Feels like the 1st time

[Canadianbrewer2012]

I have just recently started my 1st attempt at home brew (about 24 hrs ago to be exact) and I am a little worried about the lack of action I am observing within my primary .. My primary is just a barely transparent plastic and all I can really see is the amount of krausen is at the top and some sediment at the bottom.. I am a little concerned that the krausen is only about 1 inch and I was expecting way more by now ... Should I be worried or just wait this out? Don't wanna royally mess this up..

 

[urbanmyth]

It all depends on the OG, the temperature, the amount of yeast pitched, the relative proximity of the carboy to magnetic north, the color of the shirt you wore when you brewed and any other number of factors unknown to us. The yeast will get done what needs to be done. As long as you are seeing activity, let the yeasties be. Use your hydrometer to guide you once you notice a drop in activity. Two or three days without a drop in gravity means the beer is done fermenting. After that, leave it be for another three weeks or so. Bottle up, wait to carb and enjoy! Congrats on your first batch

 

[ahawks9er]

I'm new here, but I wouldn't freak out too much. As Charlie says, "Relax. Have a homebrew!" Intensity of fermentation depends on alot of variables and the fact that you're seeing some action is a good thing.

 

[Barleynose]

Howdy, I'm not far ahead of you in regards to experience and I was fretting over my first batches in the exact same manner. The thing I have learned here is have patience and leave the beer be for a while to let the yeast do what it needs to do.
If you have performed your sanitization process properly, then more than likely your beer will turn out fine.
I found that the last beers from my kegs always tasted better that the first and I realized that giving them time to mature always improved the flavor. I'm always over-eager to see how the batch turns out. ;-)

 

[Canadianbrewer2012]

Another thing I'm worried is that the main floor spot I have it seems like it may be too warm and I want to move it to the basement.. Bad idea?

 

[brtisbuck]

Ales typically ferment cleaner at 65* or just under - that is the temp inside the fermenter, not ambient. Fermentation could cause the temp inside your vessel to increase at much as 10 degrees at times depending on gravity, strain of yeast, and pitch rate. It is definately a good idea to keep it in a cooler area.

 

[Canadianbrewer2012]

So it IS ok to move?

 

[bernerbrau]

Go ahead and move it.

 

[Canadianbrewer2012]

Yeah I moved it... I Donno about this one.. It just looks flat .. Hopefully I'm just being paranoid but it has been about 36 hrs now and the krausen has hardly risen at all ... No real activity. What are the tell tale sings that ur brew is a flop?

 

[H-ost]

"Seems like" Isn't very accurate, what is your actual temperature. Also, if it is fermenting at all it probably doesn't need to be moved.

One of the things you come to learn about fermentation is that there isn't anything YOU need to do if did everything correctly up to pitching. Yeast are on their own schedule and it sounds like they are doing their thing, just leave it.

 

[Canadianbrewer2012]

Hmmm to late for that... It's in a cooler darker place now .. It was near a window before and would warm up quite a bit ... Nothing to do now but wait.. I dont know if moving it disturbed the process or not..

 

[Canadianbrewer2012]

Can u tell I'm a rookie? Lol

 

[bernerbrau]

Yeah I moved it... I Donno about this one.. It just looks flat .. Hopefully I'm just being paranoid but it has been about 36 hrs now and the krausen has hardly risen at all ... No real activity. What are the tell tale sings that ur brew is a flop?

Wait until 72 hours have passed and take a gravity reading. If gravity has not dropped at all, add some new yeast. If you don't know how to take a gravity reading, you'll need a hydrometer.

It's nearly impossible to completely screw up beer, even for a beginner.

I'll disagree with the guy who said don't move it. Moving it this early won't disrupt the fermentation process at all. Until you start getting into the low 50s, the cooler the better for ale fermentation. But I agree that you really should at the very least get one of those stick-on thermometer strips so you have an idea of the temperature.

 

[H-ost]

Oh it was in front of a window? I hope it was shielded from the light, UV over time skunks beer but I guess it was only there for about a day.

EDIT: I never said it would ruin anything by moving it but it just seemed unnecessary with the information he gave. I agree that this early in the process there isn't much worry of oxidation.

 

[Canadianbrewer2012]

Thanks alot for the input ! It was shielded from direct sunlight for certain .. Reassuring to know that even a numpty like me can pull off a drinkable brew ... Here's to hoping

 

[bernerbrau]

I never said it would ruin anything by moving it

I said that because he asked if moving it somehow disrupted the fermentation. Since it's early, oxygen will probably be beneficial and not detrimental. In any case, I would always recommend relocating from a warmer environment to a cooler one.

 

[greenthumbed]

Canadian,

To be sure the brew is fermenting you should take some gravity readings.