Question on Fermentation Stalling

[galifrey]

So I'm starting my first all grain brew, and It's now 24hrs of fermentation. The initial start was great had an OG of 1.085 and used safbrew s-33 dry ale yeast. After about 3 hrs there was vigorous bubbling but now it's a day out and only very slowly bubbling. Last gravity was 1.050. Do I need to pitch some more yeast, or just be patient? Thanks for the advice.

 

[TromboneGuy]

Patience.

 

[shanecb]

So you're only 24hrs into fermentation? Definitely need to keep riding it out. Gravity is your best measure of fermentation, not the bubbling. Let it go for a few more days and check the gravity to see if it's still falling. Falling 35 points in 24hrs is fine.

 

[galifrey]

Thanks for the help!

 

[asterix404]

Don't measure your beer until at least 7 days... you do run a risk of disturbing the co2 cloud and infection. Bubbling does not equal fermentation, no bubbling also does not equal no fermentation, let it sit for 2 weeks and check finial gravity. If it is close to what you expect, bottle.

 

[Revvy]

Your airlock bubbling or not bubbling doesn't mean your beer has stalled or not, all it means is that your airlock isn't bubbling.

A beer may ferment perfectly fine without a single blip in the airlock. Or airlocks can start or stop or start and stop again, for a ton of other reasons, like temp changes, getting nudged by the cat or the vacuum cleaner, changes in barometric pressure, but your beer could still be fermenting fine.

Or the co2 is coming out the lid, or the grommet or the stopper. Nothing wrong with that, if co2 is getting out, nothing nasty is getting in.

Airlock activity is irrevelent. Just gravity points on a hydrometer.

The rate or lack of or whether or not it bubbles at all, or if it starts and stops has more relation to the environment the fermenter is in, rather than fermentation itself. All it is is a vent, a valve to let our excess gas, especially co2, nothing else. It's not a fermentation gauge whatsoever.