No airlock bubbles. Stopper leaking?

[SteakW]

I know the lack of airlock bubbles is often said to mean nothing. Still, I searched in detail and only found people talking about leaky buckets. I am fermenting in a one gallon jug so I don't think the glass is leaking. I'm using a rubber stopper with a 3 piece airlock.
I only ask because it's the first time I've used a rubber stopper instead of a plastic screw cap and it kept popping out after sanitation so I (foolishly) wiped the inside of the bottle with a paper towel, thinking the wet sanitizer from the stopper would do the trick. Hopefully I'm right. Anyway, come this morning and there is foam at the top but I didn't hear any bubbles overnight. Maybe I was just dead asleep while they were going off. So aside from stupidly drying the inside of the neck is it likely my stopper doesn't have a good seal? What should I do, if anything?
Anyway, the foam looks beautiful, I'm just curious if this is cause for concern and should I do anything? Or just relax and have a homebrew?

Edit: So I'm sanitizing a blowoff tube. It was in a 3 piece airlock. It's an Irish Red ale and it's over foaming like crazy. I actually walked in and witnessed it as it started happening. Nothing is coming out of the stopper, only filling the airlock. Probably means that it's sealed, yes? Haha it's so exciting having my first foam explosion!

 

[andy6026]

How long has it been in primary?

 

[dickproenneke]

If you've got krausen (foam) then you're beer is fermenting. Sounds like your suspicion of a leaky stopper is right on the money. A sanitized piece of tin foil scrunched down over the mouth of your jug should keep the nasties out

 

[ten80]

Put a piece of sanitized saran-wrap over the top of the jug and loosely rubber band it on. Gas will be able to push out but contamination will be kept out. You'll be able to see the wrap bulge a bit from the gas produced. I have the same problem with a 1.5-gal jug I often use and found that it's not worth the trouble to try to keep a stopper and airlock on it.

 

[SteakW]

How long has it been in primary?

If it matters, only about 18 hours or so. I guess I'll just cover it with some foil and go back to those plastic caps. I thought the stoppers would be superior (unless it's just this one stopper?) but I had bubbles with the cap and lock and the bubbles are very nice to hear.

 

[neo71665]

On one gallon jugs I still use sanitized balloons with a pin hole in them. Honestly don't think the multiple pieces of a stopper and airlock are any better as long as you watch and don't let it suck back at the end.

 

[fmr_army]

You're fine. There may be a pinhole leak around the stopper, you may be a heavy sleeper, the water may be absorbing and venting the CO2, etc etc etc.

I had a similar thing happen on my first beer - the airlock was absolutely still and silent - and I was almost apoplectic . (I'm better now, thanks for asking.) Sometimes it still happens, but I always get beer.

Kreuzen is a great sign. Bubbling and churning in the jug is a good sign. My advice is to ignore it for a week and then go to check on it. My bet is that it will be beer. Yummy beer. That you made. That you get to drink!

You didn't kill your beer by wiping the neck out.

[Full disclosure - I've never been able to NOT check on my beer for a week. Even when I was out of the country, I had my son check the beer and send me updates.]