Fermentation Problem?

[Chrus]

OK... so im really new to this home brew stuff... so yeah... not really much of an idea whats goin on...

Me and a mate (who's gonna register here if he ever gets around to it) started a brew last week... followed all the instructions that came with the kit and stuff... But the little airlock thing on top... i didnt see that bubble one in the whole week.

Cos that was our first brew, I just assumed that was normal... cos i wasnt sitting there watching it for hrs on end... i thought i just kept missing it.

But after botteling the first brew, we cleaned out everything and started on a second brew. A few hrs later, I noticed that the airlock was bubbling away like crazy.

So whats goin on... is that first brew fracked? What happened it? Is it still gonna be drinkable?

Chrus.

 

[Beerrific]

Did you take a OG and FG readings?
After you opened the fermenter was there a krausen (foamy head)?
If the fermentation went well and you didn't see bubbles it could have been becasue you had a leak somewhere...but that isn't good either.

 

[Axegod]

Could be many things.....need more info such as carboy or bucket..any gravity readings...was there any foam on top of beer after a few days...temperature of beer when you added the yeast...

- your first seal wasn't tight....and the air escaped via another opening.
- no water / not enough water in the airlock.
- maybe fermentation started and eneded qucikly
-maybe fermentation didnt start at all (worst case....)

Give some more details and we can troubleshoot.

Cheers

 

[Chrus]

After a week in the fermenter, there was a kinda skungy head on top... im guessing thats bad?

Forgot to check the gravity at the start (my bad)... being new to the whole home brew thing... we kinda missed that bit...
But it was about 1.020 at the end.

Carboy or bucket? sorry... i dont know what that means...

The temp was about 27C when yeast was added...

 

[Beerrific]

1.020 FG probably means you have had some fermentation. May be good depending on what you are making, maybe you should post the recipe.

How long has it been since you bottled? I have had bottles carbonated and drinkable (not too tasty) after a week. Maybe you should open one and see what it tastes like.

How long after you pitched did you leave it without looking at it? I have pitched and not checked it for a week and when I got back it was completely done (I did not ever hear it bubble), it was a great beer (my first). But, at its height, it should bubble at least once every couple seconds.

 

[Reidman]

It's kind of unheard of but I suppose it's possible that it fermented in a day or two. I think higher temps allow quicker fermentation..

 

[Chrus]

It was in the fermenter for 1 week... started it in the wednesday, bottled the following wed. Been in the bottles for 2 days now...

As for the recipe... it was just the tin of stuff that came with the kit... Tooheys Draught...

So ya'll think its gonna be a case of wait it out and give it a try?

 

[Beerrific]

Might as well wait, it is already in the bottles. I'd say wait until next Wednesday then crack one open.

Good luck.

 

[Noldar]

With a FG of 1.20, you might want to be careful about bottle bombs. If one or 2 of them explode, put them in the fridge asap. It really depends on how high the SG was, but be aware of that.

 

[Chrus]

With a FG of 1.20, you might want to be careful about bottle bombs. If one or 2 of them explode, put them in the fridge asap. It really depends on how high the SG was, but be aware of that.

Lol... thanks for the warning... ill keep an eye on them...

 

[Noldar]

Hehe, it's quite scary from what I hear. My neighbor's first batch were bottle bombs ... the bad part was he gave them out as Xmas presents. He had people calling the next week all ranging from to

Though he was lucky (or unlucky) enough to see one explode, he said it was rather interesting/scary.

 

[Chrus]

HA! i would of been so pissed if someone gave me a bottle bomb... tis kinda funny though.

At least we used plastic bottles for this one... no flying glass shards...

 

[andysat]

mate,chrus. I reckon you should change to coopers beer kits.
they ferment no worries and taste better than any tooheys.

 

[BierMuncher]

HA! i would of been so pissed if someone gave me a bottle bomb... tis kinda funny though.

At least we used plastic bottles for this one... no flying glass shards...

I've bottled at 1.020 before. If you had it in the fermenter for one week, you should be fine.

The gunky stuff on top of the surface in your primary is a good thing. That's krausen and a sure sign of fermentation.

If you've any doubt, chil and open a bottle, pour it into a glass a down it on empty stomach. That'll give you a quick indicator if you had fermentation or not. :cross:

True bottle bombs are rare and usually caused by real early bottling along with too much priming sugar.

Gushers...on the other hand are more common. Pop the top and out come the suds. I still have a few of those now and again.

Carboy - Glass or Plastic container that looks like a giant bottle.
Bucket - Your standard beer kit issue, plastic bucket with a lit for fermetning.

Make a point of getting hydrometer readings. THey'll help you track the progress of your beer.

This is a carboy: