48 hours in, no bubbles

[creepyjackalope]

So my first batch (an ESB) has been in the fermentor for just over 48 hours and I'm not seeing any action in the airlock. I'm just being paranoid right? First batch jitters? My volume was a little high (closer to 6 gallons than to 5) so I'm wondering if I under pitched.
Also, when should I take a gravity reading? Thanks.

 

[Hello]

It is okay. What was your recipe and what yeast did you pitch? Was it dry yeast rehydrated, dry yeast pitched over the wort or liquid yeast?

But so far, RDWHAHB as they say.
If you have no HB then just have a brew or tea, tea is good.

 

[Tommyb52]

What temp did you pitch your yeast and how did you aerate the wort? I too have an ESB only 24 hours into fermentation and have only an airlock pressure difference. I used WLP005 yeast.

 

[tacks]

No krausen at all? Many will tell you don't judge what's going on in the fermenter by*what's happening in the airlock. I am one of those people. RDWHAHB and if you take a reading in 2 or 3 days and there is no change from your OG, then we can help you troubleshoot, but many people worry about every little thing that doesn't look exactly how they think it should for their first few batches. Fill us in when you take a reading!

 

[SEABrewer]

So my first batch (an ESB) has been in the fermentor for just over 48 hours and I'm not seeing any action in the airlock. I'm just being paranoid right? First batch jitters? My volume was a little high (closer to 6 gallons than to 5) so I'm wondering if I under pitched.
Also, when should I take a gravity reading? Thanks.

Typically, you should take a gravity reading immediately before you pitch your yeast (after the wort has been chilled to pitching temperature) to get your OG (original gravity). After you've pitched the yeast, it's best to just leave the beer alone for about a week before checking the gravity again.

Don't worry about lack of airlock activity, but if you're not seeing any other tell tale signs of fermentation (especially some sort of krausen buildup on the side of your fermenter), then it's possible fermentation never got started.

As a few others have noted, it'd be helpful to know what yeast you're using, your fermentation temperature, your pitching temperature, how much yeast you pitched, your aeration technique, etc.

Oh, and if you used the same amount of extract/grain as the recipe called for and just put in too much top off water to end up with 6 gallons instead of 5, then all you really would have done is lowered your original gravity (i.e. you diluted the wort). The amount of fermentable sugars available to the yeast would remain the same as what the recipe called for, so as long as you pitched the amount of yeast the recipe called for then you probably didn't under pitch.

 

[hunter306]

I'm guilty of cracking the very edge of the lid on my bucket for disconcertingly quiet batch. If you decide to do that, take a look for some nice Krausen or at very least, the telltale ring from fallen krausen.

 

[pondochris]

If you're using a bucket fermenter you probably just have a leaky lid. Both of my buckets never bubble through the airlock. All my beers end up fine (except 2 that fermented too warm this summer).

 

[creepyjackalope]

Thanks for all the feedback.
My recipe was 6 lbs Maris Otter liquid extract, 1 lb light DME, and 1 lb Crystal 90 steeped at 160 for 30 minutes. I did a full boil, starting with too much water apparently hence my larger than expected volume. I pitched at around 68 degrees with Wyeast 1968 and have had it stashed in a shower that's right at 66-68.
My OG was right on target at 1.060.
(I'm pretty sure I read my hydrometer correctly, I'm new at this.)

 

[Trox]

Yeah I wouldn't worry about seeing no air lock activity, you probably have a leak in the lid the gas is escaping from. As for taking your readings for the FG I would wait until about 14 days and then check again about 2 days later. If it is stable then I would give it about another 5-7 days at least ot let the yeast finish cleaning up the beer before bottling/kegging.