cooking, roasting, brewing in Seattle

corobre · Mar 21, 2009

What a cool site.

I'm a novice homebrewer with a Belgian witbier in the primary that after 50+ hours I thought was not fermenting as expected. I just spent some time reading the sticky thread on fermentation times and now regret both my degree of personal agitation and the open bucket wort agitation I performed earlier this evening! I had no idea that some brews didn't produce noticeable airlock action, yet I had every reason to believe that the conditions were sound. By proclaiming my fervent intent to henceforth rely on the hydrometer before rushing to declare yeast impairment I hope the fermentation fairy sees fit to cut me some slack this time.

On my relatively new blog (creation coincident with a long-delayed decision to begin homebrewing) I keep track of some of my brewing, coffee roasting, and other kitchen experiences. Perhaps eventually I'll have something to contribute here!

Steve

cooking, roasting, brewing

Blender · Mar 21, 2009

Yeast are fairly hardy little beasts. It sounds as though maybe your lid has some leakage therefore the airlock is not showing activity. Consider getting a Better Bottle in the future and you won't have to remove the lid plus watching the fermentation is quite spell binding for a short time.

Welcome to the forums .....beermaking is great fun.

homebrewer_99 · Mar 21, 2009

Welcome.

Three questions:

1. What was your OG:

2. Have you taken a gravity reading?

3. What's the gravity reading now?

corobre · Mar 21, 2009

Thanks, Gary. Overnight it got busy!

cooking, roasting, brewing: fourth brew (Belgian witbier), part 3

corobre · Mar 21, 2009

Thanks, Bill. OG was 1.052. I have not taken another reading up until this point because I didn't believe anything was happening. The sticky fermentation thread was very helpful in that regard. Last night it finally did produce external evidence (and I was glad I'd fitted a blowoff tube rather than an airlock; it was necessary even with 6+ inches of head space) and I'll probably take a reading today.

Blender · Mar 21, 2009

corobre said:
Thanks, Bill. OG was 1.052. I have not taken another reading up until this point because I didn't believe anything was happening. The sticky fermentation thread was very helpful in that regard. Last night it finally did produce external evidence (and I was glad I'd fitted a blowoff tube rather than an airlock; it was necessary even with 6+ inches of head space) and I'll probably take a reading today.

Let it ferment for a good week and then take your gravity reading. No need to take one when the brew is actively fermenting.