2nd Batch.. No airlock activity after 72 hours

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eightohhthree

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Noob Here. I'm on my second extract batch (American Wheat). My first batch (BB German Altbier Kit) is on it's 3rd week in the primary. I pitched the dry yeast directly into my bucket and he air lock was furiously bubbling within 12 hours. I was actually concerned about this one cause the "best by" date on the package was September of 2009. It seems to be doing just fine though.

I went to my LHBS and picked up another fermenting bucket and one of their in house American Wheat kits. I did everything the same as my first batch, except for I put the package of yeast in to a pyrex of luke warm water from the tap. It was fizzing a little and 15 minutes later I pitched into my bucket of 62 degree wort.

I did this Sunday afternoon, It's now Tuesday afternoon and still no activity in the air lock. I am wondering if I may have messed up somewhere along the line.

I have been reading HBT for 3 days straight, and everything says to just wait it out and the yeast will take care of it. I plan on leaving in the primary for 3 weeks or so to allow the yeast to run it's coarse. How long should I wait to take a hydrometer reading?

Im havent been screwing with my beer cause I am doing everything I can to avoid contamination. Im just a little concerned cause this one isnt taking off like the last one did. I wasnt really worried about it until we hit the 3 day mark.
 
Did you miss the part about taking a grav reading? Airlock activity or lack of is not to be trusted......only a hydrometer. &2 is a good amount to wait, but even the sticky in the beginners forum about it, clearly states that airlock bubbling (or in your case lack of it) is NOT a sign of fermentation

Go read this, take a gravity reading, AND THEN if their is no change in gravity you can consider repitching, but I betcha you're gonna open the fermenter and the grav is gonna show you that all is well.
 
I'm a bit confused here, Your title says 72 hrs? Your post also says something about hitting a three day mark? But you say you pitched yeast on Sunday? This is Tuesday, that would be 48hrs at best, I think you just need to be a little more patient, you can take a gravity reading at any time however.

You should also note that no two ferments are the same, there are too many variables that affect it so comparing one to another will get you . . . . a bunch of worry.
 
My bad man, I brewed this batch on Saturday, and it's now Tuesday. I brewed my first batch on a Sunday. Its reaching 72 hours, but Im going to do a reading. I didnt know if putting my dry yeast in warm tap water, then pitching it into 62 degree wort would have hurt it somehow??
 
I didnt know if putting my dry yeast in warm tap water, then pitching it into 62 degree wort would have hurt it somehow??

Not at all, like I said, more than likely the problem isn't that there's anything wrong at all, the only problem is that you are equating airlock activity with fermentation, and if you read what I linked you'll see how faulty that is. And I betcha like 99% of the other folks who the same thing on here daily, when you ACTUALLY take a grav reading, you will have a totally different story. ;)
 
What style airlock are you using? I've had friends not fill the 3-part airlock with enough liquid which resulted in no --apparent-- airlock activity. Once they put enough liquid in to reach the 'fill' line, blammo, activity.

Revvy's correct though, aggressive airlock activity (lack thereof) is not a reliable sign of active fermentation. That being said, I have NEVER made a beer (regardless of OG) that did not, at least for a first couple days, show signs of aggressive airlock activity. I'm sure there are others out there that'll state the opposite, but that's been my experience.

Be patient, check the airlock... Next time, OG reading and 3 subsequent, stable FG readings = aggressive fermentation is complete. Still let it ride to clean up residual, less fermentibles...
 
Im using a 3 part airlock. Im going to do a reading when I get home, If it hasnt moved, then I will probably come back on this thread and ask what to do next. Hopefully my reading will show me signs that my brew is fermenting.
 
It's fine. You made yeast food and added living yeast. They are eating and pooping and farting and making love (yeast style) like crazy. Let them live.

I am betting that you have a small leak in your system and the CO2 is pushing itself out the leak because it's easier than pushing water.

Now that you have the yeast pitching part down pat, what are your fermentation temps??
 
In all likelyhood homercidal is correct; it's been fermenting and gas is escaping elsewhere. I'd bet if you popped the lid a little bit, you'd see signs of krausen on the sides of the bucket. If so, I'd assume it's fermenting and forgo the hydrometer test until you think it's fermented out.
 
I have a bucket and lid that leak even when it's on correctly. It even has a rubber gasket I think. I have another that doesn't have a gasket and that one is fine.

