Fermentation can take 24 to 72 hrs to show visible signs.

[imp81318]

I have a 5-gallon batch of Belgian Tripel in the fermenter right now. I am 3 days into fermentation (brewed on Sunday, transferred to the fermenter and pitched yeast around 5:30 in the evening). Monday I had strong/steady bubbling in the air lock. Tuesday I had much slower larger more rhythmic bubbling. Today I watched it for about 5-10 seconds and didn't see any activity.

This is my 2nd batch that I've brewed, the first being a summer ale kit from Brewer's Best. The summer ale had airlock activity for about 5 or 6 days and I waited 2 or 3 weeks before checking FG and bottling.

I know that it is a bit warmer than desired (the room temperature has been steady at 72 degrees, but the bucket is sitting on a cool concrete basement floor), but is it normal for airlock activity to slow this rapidly on a high gravity beer like a tripel? I am planning to wait at least 2-3 weeks before opening the lid since it is a higher gravity beer (should come out to right around 8.5% when it is done), but I am getting a little bit nervous that activity in the airlock has slowed so dramatically already (I know that airlock activity is not the best judge of progress...).

 

[progmac]

is it normal for airlock activity to slow this rapidly on a high gravity beer like a tripel?

3 days sounds about right, especially if you are fermenting above 70. just ignore it sit for another couple weeks, then take your hydrometer readings and bottle.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

I know that it is a bit warmer than desired (the room temperature has been steady at 72 degrees, but the bucket is sitting on a cool concrete basement floor), /QUOTE]


That is a bit warmer than desired as fermentation temps can be 5-10 over ambient. I would surmise this led to your faster than usual primary. As yeast work faster the warmer they get. They also produce more less desirable esters and off flavors at higher temps. If you don't have temp control you should really look into at least a swamp cooler to help keep your temps more within a reasonable temp limit. I usually aim for the lower recommended yeast temp then when it gets across I've i am still below the higher temp limiting my chances for off flavors. Your batch may be fine but it might have unwanted flavor/ester profiles. E.G. More alcohol "heat" or solventy flavors or yeast flavors where none where wanted or desired. Going forward I'd definitely look into some way of managing your temps during fermentation. It will give you the best chance for getting the beer your aiming for without off flavors. For now it is just a waiting game. Hope you fare well just keep in mind if it turns out to not be the brew you were expecting, try again with lower ferm temps and you'll increase your chances of getting the beer you're looking for.



Sent from somewhere to someone

 

[imp81318]

I know that it is a bit warmer than desired (the room temperature has been steady at 72 degrees, but the bucket is sitting on a cool concrete basement floor), /QUOTE]


That is a bit warmer than desired as fermentation temps can be 5-10 over ambient. I would surmise this led to your faster than usual primary. As yeast work faster the warmer they get. They also produce more less desirable esters and off flavors at higher temps. If you don't have temp control you should really look into at least a swamp cooler to help keep your temps more within a reasonable temp limit. I usually aim for the lower recommended yeast temp then when it gets across I've i am still below the higher temp limiting my chances for off flavors. Your batch may be fine but it might have unwanted flavor/ester profiles. E.G. More alcohol "heat" or solventy flavors or yeast flavors where none where wanted or desired. Going forward I'd definitely look into some way of managing your temps during fermentation. It will give you the best chance for getting the beer your aiming for without off flavors. For now it is just a waiting game. Hope you fare well just keep in mind if it turns out to not be the brew you were expecting, try again with lower ferm temps and you'll increase your chances of getting the beer you're looking for.



Sent from somewhere to someone

Thanks. I did some searching around for ways to control the temp and ended up putting it in a plastic tub with about 8-10 inches of water in it and draped a t-shirt over the fermenter (bucket) last night. I think this is the swamp cooler method that you referred to, but I might have switched up the terminology. I also added a large ice pack to the water to help bring the temp down a bit more quickly, although at this point I'm not sure how much that is really going to help since I'm already several days into fermentation. If I allow it to sit in the fermenter for an extended period of time - say 4 or 5 weeks - before checking on it, will that help to clear up some of those unwanted flavors that may have developed early on?

