First batch, so hard not to peak!

[Mothman]

Kind of a nonsensical thread, but just felt like thinking "out loud".

I'm at about 53 hrs post-pitching in my first batch, it's bubbling away like crazy in a bucket, in a fermentation cooler, temperature holding pretty steady at 60F.

Airlock activity started (a little bit) several hrs after pitching and has steadily increased to the point where now it's bubbling once a second.

Every time I open the cooler to check the ice bottle, I get a good nose full of... whatever that smell is... lol. Can't really quite tell what it smells like. Kinda beery, kinda fruity/cidery.

Anyhoo.... I had read a lot about the pro's and con's of using a bucket instead of a carboy, and often read that one of the cons is that you can't see what's happening in there.

I always thought that sounded like a silly argument. Until now. Hahaha! I have to keep telling myself to not open that damn lid... don't do it!... just leave it alone! LOL I want so badly to look in there and see what it looks like, if it looks healthy, if it's full of black plague, or just what is happening.

 

[Vedexent]

For what it's worth, you can probably peek, without issue.

Bacteria aren't all lined up, waiting to bolt through an opening at the first possible opportunity. They will fall in if you leave the lid open for an extended period, but a healthy yeast population will out-compete them during the initial surge of fermentation, and after that, the alcohol content will inhibit their growth.

It's absolutely possible to get a bacterial infection, but it's not super likely if there isn't a source of infection in prolonged contact with the wort (oops, dropped part of my sandwich in there ... ), or the bacteria get there before the yeast due to bad sanitation.

So - I wouldn't leave the lid off for an extended period, but I've opened up a bucket, shone a flashlight in there, had a sniff (although being careful not to blow or breathe into the bucket), shone a light in from the side of the bucket to see how it was doing for clarity, etc. - and nothing bad happened.

Heck, I used the wine thief to take a small sample out at 8 days; no noticeable reaction.

 

[V-Fib]

Glass is cool, some swear by it, more expensive, you can see activity, maybe lower infection risk, the O2 debate with it is there but probably minimal, risk for huge mess and personal injury when it fails.

 

[carloslavin]

You can always cover the top of the bucket with some sanitized saran wrap. All the fun of watching, none of the flying bacteria. I know there are several threads talking about doing this.

 

[Mothman]

Oh yeah I am definitely on board with the bucket being easier to handle and potentially safer.

Vedexent you shouldn't be tempting me. Haha!

After reading your post I just couldn't help myself. I popped open the lid, took a quick photo and snapped the lid back so fast, lol.

Looks like a nice thick Krausen to me, with lots of hop goop floating on it? (I dumped everything from the kettle into the fermenter).

http://imgur.com/L2q5edJ

 

[myntz]

I think people make it seem worse than it actually is. As long as you are careful with what you put inside the bucket while open, you'll be fine 99% of the time opening it a tiny bit to take a peek. Hell, I think I opened my first 20 batches at least 4-5 times before transferring from primary, and I never had an infection/noticeably oxidized beer.

 

[PADave]

Just get yourself a clear plastic fermenter, like a Fermonster, and you'll get to see. Plus, you'll need another fermenter anyways to get multiple batches. Then after a few brews, you'll get over the visual show. Now I open the lid on my fermentation chamber to make sure things got going, then leave things alone till it's dry hop time.

 

[RM-MN]

Put a cup of wort into a pint jar, add a tiny pinch of yeast and you have a clear fermenter so you can see the activity while the beer is fermenting in the bucket. When it is completed you can drink the resulting beer (flat, uncarbonated) or dump it out.

 

[shoengine]

Oh yeah I am definitely on board with the bucket being easier to handle and potentially safer.

Vedexent you shouldn't be tempting me. Haha!

After reading your post I just couldn't help myself. I popped open the lid, took a quick photo and snapped the lid back so fast, lol.

Looks like a nice thick Krausen to me, with lots of hop goop floating on it? (I dumped everything from the kettle into the fermenter).

http://imgur.com/L2q5edJ

You really should become familiar with the sight and aroma of a normally fermenting batch of beer. How else can you be able to troubleshoot issues later on down the line if it is always mysterious? I try to observe every part of the process, and taste any part that makes sense so I can become used to how things operate.

I'm sure the benefits of materials have been done to death by now, but the main advantage I can see for a bucket is that harvesting yeast is easy, whereas glass carboys have a distinct disadvantage. For what it is worth, I use glass.

 

[Mothman]

You can always cover the top of the bucket with some sanitized saran wrap. All the fun of watching, none of the flying bacteria. I know there are several threads talking about doing this.

