Nervous about fermentation and infection

[mtcowboy77]

Hello all! I'm new to the forum, but I've been trolling around a little bit. I brewed my first batch of beer on this last Tuesday the 7th. I figured there was no better way to celebrate National Beer Day than to brew my first batch. Anyhow, I'll give you a little background on it before I get to my concerns.
The kit I used was a Brewers Best Whiskey Barrel Stout. The instructions seemed pretty detailed as far as I could tell and everything seemed to go well as far as the brewing process is concerned.
My concerns are all mostly from during the fermentation process. The yeast that was included in the kit was Safale S-04. The instructions said very specifically DO NOT REHYDRATE. So I followed the instructions and sprinkled it on the top. They also said to ferment between 64 and 72 degrees.
After the first day, I checked the temp and noticed that it was at 63. But I also noticed that there wasn't a single bubble coming from the airlock. I didn't figure this was too big of a deal, being so soon, but I decided to carefully move the bucket to a slightly warmer area. The next day the temp was at 67 and there was very slow bubbling going on. I was happy.
The following day, day 3, the temp was up to 68, but once again there was no airlock action, and there hasn't been since then. My question is, is it normal to have no action, then 1 day (the 2nd day) of very little action in the airlock and then nothing at all again?
My next question is this. With no action I decided to do a gravity test. But I was in a hurry and forgot to sanitize the wine thief before taking a sample. I had been very diligent about sanitizing up to this point, and as soon as I did it I realized what I had done and kept things sanitary from there on. How strong is the possibility of infection from my mistake?
Sorry for the long post but I just really hope I didn't mess up my first batch of deliciousness!!

 

[ElJefeBrews]

First off, was the 63 degrees from a reading of the actually liquid or from a fermometer on the fermenter? 63 on a fermometer is generally a good temp to sit at because fermentation creates heat and that'll put you in good temp range. If enough alcohol was created already then they might be able to fight off any possible infection from not sanitizing the wine thief but only time will tell. Welcome to the obsession and learn from your mistakes.

 

[lhommedieu]

If I had a dollar for every time that I worried about sanitation...

Unless your dog has been using your wine thief as a chew toy there's a good chance that you'll be ok. You probably already cleaned it right? It just wasn't sterile (as it should have been).

As the previous poster noted, hopefully there will be enough alcohol (and acidity) in the beer to keep the beasties at bay. Time will tell...

Welcome to the wonderful world of OCB (with respect to sanitation, that is.) Some obsessive traits are worth developing.

 

[mtcowboy77]

First off, was the 63 degrees from a reading of the actually liquid or from a fermometer on the fermenter? 63 on a fermometer is generally a good temp to sit at because fermentation creates heat and that'll put you in good temp range. If enough alcohol was created already then they might be able to fight off any possible infection from not sanitizing the wine thief but only time will tell. Welcome to the obsession and learn from your mistakes.

Thanks for your reply ElJefe! The temp reading was from a thermometer on the side of the bucket. So from what you are saying I definitely feel a little better about the temperature.

As for the gravity test I did, I forgot to mention that the OG was 1.062, which was right where it should've been, and the reading from the test was 1.020, so I am assuming that there was some alcohol in there. Would those readings indicate whether that was enough or not? I also noticed when I had the lid off that there was some very slow bubbling going on in the brew, which I assumed was the yeast being somewhat productive.

 

[mtcowboy77]

If I had a dollar for every time that I worried about sanitation...

Unless your dog has been using your wine thief as a chew toy there's a good chance that you'll be ok. You probably already cleaned it right? It just wasn't sterile (as it should have been).

As the previous poster noted, hopefully there will be enough alcohol (and acidity) in the beer to keep the beasties at bay. Time will tell...

Welcome to the wonderful world of OCB (with respect to sanitation, that is.) Some obsessive traits are worth developing.

Yes, it was clean. I cleaned it right after I took the OG reading. I just didn't re-sanitize it is all and that's what I was worried about.

OCB! Lol! I like that. It's so....me! :cross:

 

[BigFloyd]

It's really tough to do this with the first batch, but the best course after pitching yeast is to seal it up, control the temps and leave it completely alone for 10 days. Take a sample for gravity. Take another in 4 days. If they're the same, it's done.

Airlock activity is never a 100% reliable indicator of fermentation activity, even though we all look for it.

 

[mtcowboy77]

That's good to know and sounds like great advice. Thanks! I think I'm definitely gonna invest in a carboy. I think if I can at least see what it's doing it will probably make me feel a little better.

 

[lhommedieu]

Get a brew hauler, as well. Carboys are notoriously easy to break.

 

[Subdivisions]

Since you were using a bucket then airlock activity is definitely not a sure fire sign of fermentation. They can leak around the lid and not build up enough pressure to push CO2 out the airlock, especially early in the ferment. Rehydrate your yeast! Don't listen to their directions. Sprinkling on top (especially if the wort is in the low 60s) can cause a long lag time before the yeast starts


Your 1.02 reading shows that fermentation was happening and it probably still has a little ways to go.

Everyone is nervous on their first brew and consequentally effs up by poking and prodding at it too much. Just leave it go. It will turn out fine. There are many threads on here about people asking "did I screw up my beer" and they usually turn out ok. Good luck and brew on.

 

[biggmatt]

let it set and see what happens. No point in doing anything. Just make things worse

 

[eko]

I just brewed a batch from 1.076 down to 1.011 that showed almost no airlock activity. It happens, and it's perfect fine. When trying to get within a specific temperature range, I've found that for me it's better to aim for the bottom half. Unless I want some specific characteristics from a warmer fermentation. Twice while in the upper portion the fermentation really kicked into gear, which makes more heat, which makes more fermentation, etc. I ended up with blown out airlock and estery/banana-y off flavored beer. Be patient, try not to worry, the yeast knows what to do.

 

[masskrug]

I understand, it is hard not to fiddle with the first batch. After my first (or third) I just let it sit for three weeks. The yeasts will do their work, you just mind the temperature. Don't worry about bubbles, I rarely see any bubbles (my buckets are in a freezer).

 

[BigFloyd]

That's good to know and sounds like great advice. Thanks! I think I'm definitely gonna invest in a carboy. I think if I can at least see what it's doing it will probably make me feel a little better.

Personally, I much prefer buckets. Much easier to clean/move and not subject to breaking into a bunch of razor-sharp shards.

Besides, after the first few batches, your anxiety level will go way down and not being able to see the fermentation won't really matter so much.

 

[adamdillabo]

I agree with big Floyd. I use buckets mostly but have been putting 3 gallon batches in my carboys too. They are a pain to clean and every krausen looks different. Every Time your going to think this looks odd.

I just leave mine for 3 weeks and bottle.