I bought some new yeast (from a different store) and threw it in after stirring the cider up really good. What a difference it made. The cider didn't clear right away and the foamy bits on the top are getting bigger, not staying exactly the same. At 36hr the airlock isn't bubbling (at least not very quickly) but every once in a while a bubble goes up through the cider. I guess I was the one in a million who got the dead yeast.
Fermentation can take 24 to 72 hrs to show visible signs.
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NewB here and I have a different question. After transfering my wort to the primary, it began to ferment roughly 5 hours after pitching the yeast. Within 24hrs, all signs of bubling stopped in the airlock and in the wort.
I'm wondering if this is normal, or did the yeast run out of oxygen and go dormant? Can fermentation really only last a day, or is it still going without showing any visible signs? My sp.gr = 1.064 right after I pitched the yeast. What number should I expect when fermentation is done? Btw, I'm brewing a british pale ale.
OP
OP
Yes the main ferment can take place in 24 hours.
With a little more reading and experience you will learn that bubbles in the air lock are only one sign of fermentation taking place and not the most reliable one.
Unless you did something drastically wrong then it's unlikely that your yeast pooped out.
If it where me I'd probably just leave it 2 - 4 weeks and then cask. (But I know my set up and my brews)
If I were you I'd leave it 3 days then check the gravity. If it is close to the FG then carry one with your normal routine.
With a little more reading and experience you will learn that bubbles in the air lock are only one sign of fermentation taking place and not the most reliable one.
Unless you did something drastically wrong then it's unlikely that your yeast pooped out.
If it where me I'd probably just leave it 2 - 4 weeks and then cask. (But I know my set up and my brews)
If I were you I'd leave it 3 days then check the gravity. If it is close to the FG then carry one with your normal routine.
crudebrews
Member
Hello, this is my first post and my fourth brew is now in a secondary with an ounce of fresh Simcoe hops in a nylon hop bag. I brewed a partial-mash "pale-ish ale" (my first recipe) on the 20th of Sept and used the Whitelabs American ale WLP001. No starter but let it sit on the counter for over 5 hours prior to pitching and had no signs of fermentation after 3 days. After taking a gravity reading I consulted my LHBS and they advised to re-pitch with another vial of WL. Within 3 hours, visible signs began. It had been going strong for 12 solid days with bubbles coming through every 8 seconds. Consulted my LHBS again and they said that racking to my secondary would not be a bad idea as I wanted to begin the dry hopping regiment. My question is should I have let it sit in the primary longer? I didnt take a gravity reading when I racked to my secondary as I know its still going. What happened? Even the guys at the LHBS thought it was odd, but I am slowly learning not to trust them.
Glad to be a part of the community. You guys are way more helpful than my LHBS
Glad to be a part of the community. You guys are way more helpful than my LHBS
belmontbrew
Well-Known Member
I just brewed my second batch of beer, and of course totally freaked out at the slow start. My first batch had started bubbling the airlock after 2 hours, and had huge krausen and constant bubbling a couple of hours later. By the end of day 2, it was all done. The outgas smelled like fruit cocktail.
This time around, with liquid yeast and slightly lower temperature (70ºF), I had nothing -- no airlock bubbles, no krausen, no anything -- for nearly two full days. The first night, the airlock level actually went backward. But finally, this afternoon, I got some positive pressure and bubbling (still no krausen, but I'm learning to relax and not worry). It smells much cleaner than last time.
While I was waiting, I freaked out about yeast temperature (I let it stay at room temperature too long), aeration (did I shake the bucket long enough), pH issues (I heard something about pH and assumed that I had accidentally reached some kind of deadly acidity).
So, for me, all the advice about relaxing for 72 hours turned out to be true. I wonder how many times it'll take before I can actually stop worrying...
This time around, with liquid yeast and slightly lower temperature (70ºF), I had nothing -- no airlock bubbles, no krausen, no anything -- for nearly two full days. The first night, the airlock level actually went backward. But finally, this afternoon, I got some positive pressure and bubbling (still no krausen, but I'm learning to relax and not worry). It smells much cleaner than last time.
While I was waiting, I freaked out about yeast temperature (I let it stay at room temperature too long), aeration (did I shake the bucket long enough), pH issues (I heard something about pH and assumed that I had accidentally reached some kind of deadly acidity).
