Airlock not bubbling after it was within the first 24 hours

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toestothesun

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Hi, obviously I'm new and I apologize if this has been covered but I am just wondering if I should be concerned that I had bubbling in the airlock after about 24 hours, it slowed down substantially within 48, and now by the third day there's no bubbling action at all. Should I be concerned about this? Should I draw a sample and test the gravity?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance :)
 
Sounds fine to me, I would give it until at LEAST 7 days before you start taking gravity readings.
 
Sounds fine to me, I would give it until at LEAST 7 days before you start taking gravity readings.

ok, I only have a primary fermenter and I've read on this forum that some people leave their beer in the primary for 30 days. Should I let it rest for that long or should I draw a sample after 7 days and transfer it to the bottling bucket for bottling if the gravity is OK after 7 days?
 
What was the yeast and temps used? With a good pitch of yeast fermented in the upper 60's I can believe it.

I would still leave it be for several weeks.
 
What was the yeast and temps used? With a good pitch of yeast fermented in the upper 60's I can believe it.

I would still leave it be for several weeks.

The yeast was safale us-5 and the beer temp as about 68
 
Just because the airlock is not bubbling there may still be fermentation going on. If your doing a primary only. I recommend keeping it there for 3 weeks. Start taking hydrometer readings about 2 weeks 3 days in. Make sure the reading does not drop 3 days later and then Bottle it.
 
safale us5 is a fast yeast and with your temp, that sounds about right.
 
Give it a few weeks,2-4 is for average gravity.But i would recommend at least 3.Its fine most of mine ferment within 2-4 days with dryyeast even at 60 degrees just used munich pitched at 65 and put it in the basement at 60 degrees.Krausen fell within 3 days.
 
1 on the giving of time. While you can check in 7 days and if the gravity is right bottle it, I dont recomend it. I used to do that and since i started w8tin 3wks+ my beer is 100% more tasty. trust me wait.
 
Wait for a couple weeks. The more you mess with it, the more chance of contamination. Sounds like it's working though, hold a steady temperature & be patient.
 
thanks for all the replies everyone...reading through them, taking the advice, and hoping it turns out well :)
 
that just sounds like typical safale dry yeast. If you go to liquid yeast, it will take longer.
 
I think liquid yeast is generally better. I have only been brewing for 6 months, but have brewed 16 batches, about half with dry and half with liquid and I think liquid is slightly better, flavor wise, also optionwise. For example, with liquid yeast, there is an option for almost every style, where in dry it is more limited, like many ales just use the same yeast, safale us 50. Dry is faster, gets off to a faster start, so there is less wait time, where an infection can get a hold, but that is where a starter come in handy. Some of the dry yeast still tastes very good, like safale and is cheaper than liquid. I think I have converted to liquid yeast. I just feel like it is going to get me better beer and closer to the style that I am brewing.
 
ENS may be right about liquid being superior. but i still like dry yeast. i started out using liquid (i guess we went opposites :) ) but i decided to use dry because its cheaper, and i don't have to make a starter. hell i don't rehydrate either. and, at least at this point, i can't detect any off tastes from the dry yeasts. that could all change though with more experience
 
dry yeast is a lot more low maintenance. Just dip the pack in some sanitizer, open her up and pour it in the carboy.

I like how the liquid yeasts are more specific to the style.
 
I like how the liquid yeasts are more specific to the style.

This is the big reason for using liquid yeast. Not all strains of yeast are dried. Actually, very few are. If you are brewing standard American or British ales, the available dried yeasts, mainly by Danstar and Fermentis, will do just fine. If you get into making Belgians and Weisses, the yeasts are very important to the flavor profile and liquid is the only way to go.

To the original post, my SOP for an ale is three weeks in the primary and bottle or keg. If I bottle, another three weeks and there ready to enjoy. If you go shorter in the primary, you don't give the yeast time to drop to the bottom. Longer has some benefits such as mellowing and blending flavors. However, this longer time in the primary fermenter is usually reserved for big beers.

Good Luck!
 
true. i haven't brewed any Belgians or Weisses, or anything that really has a certain yeast profile.
 
If you don't see bubbling, you could have a small leak in your lid, perhaps, though I would think it unlikely. There should be enough pressure to see some airlock action.

Otherwise, it's good to think about the health of your yeast, namely it's age (preferably less than a few months, and given time to wake up if older) and how it was stored (refrigerated, never frozen). Did you pitch it on the wort when the wort was still more than 90-100F? That could kill it.
 
If you don't see bubbling, you could have a small leak in your lid, perhaps, though I would think it unlikely. There should be enough pressure to see some airlock action.

Otherwise, it's good to think about the health of your yeast, namely it's age (preferably less than a few months, and given time to wake up if older) and how it was stored (refrigerated, never frozen). Did you pitch it on the wort when the wort was still more than 90-100F? That could kill it.

yeah, there's no airlock action whatsoever. I don't recall the age of the yeast, it was stored refrigerated prior to me pitching it. I pitched the yeast on the wort when the work was about 68 degrees.
 
perhaps the bulk of the fermenting occurred with the air leak?
After 2 days in a 6gal carboy my bubbler was producing a bubble about once every 40 - 60 seconds. (carboy had been completely sealed from the start) so consider the amount of air volume you're filling with co2 as a byproduct of fermentation.. it could take awhile to fill whatever airspace you have between your wort and the now installed air lock (since you had freely escaping co2 beforehand), one bubble per 40 seconds at a time. I'd wait, take a gravity reading, and once it hits FG, look at it, sniff it and taste it, then move forward. :)
 
I just made a lager on Sat and after 36 hours I pitched another envelope of yeast since there was nothing going on. I pitched a smack pack( California lager ) at 65 degrees and has been between 60 - 65 since. I had a packet of muntons dry yeast that I added last night and had some good action today. This is the first time I ever had an issue and not sure if adding two different types of yeast will effect the outcome. Anyone have any advice or ideas of what I should expect the outcome to be. I am only doing a single stage fermentation so no secondary.
 
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