normeller
Active Member
Did my second all grain, a hefe beer. I got good fermentation for about 18 hours after brewing but since then no noticable acitivity. I used liquid yeast that was close to use by date. What should I do if anything?
fermentation
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maida7
Well-Known Member
did you make a starter?
what was the temp of the fermenting liquid? What temp did it start at and where is it now?
What is the gravity?
what was the temp of the fermenting liquid? What temp did it start at and where is it now?
What is the gravity?
When you say you "got good fermentation" what do you mean by that? Are you saying your airlock bubbled? That doesn't mean anything, nor does the fact that the airlock isn't bubbling mean that anything's wrong.
Whether it's in a conical, a bucket, or a carboy, it's the same thing. An airlock is a VENT, a VALVE to release excess co2, nothing more.
If it's not bubbling it just means that there no excess co2 to be vented out.
A beer may ferment perfectly fine without a single blip in the airlock.
That's why you need to take a gravity reading to know how your fermentation is going, NOT go by airlocks. The most important tool you can use is a hydrometer. It's the only way you will truly know when your beer is ready...airlock bubbles and other things are faulty.
The only way to truly know what is going on in your fermenter is with your hydrometer. Like I said here in my blog, which I encourage you to read, Think evaluation before action you sure as HELL wouldn't want a doctor to start cutting on you unless he used the proper diagnostic instuments like x-rays first, right? You wouldn't want him to just take a look in your eyes briefly and say "I'm cutting into your chest first thing in the morning." You would want them to use the right diagnostic tools before the slice and dice, right? You'd cry malpractice, I would hope, if they didn't say they were sending you for an MRI and other things before going in....
Thinking about "doing anything" without taking a hydrometer reading is tantamount to the doctor deciding to cut you open without running any diagnostic tests....Taking one look at you and saying, "Yeah I'm going in." You would really want the doctor to use all means to properly diagnose what's going on?
Whether it's in a conical, a bucket, or a carboy, it's the same thing. An airlock is a VENT, a VALVE to release excess co2, nothing more.
If it's not bubbling it just means that there no excess co2 to be vented out.
A beer may ferment perfectly fine without a single blip in the airlock.
That's why you need to take a gravity reading to know how your fermentation is going, NOT go by airlocks. The most important tool you can use is a hydrometer. It's the only way you will truly know when your beer is ready...airlock bubbles and other things are faulty.
The only way to truly know what is going on in your fermenter is with your hydrometer. Like I said here in my blog, which I encourage you to read, Think evaluation before action you sure as HELL wouldn't want a doctor to start cutting on you unless he used the proper diagnostic instuments like x-rays first, right? You wouldn't want him to just take a look in your eyes briefly and say "I'm cutting into your chest first thing in the morning." You would want them to use the right diagnostic tools before the slice and dice, right? You'd cry malpractice, I would hope, if they didn't say they were sending you for an MRI and other things before going in....
Thinking about "doing anything" without taking a hydrometer reading is tantamount to the doctor deciding to cut you open without running any diagnostic tests....Taking one look at you and saying, "Yeah I'm going in." You would really want the doctor to use all means to properly diagnose what's going on?
DrawTap88
Well-Known Member
Well put Revvy.
To add to the advice Revvy gave...just because it isn't bubbling, doesn't mean your yeast isn't working. There are many advantages to leaving the beer alone for at least 2 weeks, but to name one, it allows the yeast to clean up after themselves and get rid of any of those nasty esters and junk, which will turn out to be better beer than it is if you start messing with it after 36-48 hours.
To add to the advice Revvy gave...just because it isn't bubbling, doesn't mean your yeast isn't working. There are many advantages to leaving the beer alone for at least 2 weeks, but to name one, it allows the yeast to clean up after themselves and get rid of any of those nasty esters and junk, which will turn out to be better beer than it is if you start messing with it after 36-48 hours.
With warmer temps in the summer, my ales ferment a bit faster. Plus, the OG of your hefe is likely not that high so the yeasties wont eat as long. My guess is, if you had a good bubble going - you are good!
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