Both of them make beer the same. The simple truth is, buckets can, and will, often have leaks that make airlocks unreliable indicators of fermentation activity. Even one that bubbles to start, might have a leak small enough to stop bubbling even if the fermentation is not complete. The CO2 released from the yeast just has to have time to escape the small leak is all.

Pop the top (carefully) and look inside. Take a small sniff. If it looks like something is going on in there, put the lid back on and wait 2 weeks then take a gravity reading.

if you don't see anything going on, then take a reading now just to be sure. But I think Wheat usually foams up pretty good, so you should see something unless you used fermcapS to control the foam.
 
Cool, I will pop the top and if it looks/smells of fermentations I will leave it alone until I bottle in 3 weeks. Thank you for the help and reinforcement.
 
No, that was my intention. I can still do it. I have sanitizer in a spray bottle so I can easily sanitize my hydrometer and take a reading.

One poster above stated it may not be necessary... if it indeed shows signs of fermenting, then close the lid and let it run its coarse.
 
When I arrived home from work today, I went to my basement, got my hydrometer, sterilized it, and began making my way to my closet where the ale pail is located. I opened the closet doors and my airlock was bubbling.

Since I know that my yeasts are okay, and I don't want to risk any sort of contamination, I did not take a reading. I will let it sit in the primary for 2 weeks then bottle. Thanks for your help.

I guess this thread ends like many others on this site. Just give it time I guess.

Thanks,

New Guy.
 
....and I don't want to risk any sort of contamination, I did not take a reading.
New Guy.

OK, I could tell by the tone of your posts, you would rather do anything, including sacrificing a goat and reading entrails, then take a hydo reading. :)

You have to man up, grow some stones and get over the idea that openning your fermenter to do something positive like take a gravity reading, is dangerous. In homebrewing there is so much that we advise folks not to do, yet the one thing that EVERY book, podcast, magazine and website talks about is gravity readings....

How do you think we get them?

Do you think the advice to take them is a vast conspiracy by us old timers to ruin millions of new brewer's batches, so that they flee the hobby and give it a bad rap? Or so they make crappy beer and we kick your asses in contests?

With simple sanitization practices openning the fermenter to take a reading is perfectly safe.

Just don't get into that mind of avoiding the one thing that can actually tell you what's going on. :mug:
 
I think what Revvy is trying to say is that for eight thousand years, we've been making beer, and we've only had good cleaners / disinfectants for a couple of hundred. TAKE a gravity reading. Even if you did not take one before you added the yeast, this will give you some sort of baseline for finishing. Plus it's good exercise.

Plus, it gives you the experience of sampling your wort. MMM... I think I'll sample my wort right now :D :ban:
 
I not terrified of taking them lol. I welcome all of the good advise I get here. I took a gravity reading out on my first batch (even tasted it), last weekend. That first batch has already hit the target, but many posters on here have said to leave it and let the yeast "clean up" their mess, so Im going against the brew kit instructions and doing just that.

I will certainly take a gravity reading on the 2nd batch this weekend when after I bottle my first batch. I just didnt see a need to really screw with it this second since my initial concern was that I had somehow damaged the yeast by hydrating them in tap water. They are obviously not dead since they are producing CO2. So I'm not really going to screw with it. Plus this weekend will have been 1 week on the dot. I think I remember a post from Revvy in another forum that says something about not taking a gravity reading until its been in for a week or so.

I am anxious to peek in and take a reading, but I'm going to wait a few more days to do it. I really do appreciate all of the advise and help. This forum has really been an excellent resource for me.
 
I wish. I'm having some Donato's Pizza and a Sam Adams Noble Pils since I dont have any homebrew ready for consumption. The wheat beer is for the wife so she may have been more concerned than I was. I'm going to post my grav reading this weekend so that Revvy doesnt think I'm stoneless lol. I do realize that is the only real way to determine if the beer is fermenting.
 
I think Revvy was just trying to stress the importance of taking gravity readings. You are on the right track, I would certainly wait to take a reading until at least the weekend, since you have confirmation of yeast activity.

I'm the set it and forget it type. I take an OG reading before fermentation, then leave the fermenter alone for at least 3 weeks. Then I'll take two readings, a couple days to a week apart (how long in between depends on if I've hit my target FG). Readings are important, but there's no need to be
obsessive about it, IMHO.
 