Since I knew I'd have trouble with my temperature I tried to pick beers that would be a bit more forgiving for my first few brews. I also hoped that having the bucket sitting on a cool concrete floor would help, but I must've screwed something up when I put the thermometer strip on it because it doesn't really give a reading as far as I can tell (perhaps I got too many air bubbles under it when applying?)...

 

[unionrdr]

I typically give my beers 3-7 days from experiments early on to clean up after FG is reached. I've had my temp strips look black like that before. Sometimes it looks like it's between temp patches on the strip. A small maglite or the like can make it easier to see the faint colors. Another member suggested that trick a while back.

 

[Taco29wps]

So here's a story for the new guys when it comes to "air lock bubbles". I've been brewing about 4 years and I made a beer, pitched yeast and WTF??...nothing. No bubbles at all. Well, I know your not supposed to use that as an indicator so I pulled the lid back and looked inside the bucket. Boooom! Fermentation going on. So here's what's going on. My stupid bucked lid doesn't seal. Never even considered it until I checked it out, so don't assume there is a problem with the beer or yeast...could be a bad seal. My $.02.

Taco

 

[freshie]

hi please help!!!

Novice making first brew. Ml
first mistake bought a kit that came with a Lager !! Next Mistake l forgot to take the SG after stirring i the yeast.
Next mistake, the lid was not properly sealed but was corrected after 24 hrs.
l didn't notice any foam but there is a scum.

The starter pack came with a beer enhancer pack so I didn't use dextrose however l later noticed that it expired 4 months ago.

In The first 2 days the the air lock was producing a regular stream of bubble (after tightening the lid) however the rate slowed down considerably after the 4th day. The temperature in the basement is about 50F night and 61F day. The temperature of the container is noted to be about 12 C c (54F) in the morning and 15 C (59F) in the afternoon.
l
I took a SG reacting today (day 7) and the reading is 1150. The Sample has Sediments doesn't smell or taste bad either .

What should I do now? Advise please! Thanks all

 

[freshie]

you can see the "Scum"

 

[freshie]

Sorry! l can't seem to rotate the pic.. Thanks in antipation.

 

[pwnshop]

Hey guys,

I did a batch yesterday and Im worried I may have messed up pitching the yeast!

This was my first time doing a 5 gallon batch and rehydrating dry yeast (US-05). I cooled my wort to around 65 degrees. while it was cooling i brought 110ml of water to a boil and cooled it to around 80 degrees.

This is where I think i started to screw up. First i put the water into a sanitized glass and poured the yeast in. the yeast just sat on top so stupid me i stirred it with a spoon (sanitized) and the yeast clumped up and stuck to the spoon. i tried to get as much off the spoon and back in the glass as i could but some ended up getting washed down the drain. Anyhoo, after that i swirled it in the glass and it seemed to mix up ok..

I then racked my wort to my fermenter (a bucket) and shook it around a bit to aerate. Then I poured the yeast in and closed it up. I didn't shake it or stir it again after pouring the yeast in.

I think that maybe none of those things were wrong, but I'm not sure...

Now the thing I think I totally screwed up - I put my fermenter into a swamp cooler. its also my first time using one. the water from my tap is about 50 degrees. So the wort was probably 65ish in the bucket and its sitting in water thats around 50 degrees. when I woke up this morning the water was about 55 degrees.. I am now at work and Im thinking that this is probably too cold for fermentation to start? I cant do anything about it until after work at 6pm (its 11am now).

Am i going to kill off the yeast? can i correct this? should i go buy more yeast?

thanks and sorry for being a noob. cheers

 

[m00ps]

Hey guys,

I did a batch yesterday and Im worried I may have messed up pitching the yeast!

This was my first time doing a 5 gallon batch and rehydrating dry yeast (US-05). I cooled my wort to around 65 degrees. while it was cooling i brought 110ml of water to a boil and cooled it to around 80 degrees.

