today nothing.

It's the Irish Red extract kit from MidWest. HAd everything nice and clean, and starsaned the snot out of everything. I did a full boil with 6 gallons and finished up right at 5 gallons. I cooled it in an ice bath and got it down to 70* in about 20 minutes. I followed Palmers how to brew to rehydrate the dry yeast and pitched just above 70. I have it in a fridge with a controller holding around 68*. I checked it Sunday afternoon and it looked like it was kicking a long as it should. Saw bubbles in the air lock so I popped the lid and it had a layer of krausen. Left it a lone until today and when I checked it there were no bubbles in the airlock and the krausen was gone.

Are you going to tell me I junked it or to leave it alone and have another beer?

 

[Katnip]

This is exactly the same spot I'm in except I brewed a stout on Saturday.

I am irrationally worried something is wrong even though I've still got days before I need to take a gravity reading. Airlock activity doesn't mean much/as long as your temp range is correct/the only way to know is take a reading/don't worry, have a beer!

I've read most every thread I can find about exactly this worry. Still totally sure something is going to go wrong as well.

 

[lumpher]

fermentation could easily be done for both of you. leave it alone so the yeast can clean up after itself. no worries. keep it in the primary for 3 weeks, then bottle/keg it

 

[Pie_Man]

You're both just fine. Let the yeast continue to do their thing. Congrats on making beer.

 

[tonyc318]

fermentation could easily be done for both of you. leave it alone so the yeast can clean up after itself. no worries. keep it in the primary for 3 weeks, then bottle/keg it

+1 let it sit there. Paid off for me when I started.

 

[Jdm5209]

I'd bet good money fermentation is over (or close to it) for both of you. Take a hydrometer reading tomorrow and one on Saturday or Sunday. Likely they will be close to FG and stable and you will feel better. For extracts, don't be surprised if you get stuck at 1.020 and please don't start a new thread. It happens.

 

[mr_bell]

Step away from the carboy and take a deep breath, now let it out...

The best thing you can do now for your beer now is forget about it for a few weeks--easier said than done, I know, but I speak from experience. Once you've done several batches and know they will turn out fine, it gets easier. So brew another batch, or at least start planning for it. What style do you want to brew next? What did you learn from your first batch, and what might you do differently for the next?

Congrats on the first batch!

 

[brewit2it]

Like many other things, the length of active fermentation is often exaggerated. 36-48 hours is pretty average for me for normal gravity beers.

 

[TBaGZ]

I was going to wait 2 weeks before I started taking readings, but maybe I will grab some over the weekend. I wasn't going to make a new post, but I caved to my worries.

As far as next batch.. I want to do an IPA. It will be another extract kit. I think I am going to make a couple changes like making a starter instead of just rehydrating dry yeast. I would like to have a keggle ready by then so I have less worries about a boil over, also.