Want to hear a wild thought? This weekend, instead of bottling your first beer, buy another fermenter and more ingredients and brew again. This will help you get a pipeline going and distract you from bottling beer that can benefit from another week in the fermenter.
 
BierHerr said:
I think Revvy was just trying to stress the importance of taking gravity readings. You are on the right track, I would certainly wait to take a reading until at least the weekend, since you have confirmation of yeast activity.

I'm the set it and forget it type. I take an OG reading before fermentation, then leave the fermenter alone for at least 3 weeks. Then I'll take two readings, a couple days to a week apart (how long in between depends on if I've hit my target FG). Readings are important, but there's no need to be
obsessive about it, IMHO.

+1. This is exactly what I do
 
Want to hear a wild thought? This weekend, instead of bottling your first beer, buy another fermenter and more ingredients and brew again. This will help you get a pipeline going and distract you from bottling beer that can benefit from another week in the fermenter.

Exactly and you can do what the rest of us are doing. Leaving our beers in primary for a month.

Read this.
 
Yeah well, read Revvys' link and then get some more buckets. I like to keep about four or five beers going before going into the keg. We call it the pipeline. Keep brewing prolifically and let each one age a month or so. Keep on brewing. You'll get there.
 
Sweet. I will def get some more buckets. I already have the next 5 batches planned out already. I have already read that thread along with many others. I feel like I have been doing a bunch of studying over the last few weeks. I intend to get a "pipeline" going, but I have to get some beer in my fridge and my belly first. I read that 3 weeks is acceptable, so I am doing that with my first. I also heard that letting wheats sit for and extended period of time doesnt necessarily improve the flavor.

I plan to let my future batches sit for a month. Im just too damn eager right now.
 
It sounds like you are well on your way to becoming very involved (obsessed) in the great hobby!:mug:
I average 21 to 24 days in the fermentor and so far so good. My biggest problem is thinking of what to put in the pipeline, any ideas for a summer brew?
 
After the wheat I'm doing a APA. I want something hoppy and refreshing for the hot months. I already plan on making the jump to A/G sometime before the end of summer. I just want to get a few batches under my belt first. Also need to space out the buying of my equipment. I can't dump it all in at first like some of my single freinds have. I've got a wife, 3 kids, 2 cars, 2 cats, and a mortgage. Half of the reason I started brewing is to save money (which I know will happen in the long run), but Im just spending it so far:)
 
After the wheat I'm doing a APA. I want something hoppy and refreshing for the hot months. I already plan on making the jump to A/G sometime before the end of summer. I just want to get a few batches under my belt first. Also need to space out the buying of my equipment. I can't dump it all in at first like some of my single freinds have. I've got a wife, 3 kids, 2 cars, 2 cats, and a mortgage. Half of the reason I started brewing is to save money (which I know will happen in the long run), but Im just spending it so far:)

Was bottling an Australian Pale Ale last night w/a friend and he marked the caps with APA . We joked that in a few weeks and w/a few brews under out belts we'd have trouble remembering if it was an Aussie or American Pale Ale. :mug:
 
After the wheat I'm doing a APA. I want something hoppy and refreshing for the hot months. I already plan on making the jump to A/G sometime before the end of summer. I just want to get a few batches under my belt first. Also need to space out the buying of my equipment. I can't dump it all in at first like some of my single freinds have. I've got a wife, 3 kids, 2 cars, 2 cats, and a mortgage. Half of the reason I started brewing is to save money (which I know will happen in the long run), but Im just spending it so far:)

I dont think saving money will even happen in the long run if you go all-grain, due to the having to catch your savings up with your investment. I got lucky and only spent 50 bucks on my entire brewery equipment list and I'm still catching up. Haha. Just make it a hobby and you know that hobbies cost money, enjoy it for what it is. Awesome homebrew done by you.
 
I dont think saving money will even happen in the long run if you go all-grain, due to the having to catch your savings up with your investment. I got lucky and only spent 50 bucks on my entire brewery equipment list and I'm still catching up. Haha. Just make it a hobby and you know that hobbies cost money, enjoy it for what it is. Awesome homebrew done by you.

Oh for sure. Im spending $10 on a sixer from my local bev store, and running through 3 or so a week. Im bound so save some money somewhere :mug:
 
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