MattD
Well-Known Member
Hey all, I have a question about how long I should expect my primary ferment to last. This is my first batch, so obviously I don't know what to really expect. I pitched my yeast at about 1am on the 13th and went to bed. I checked it around 9am and the airlock was bubbling away, a burst of bubbles about every 3-4 seconds (is this considered fully active?). By this morning about 10am (33 hrs after pitching the yeast) the bubbling was down to a burst every 50-90 seconds. This afternoon at 6 (41 hrs after pitching) it was bubbling every 3-4 minutes at best. I took a SG and it had gone from it's OG of 1.035 to about 1.018. My recipe instructions said to rack to secondary after it had dropped SG about halfway (FG should be 1.008-1.012), so I did. Airlock activity hasn't really picked up any, not that I expected it to. I figure on leaving it in secondary for 7 days then checking SG again, I'm just wondering if I should expect any further change. Also, the primary ferment seemed to go by MUCH faster than I'd expected, I thought it would take at least 3-5 days. Any comments on what might be going on, or am I just worrying for no reason?
Recipe:
6.6 lbs Amber LME
1 lb crystal malt grain
1.5 oz hallertau mittlefruh pellets
Burton salts
1 pkt Muntons active brewing yeast (dry)
I steeped the grain at 155F for 15 minutes, then increased the heat and let it climb to 170F, then took it off heat and removed grains. Stirred in LME, burton salts, and added hops, brought to a boil and boiled for 45 min. Transferred pot to a water bath and brought temp down to 80F, then added to primary with water to bring up to 5.25 gal. Boiled 1/2 cup of water and cooled it to room temp, added yeast and let it hydrate for 15 minutes, swirled to suspend and added to fermenter. Sealer it up and attached the airlock. 41 hours later airlock activity had come and gone, and SG had dropped from 1.035 to 1.018. Racked to secondary and now I'm waiting....
Also, the kit came with 2 pkts of yeast, and I only used one, figuring the other was a spare. Should I have used both? The recipe didn't specify a quantity...
Thanks for the help, and I hope to learn a lot about this home brewing thing so maybe I can answer someone else's questions one day!
Matt
Recipe:
6.6 lbs Amber LME
1 lb crystal malt grain
1.5 oz hallertau mittlefruh pellets
Burton salts
1 pkt Muntons active brewing yeast (dry)
I steeped the grain at 155F for 15 minutes, then increased the heat and let it climb to 170F, then took it off heat and removed grains. Stirred in LME, burton salts, and added hops, brought to a boil and boiled for 45 min. Transferred pot to a water bath and brought temp down to 80F, then added to primary with water to bring up to 5.25 gal. Boiled 1/2 cup of water and cooled it to room temp, added yeast and let it hydrate for 15 minutes, swirled to suspend and added to fermenter. Sealer it up and attached the airlock. 41 hours later airlock activity had come and gone, and SG had dropped from 1.035 to 1.018. Racked to secondary and now I'm waiting....
Also, the kit came with 2 pkts of yeast, and I only used one, figuring the other was a spare. Should I have used both? The recipe didn't specify a quantity...
Thanks for the help, and I hope to learn a lot about this home brewing thing so maybe I can answer someone else's questions one day!
Matt