New Brewer Panic

[jlietzow]

OK, so I'm brand new to this and excited about by first batch of beer - a 5 gallon pale ale extract kit from Midwest Supplies. Brew day seemed to go well, but fermentation was slower to start than I expected (~2 days). I had placed my primary fermentation bucket in my basement initially but then moved it to a bedroom closet instead to get warmer (from 65 up to about 70 degrees).

Things started happening then - I saw the bubbling in the airlock and could smell the yeast activity (like baking bread). However the next day the bedroom had got warmer (76 degrees) and the fermentation activity seemed to stop (no more bubbling). I corrected the room temp by adjust the heating duct vents in the bedroom but sadly still no bubbling in the airlock.

It's been a couple of days now. I still smell the yeast working but miss the reassuring bubbles. Should I be concerned? Anything I should do?

 

[bransona]

Welcome to the hobby! Your beer is 99.999999% certain to be just fine! Sounds like you had some lag from cool temps, which you then corrected---maybe overcorrected. I would guess your yeast got going strong when you moved your brew to a 70 room, fermentation ramped up the temp even further, and they quickly did the first large part of their job. Now it's time to let them slowly finish the rest of their job. The lack of regular bubbling is indicative of your beer being completely (or nearly) fermented out, but the yeast are going to keep working and improving your brew, especially for the next 2 weeks or so. At very worst, the hot fermentation temps may have caused your yeast to throw some off-flavors, which you can read more about on the yeast forum (and I would recommend checking out How To Brew. Great book, free to read, google it). Those will also clean up with time

 

[gunhaus]

DON'T PANIC (Sorry, the whole Hitchhikers Guide thing got the better of me!) That particular kit is VERY forgiving. Believe me. It will tolerate any number of small mistakes and little abuses, and still produce a very drinkable Ale. Just let it percolate, and then bottle it up, wait, chill and drink. You will enjoy it - IT IS YOUR FIRST BREW! Always a fun thing -welcome aboard.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Sounds like you cant see whats going on which makes me think your using a bucket. Lids on a bucket are notorious for not sealing and the pressure goes out around the lid and not the airlock ( no bubbles)
I'm thinking your fine. Theres a good chance you fermented a little to warm. THe warmer the temp the faster the fermentation. If you are using a bucket and have the airlock in a rubber stopper you can remove it for a peak. If it looks creamy over the beer its still fermenting if it looks like liquid it could be done....take a gravity reading with a hydrometer that you should have...if not get one. Youll need it for every batch you ever make

 

[jlietzow]

Sounds like you cant see whats going on which makes me think your using a bucket. Lids on a bucket are notorious for not sealing and the pressure goes out around the lid and not the airlock ( no bubbles)
I'm thinking your fine. Theres a good chance you fermented a little to warm. THe warmer the temp the faster the fermentation. If you are using a bucket and have the airlock in a rubber stopper you can remove it for a peak. If it looks creamy over the beer its still fermenting if it looks like liquid it could be done....take a gravity reading with a hydrometer that you should have...if not get one. Youll need it for every batch you ever make

Thanks for the feedback. I am indeed using a bucket - I'll definitely take a peek at the brew when I get home through the hole for the airlock. I do have a hydrometer and measured the OSG(?) as 1.0040 as I recall before I pitched the yeast. How will I know when it's done (what SG should I expect)?

 

[helibrewer]

Thanks for the feedback. I am indeed using a bucket - I'll definitely take a peek at the brew when I get home through the hole for the airlock. I do have a hydrometer and measured the OSG(?) as 1.0040 as I recall before I pitched the yeast. How will I know when it's done (what SG should I expect)?

The recipe sheet should indicate the expected final gravity. For a pale ale the typical range is 1.010-1.015

 

[gunhaus]

I helped my nephew and his wife brew this same kit at Christmas time, as their first foray into brewing. Just for reference we had 1.041 for the OG, and in our case it dried out to 1.003 for right at 5% ABV I believe. We cracked open a bottle that has been sitting about a week and a half because they HAD to see if it grew bubbles and what it tasted like last night. It was a tad green and a little under carbed, and still tasted like a nice APA. As i said, it is a forgiving kit for sure. You'll be happy with it in the end. Another week or two and i am sure the batch we made here will get slaughtered by their friends!

 

[Justin Archer]

I too brewed this same kit as my first. And had the exact same question and fear. It turned out fine. No worries, man. Mine finished around 1.002 or 3.

 

[jlietzow]

Thanks to all for the help. I did check and saw that there is no longer any foam on the beer. My specific gravity measures 1.006, so I presume that the yeast has indeed mostly done it's job.

Another question - when is an appropriate time to transfer to a secondary fermentation container? I bought a 5 gallon plastic "big mouth" carboy for that purpose so that I can start my next recipe (an IPA kit).

 

[gunhaus]

You could probably rack any time if you are at 1.006 if you really want to. I wouldn't waste the time. Just leave this one about 10-14 days on the primary, rack it carefully to your bottle bucket, and bottle. Less transfers less O2 exposure.

 

[Mackster]

Good thing that you wrote in when you did! Brewing consensus is now moving away from secondary fermenters in almost all situations. The only reason for a secondary would be if the beer was going to be aged for more than a couple months. You can start brewing two batches at a time since you have the BM Bubbler. I say make your IPA and put it in the bubbler this weekend

 

[azmark]

APA + No furit or excessive dry hopping = No secondary. Buy another bucket if you want to brew again. O2 and you opening the lid and sticking things in just give a greater opportunity for something to enter your nice clean beer and spoil it.

 

[jlietzow]

So glad I asked! I'll start my IPA this weekend in the BM Bubbler.

 

[jlietzow]

One more question for those willing to offer their sage advice... I was planning to brew my second batch in my big mouth bubbler that I had originally bought for secondary fermentation. However I just realized that it is only a 5 gallon capacity, not the 6.5 gallons that my bucket holds. Is that a problem? I can't afford to have an overflow problem in the closet where I am letting the beer ferment.

 

[gunhaus]

It very well could be, especially if you get a nice lively fermentation - How do you feel about hard cider? If you're hankering to ferment something, a nice hard cider is less likely to over flow especially since you can "cut back" just a pinch on volume if you are worried about blow off. Something to do while waiting for the other bucket to get free. In the end, a couple spare 6.5 gal buckets are pretty handy! You'll get there - it all seems to build up with time.