So, for me, all the advice about relaxing for 72 hours turned out to be true. I wonder how many times it'll take before I can actually stop worrying...
belmontbrew
Well-Known Member
This happened to me three weeks ago, also with a british pale ale. I used a dry Windsor yeast at kind of a warm temperature, and all fermentation took place within the first day or two. My OG was 1.050, and final was 1.018 (4% ABV). I measured my final gravity 10 days after starting, and again at 14 days to confirm that fermentation had stopped.
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OP
OP
Does it look like it's nearly done, yeast dropping out into trub, krausen fallen, starting to clear a bit?
It'll probably be fine. I fermentation carries on below the expected FG, I mean way below then it can mean you have an infection.
That's probably not the case for you.
The good news is a long slow ferment can mean a cleaner tasting beer with less of the nastier compounds being produced by the yeast.
Take a gravity reading to satisfy your curiosity. If it's nearly there then you can rack to secondary or leave a little longer in the primary.
Either way you won't hurt the beer.
I personally would let it sit a bit longer.
crudebrews
Member
it deffinatly looks like it is done... great clarity and big fat layer of trub with a few odd looking rocky heads (i assume that is the krausen). I use a glass blow-off tube and it was clear for some reason, but i dont think that i have ever seen heads like these. It seems like it has quite a bit of carbonation to it already and smells great. now with the hops in my carboy it smells amazing. i plan on hopping for 10 days and im going to use some oak cubes for about 5-6 days for an oaky finish. I have done quite a bit of reading on the utilization of oak in brews, but what are your thoughts on oaking?
Hey all,
I just picked up my first kit from a local shop here in New York. It is an Irish Red Ale. I got everything going last night per the instructions provided and left it to ferment in the carboy while I slept. I woke up to bubbling and activity, exciting. My concern is that the foam is brown and muddy rather then white and frothy like the pictures/videos ive looked at. Should I be worried or is it one of those things that I just need to wait out?
It also appears that much more evaporated then it should have.
Picture below:
I just picked up my first kit from a local shop here in New York. It is an Irish Red Ale. I got everything going last night per the instructions provided and left it to ferment in the carboy while I slept. I woke up to bubbling and activity, exciting. My concern is that the foam is brown and muddy rather then white and frothy like the pictures/videos ive looked at. Should I be worried or is it one of those things that I just need to wait out?
It also appears that much more evaporated then it should have.
Picture below:
iamdooser
Member
Looks good to me.Hey all,
I just picked up my first kit from a local shop here in New York. It is an Irish Red Ale. I got everything going last night per the instructions provided and left it to ferment in the carboy while I slept. I woke up to bubbling and activity, exciting. My concern is that the foam is brown and muddy rather then white and frothy like the pictures/videos ive looked at. Should I be worried or is it one of those things that I just need to wait out?
It also appears that much more evaporated then it should have.
Picture below:
Pommy
Well-Known Member
Im hoping its just another case of RDWHAHB but I put a Black Rock Cider on on Monday and now 72 hours later there has been absolutely no sign of fermentation. What should I do? 
OP
OP
Im hoping its just another case of RDWHAHB but I put a Black Rock Cider on on Monday and now 72 hours later there has been absolutely no sign of fermentation. What should I do?
Tellus a bit more about what you did and the way you did it.
What temperature did yo pitch at and what temperature is it sat at?
Pommy
Well-Known Member
I pitched the yeast at 22C and its been sat there since. I just followed the standard instructions that came with the kit as this is the first cider ive tried and wanted a benchmark. Mix with 2L hot water, add 1kg table sugar, top up, stir in yeast usual jobby. I moved it into the bedroom where the sun can get to it before work this morning and it seems to have got going, hopefully its fermentation and not just caused by the increase in temperature inside the fermenter.
OP
OP
The movement is probably what got it going if it wasn't already.
jgran
New Member
Not sure if this was covered or not, but i started my first batch exactly one week ago in about 3 hours. I did everything as i have read and stuck to the book as much as possible for fear if messing up my first batch. I noticed my fermentation took off about 4-5 hours after pitching and my airlock started to slowly increase in activity over the rest of that day. It stayed pretty active for about 2 1/2 days and started to slow down. I had about 20-30 sec between bubbles in my airlock at about 3-4 days. Now its day 7 and i havnt seen any activity at all. Is this normal? It smells lke beer, so im assuming thats good, but should i be worried that i have no apparent activity? Is this normal? Everything i read says about 2 weeks before priming/bottling. Am i on track? should i consider bottling early?
