Irish Red Ale Fermentation

[dcummings1998]

Hey all,

I've been lurking for a few weeks here, and just registered so I could figure this out.

Before it gets asked, yes, I have searched the forum, but there's nothing that exactly answers my question.

Just did my first batch of Irish Red Ale from Midwest Supplies, and followed it exactly. The only thing I did different was putting the yeast in the bottom of the bucket, adding the cooled wort atop that, and then adding the water and stirring to aerate.

Now it's 48 hours later, and the airlock isn't bubbling. The room is 65 degrees, and that's what the thermometer on the pail reads. It started bubbling a bit after I bottled it, and yesterday was bubbling about 1-2 times per second, along with a beer-ish smell in the room.

I know this is not the only sign of fermentation, but I'm wondering what I should do, if anything. I checked that the lid was on tight on the pail, and it is. I didn't shake it, but I did slightly nudge the pail to possibly wake some yeast up, in the case that it's dormant.

Now, I can't see if there's a krausen, as it's a pail, so it's hard to tell. I'm tempted to take the lid off and take a peek, just to see if there's foam in there.

Should I do this? Or should I just ride it out and see what happens?

Thanks guys! Looking forward to drinking my first beer from this batch!

Dave

 

[reim0027]

Let it be. RDWHAHB.

Revvy will probably reply before I can type this out. But, bubbling is not a reliable method of assessing fermentation. The only way you can evaluate fermentation is with a hydrometer. You could take a reading, but IMO, 48 hours is way too soon. You are only satisfying your curiosity. Check it in a week and see where you stand.

And, welcome to HBT!

 

[rancidcrabtree]

You might have a leak in your bucket somewhere which could explain why there is no bubbling... If you mixed good yeast with cool wort there is almost no way fermentation isn't happening. If you're really worried about I'd recommend taking the lid off and looking for the krausen, it should be there after about a day, even better, take a hydro sample, and even even better, RDWHAHB! Congrats on your first brew!!

 

[tvtoms]

Bet it all on red and let it ride.

 

[rancidcrabtree]

Actually I guess a beer from the store will have to do since this is your first batch, unless you know some homebrewers who are willing to share!

 

[xdalisx]

Just wait it out.

I just did a red ale and only had air-lock activity for maybe 24hrs, wait a few days and took a gravity an it was down pretty close to FG.

 

[dcummings1998]

Alright, I'm gonna let it ride. This Fat Tire will have to suffice until I get to sample my sweet nectar.

By the way, I plan on putting it into a Better Bottle secondary when it's ready...mainly so I can get to work on a new batch

 

[dcummings1998]

The temp seemed a little low last night (62 degrees) for the Munton's dry yeast, so I put a hoodie on the pail to try and keep it a few degrees higher. Not sure if it's gonna matter, but I'd rather do what I can to keep the yeast happy.

 

[dcummings1998]

UPDATE:

Took a big step (for a rookie) and popped the top off to check the gravity. By the way, the Thief is awesome, and although the Star San made it tough to read the marks at first, it was all-in-all pretty straight forward.

So, after 7 days, here's what I'm dealing with:

Original Gravity: 1.042 (estimated range is 1.040-1.050)
Current Gravity: 1.018 (final should be around 1.012)
Krausen: Not a thick layer currently, but you can see where it was foamed up along the edge of the bucket, and there is some residual foam atop the edges of the beer, while the majority of the exposed layer of the beer is pretty clean.
Color: A dark, malty red; lots of sediment in my sample, and nearly the color and opacity of Tapatio (hot sauce), but slightly more brown.

And, finally...

Taste: Well, it tastes like beer! Flat, warm beer, but beer nonetheless.

I think it's safe to say that I am currently fermenting a bucket of beer, not a pail full of dirty water. I'll give it another week in the primary, then to bottling.

The reading puts me at about 3.2% ABV right now, and I believe it'll max out around 4%, so things are, at the moment, looking pretty good!

I sprayed sanitizer on the lid, used a bucket full of the foam on everything that was even near the beer, and I got the lid back on. It's back in it's corner hopefully converting a few more sugars to alcohol, so I'm happy for now.

Thanks all!

 

[The_C_Tripp]

Sounds good dude, I usually take my gravity readings while siphoning. How long do you plan on leaving it in the secondary?

 

[dcummings1998]

Sounds good dude, I usually take my gravity readings while siphoning. How long do you plan on leaving it in the secondary?

I actually left it in the primary. I'm not sure if I want to go to the secondary or not. It's my first batch, so I think I may stay as simple as possible. Also, and I don't know if this is true, but I have a 6-gal Better Bottle, and it seems that people opt towards a 5-gal secondary instead. Like I said, that may be hogwash, but I remember seeing it a few places.

 

[The_C_Tripp]

I actually left it in the primary. I'm not sure if I want to go to the secondary or not. It's my first batch, so I think I may stay as simple as possible. Also, and I don't know if this is true, but I have a 6-gal Better Bottle, and it seems that people opt towards a 5-gal secondary instead. Like I said, that may be hogwash, but I remember seeing it a few places.

Personally, unless I'm brewing a hefeweizen, I rack from my 6.5 gallon primary into a 5 gallon secondary to let it clear up that way. Usually 7-10 days in the primary is enough.

If you leave it on the trub for too long you might pick up some off flavors in the end product.

Bottling time, I rack from the 5 gallon into my 6 gallon bucket with the sugar water already in the bottom to mix it up all nice.

 

[dcummings1998]

Personally, unless I'm brewing a hefeweizen, I rack from my 6.5 gallon primary into a 5 gallon secondary to let it clear up that way. Usually 7-10 days in the primary is enough.

If you leave it on the trub for too long you might pick up some off flavors in the end product.

Bottling time, I rack from the 5 gallon into my 6 gallon bucket with the sugar water already in the bottom to mix it up all nice.

Nice, good advice. I'll grab a gravity reading each day this week and will bottle when it's steady. I was prepared to be disappointed with my first batch (so many little things that, if botched, could mess with the process), but I'm feeling confident that it'll be a nice beer!