This is where I think i started to screw up. First i put the water into a sanitized glass and poured the yeast in. the yeast just sat on top so stupid me i stirred it with a spoon (sanitized) and the yeast clumped up and stuck to the spoon. i tried to get as much off the spoon and back in the glass as i could but some ended up getting washed down the drain. Anyhoo, after that i swirled it in the glass and it seemed to mix up ok..

I then racked my wort to my fermenter (a bucket) and shook it around a bit to aerate. Then I poured the yeast in and closed it up. I didn't shake it or stir it again after pouring the yeast in.

I think that maybe none of those things were wrong, but I'm not sure...

Now the thing I think I totally screwed up - I put my fermenter into a swamp cooler. its also my first time using one. the water from my tap is about 50 degrees. So the wort was probably 65ish in the bucket and its sitting in water thats around 50 degrees. when I woke up this morning the water was about 55 degrees.. I am now at work and Im thinking that this is probably too cold for fermentation to start? I cant do anything about it until after work at 6pm (its 11am now).

Am i going to kill off the yeast? can i correct this? should i go buy more yeast?

thanks and sorry for being a noob. cheers

Dude, I think you're fine. It's likely warmed into the 60s by now and the yeast will slowly rouse themselves. You'll likely have airlock activity by the time you get home

you don't need to re-aerate after pitching the yeast BTW

 

[m00ps]

you can see the "Scum"

Are you talking about the line of krausen that has receded? Thats entirely normal. Also after 4 days, its not uncommon for airlock activity to drop off.

 

[pwnshop]

ok thats what i was hoping to hear! if it is too cold for fermentation to begin will bringing the temperature up to around 62 - 65 wake the yeast up? or will i have to repitch (i.e the yeast is dead)? would there be any appreciable off flavours in the case where the yeast is dormant and gets woken up by an increase in temp?

thanks!

 

[kombat]

The yeast are fine. Cold doesn't kill yeast until you get down to actual freezing temperatures (i.e., < 32° F). Heat is much more of a threat to them. That said, 55° F is a little chilly for them (unless you're using Nottingham), so you'll get better results if you warm that fermenter up a little bit, at least until it gets started and begins generating a bit of its own heat. Under no circumstances let it get above 70° F. Ideally, hold the temp in the low 60's.

 

[pwnshop]

right on. I will relax then thanks guys!

 

[freshie]

Are you talking about the line of krausen that has receded? Thats entirely normal. Also after 4 days, its not uncommon for airlock activity to drop off.

yes, krausen that's the word i was looking for

 

[BuzzCut]

Great sticky, because it is a popular question.

I will say though, let's not advocate that thinking fermentation starting in more than 12 hours is a good thing. It isn't. Any longer than 12 hours and you are looking for trouble--infections, sub-par beer and quite frankly it is a bad brewing practice.

Let's stress this thread on doing starters, aerating and oxygenating, and fundamental brewing practices!

This is my experience. For some reason two of my last three batches never started fermenting after three days. I re-pitched yeast in both, but they ended up with a noticeable off flavor.

 

[TheDers28]

I've done about 10 batches already and the longest I've waited was 18 hrs. All my activity has been through the roof, bubbling non stop for days usually about 6 hours later. I pitched danstar Nottingham dry 3 1/2 days ago and nothing. No bubbles, no krausen, Just sitting wort. I panicked and bought some us-05 online and should be here in about three days. If I don't see anything or take a gravity measurement and still nothing, can I pitch the US-05 in hopes to save this batch?

 

[wolfej50]

Since I work, I'm not monitoring my beer on an hourly bases. I used SafAle 05. Is it possible that fermentation started and completed within an eight hour stretch? If no apparent activity by tomorrow, I'll take a gravity reading to see what's up. I'm assuming I should take out the air lock so that the sanitizing solution isn't drawn into the beer.