Pommy
Well-Known Member
congratulations, your first beer is a success! wait until it reaches 2 weeks then bottle and you will have a textbook fermentation
BigDawg
Member
A buddy and I just brewed our first batch of beer (Brewers Best Dunkelweizen) and I haven't noticed any fermentation. I have been contacting someone at Brewers Best and am now worried that the beer won't ferment. The kit called for an OG of 1.045-1.053 and as of last night (3 days after brewing) I had a reading of 1.096. A lot higher than it should be and I hadn't noticed any signs of fermentation. Should I be worried that my beer won't ferment and will be wasted or is there some way to ensure it does? As this is my first beer I didn't realize that when my friend put the air lock on the glass carboy that he didn't put the lid on it. I know that's not fully the issue but should I be worried that we just wasted a $40 kit?
As a first time brewer what are the most important things that we missed?
As a first time brewer what are the most important things that we missed?
1.096? That's not possible unless your volume is VERY low. What was your recipe and what was your volume?
OP
OP
If you are using an extract only kit and have added the correct volume of water there is no way you can have a 1.096 gravity. If you've used sugar you would of need to add a massive amount to gain that sort of gravity.
Have you mixed it correctly?
What temperature was the brew when you pitched the yeast?
Have you mixed it correctly?
What temperature was the brew when you pitched the yeast?
BigDawg
Member
It was the Brewers Best Dunkelweizen kit and it is an Extract kit. I measured 5 gallons in the carboy and filled the wort up to that level when we siphoned it from the brew pot. We cooled the wort using a wort chiller to approx. 70 degrees and added the water at the same temperature. Once we added the yeast we stirred the wort and followed everything to the instructions provided. I didn't realize that the OG was way off.
BigDawg
Member
Your reading is incorrect. There is no possible way you could get that high a gravity with those ingredients. Are you sure you were reading the hydrometer correctly?
BigDawg
Member
I'm pretty sure. I read the instructions before I used it and I even spun it to get rid of the bubbles like it suggested. If I have more than 5 gallons of water which I'm sure I do that would make it read lower. I have approx. 5.2 gallons as I have a measuring cup in litres and I did 10 litres for the boil which is approx. 2.6 gallons and then added the finished wort in the carboy to level which is again approx. 5.2 gallons.
BigDawg
Member
Also, the thermometer I had with the kit only went up to 100 degrees F so I couldn't use it during the brew process and only could when we cooled the wort and then added the water to the carboy. It's possible the steeping temperature of the grains could have been a little high but we followed the instructions even though we didn't have the exact temp during each process. The wort tasted great when we were brewing.
OP
OP
No way it can be that far out then. Steeping is not for adding fermentables.
Something amiss some where.
Something amiss some where.
Are you sure you're reading the hydrometer correctly? I remember when I first started I was reading 1.010 as 90 points because I was subtracting instead of adding.
BigDawg
Member
I'll take another sample again tonight but it still doesn't explain why I don't see the beer fermenting like it should.
Am I not just supposed to read the side that goes from 0.990 to 1.170?
I looked online and saw a Youtube video about reading the hydrometer and realized that there would be a difference with the yeast in the wort. That couldn't increase the reading from say 1.045 to 1.096 could it? I also saw that I need to test the temperature of the sample as the hydrometer is set up to test at 60 degrees F.
Am I not just supposed to read the side that goes from 0.990 to 1.170?
I looked online and saw a Youtube video about reading the hydrometer and realized that there would be a difference with the yeast in the wort. That couldn't increase the reading from say 1.045 to 1.096 could it? I also saw that I need to test the temperature of the sample as the hydrometer is set up to test at 60 degrees F.
There is no possible way you could get a reading of 1.096 unless you added two recipes into one batch or a 6 lb bag of sugar fell in when you were not looking.
Temperature differences will only be .005 difference or so MAX, and after fermentation begins. It could be an uneven mixture, but if fermentation has already begun, that shouldn't be an issue either. Check it out again, make sure you are reading your thermometer correctly...I'm at a loss at this point.
Temperature differences will only be .005 difference or so MAX, and after fermentation begins. It could be an uneven mixture, but if fermentation has already begun, that shouldn't be an issue either. Check it out again, make sure you are reading your thermometer correctly...I'm at a loss at this point.
BigDawg
Member
I haven't taken another gravity reading but the brew was fermenting well since I last wrote in and I am moving it to the secondary fermentation tonight as per the recipe. Does it matter if it's in the plastic bucket or carboy for the secondary?