 

[stpug]

Since I work, I'm not monitoring my beer on an hourly bases. I used SafAle 05. Is it possible that fermentation started and completed within an eight hour stretch? If no apparent activity by tomorrow, I'll take a gravity reading to see what's up. I'm assuming I should take out the air lock so that the sanitizing solution isn't drawn into the beer.

No, fermentation does not finish in 8 hours even on the smallest scales.

Edit: If you're using a bucket then the gas/co2 may just be escaping from between the lid and bucket.

 

[wolfej50]

Thanks, stpug. Yes, I am using a bucket. The lid has a rubber seal, but it's possible I haven't sealed the lid fully. (First time I've used this bucket as a fermenter with its lid). Gravity reading should be the test.

 

[MattyIce]

If your yeast was fresh, I probably wouldn't touch the fermenter for a week. My first batch with dry yeast took nearly three full days to show airlock activity.

 

[unionrdr]

I had that happen my first batch or so with Cooper's ale yeast pitched dry. Wound up with no bubbles & only a touch of krausen. But it did indeed ferment out. Another example of patience being key...
But when I rehydrated that same yeast, (7g packet) it performed about the same as US-05 in the larger packet. You gotta watch the temps for the particular yeast being used as well as a healthy pitch.

 

[elktaker]

I had the same fears as most of the other noobs on this forum. Boy am I glad that all my fears are the same!
I am out of town now and will move my batch to secondary when I get home on Saturday (today is Wednesday).

THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all the guidance and expert direction. I am sure that my first attempt is going to be wonderful!

 

[kombat]

I am out of town now and will move my batch to secondary when I get home on Saturday

Why? What do you hope to accomplish my moving it to another vessel?

 

[cbmikey]

I had the same fears as most of the other noobs on this forum. Boy am I glad that all my fears are the same!
I am out of town now and will move my batch to secondary when I get home on Saturday (today is Wednesday).

THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all the guidance and expert direction. I am sure that my first attempt is going to be wonderful!

Unless you're adding things like fruit there really is no reason to move to secondary. All you're doing is adding a risk of contamination and/or oxidation. Just let 'er sit!

 

[imp81318]

Unless you're adding things like fruit there really is no reason to move to secondary. All you're doing is adding a risk of contamination and/or oxidation. Just let 'er sit!

What is the maximum amount of time that you can safely allow a beer to age on the the yeast cake though? I've seen other posters indicating that it isn't a good idea to allow a beer to sit on the yeast cake for an extended period of time, and it is better to transfer to secondary to age for several months even if you aren't adding anything to it.

 

[burninator]

What is the maximum amount of time that you can safely allow a beer to age on the the yeast cake though? I've seen other posters indicating that it isn't a good idea to allow a beer to sit on the yeast cake for an extended period of time, and it is better to transfer to secondary to age for several months even if you aren't adding anything to it.

As far as I can tell, the amount of time beer can be safely left in primary is best measured in months, rather than weeks.

 

[imp81318]

As far as I can tell, the amount of time beer can be safely left in primary is best measured in months, rather than weeks.

I ask because I recently had a Belgian Triple stall that I had in primary for close to 4 months for various reasons that primarily included me trying to research and figure out what to do to try to restart the fermentation.

 

[am-fmbrewing]

Hi all... I think my concerns are the same as all others here, but here's my story in case anyone has any additional thoughts. All input would be appreciated!

I brewed a porter 3 days ago using White Labs yeast (no starter). Aerated wort, pitched yeast when wort was about 73 degrees, and it's now sitting in a plastic fermenter bucket in my closet at 70 degrees. There has been no movement in the airlock as of yet, so I opened it up tonight to take a gravity reading. There is a ring of krausen (?) around the edges, some visible stuff (not alot) on top, and I can hear it fizzing. So I closed the lid and left it alone.

Potential problems could be (A) fermenter lid doesn't seem too tightly on, so I've placed a heavy box on top or (B) while wort was 73 degrees, I'm concerned that my 2 gallons of pre-boiled water that I had already put in my fermenter may not have been.

Should I still take a gravity reading? Would it damage it to put more dry yeast in?

Leave it alone?