I'll search for that. I'm curious how that works. (how does it let gas out and not in)

 

[Mothman]

So, I started this thread as just a fun little thought... but I guess maybe I learned something.

I was under the impression that there was a general "rule" to not open the bucket, just let it be, leave it alone dang it!

So far most replies have said go ahead and open it, as long as you're careful.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I've opened my bucket about a gazillion times while fermenting after fermenting... whatever..never had an issue.... youll be fine...open it up if you want.
That smell is a mix between the fermenting beer and o2 being created from the fermenting beer....Stick your head in the chamber and breath in and youll get your socks knocked off...Probably get a pretty good headache too...

 

[mongoose33]

Here's what you get to witness w/ a clear fermenter:

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Here's what you get to witness w/ a clear fermenter:

View attachment 395255

View attachment 395256

I see the syrofoam for the probe but whats the towel for? Light? Is the mesh setup just there as a handle?

 

[shoengine]

This is how I see mine (normally covered by black trash bags).

Red Ale fermenting

IPA fermenting

IPA about to rack to secondary

IPA post dryhopped

 

[thekraken]

Wort in clear fermenter that has just been cooled from the boil, with a whirlfloc in the boil, is really trippy.

 

[kh54s10]

So, I started this thread as just a fun little thought... but I guess maybe I learned something.

I was under the impression that there was a general "rule" to not open the bucket, just let it be, leave it alone dang it!

So far most replies have said go ahead and open it, as long as you're careful.

The general "rule" of not to open and leave it alone is the best idea.

Yes you can open it, and often will have to open it, for things like dry hopping.

But, every time you do open it you are risking oxidation or infection. The risks are pretty low, but if you don't open it the risks are much lower.

It gets easier to ignore the fermenter when you have done a few dozen batches.

 

[shoengine]

The general "rule" of not to open and leave it alone is the best idea.

Yes you can open it, and often will have to open it, for things like dry hopping.

But, every time you do open it you are risking oxidation or infection. The risks are pretty low, but if you don't open it the risks are much lower.

It gets easier to ignore the fermenter when you have done a few dozen batches.

How are you risking oxidation?

 

[kh54s10]

How are you risking oxidation?

The more you open the fermenter the more air (oxygen) will contact the beer.

 

[shoengine]

Ah. I wasn't sure how the oxygen would displace the heavier CO2.

 

[Mainer]

Glass is cool, some swear by it, more expensive, you can see activity, maybe lower infection risk, the O2 debate with it is there but probably minimal, risk for huge mess and personal injury when it fails.

I swear by glass, mostly because of the coolness factor.

 

[Mainer]

Everything in brewing is an absolute, hard-and-fast rule.
And all of those absolute, hard-and-fast rules can totally be broken if you really want to, usually without consequence.

 

[Timberline]

I recently bought a larger fermentation vessel. I was leaning hard toward a Fermonster so I could see what's happening. At the last minute I switched to a bucket because it was less money, included a spigot and a handle, and better shielding to UV. I concluded that having my face pressed against the window wasn't worth the trade off.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

The more you open the fermenter the more air (oxygen) will contact the beer.

the co2 blanket had been proven false and doesn't exist much after fermentation is complete. Plus if you open the bucket DURING fermintaion the bucket is filled with co2. If co2 is heavier than oxygen the oxygen wouldn't penetrate to the beer and any air that made it into the bucket OVER the co2 would get blown out as the beer ferments. Plus if using a chest freezer the entire chamber is completely filled with co2 to the point you cant even stick your head in there, So if you open the bucket late fermentation or within a few days after fermentation is complete all your doing is swapping co2 with co2.

This is just my own opinion that seems to make sense and make me not worry....not that I worry anyway

 

[kh54s10]

the co2 blanket had been proven false and doesn't exist much after fermentation is complete. Plus if you open the bucket DURING fermintaion the bucket is filled with co2. If co2 is heavier than oxygen the oxygen wouldn't penetrate to the beer and any air that made it into the bucket OVER the co2 would get blown out as the beer ferments. Plus if using a chest freezer the entire chamber is completely filled with co2 to the point you cant even stick your head in there, So if you open the bucket late fermentation or within a few days after fermentation is complete all your doing is swapping co2 with co2.

This is just my own opinion that seems to make sense and make me not worry....not that I worry anyway

True about co2 in a fermentation freezer. If you have one... Also true about opening during active fermentation.

Where the problem comes in (and I did say the risk was small) is opening frequently especially after fermentation has slowed or stopped.

Lessen the risk. Leave the beer alone.

 

[Mothman]

The general "rule" of not to open and leave it alone is the best idea.

Yes you can open it, and often will have to open it, for things like dry hopping.

But, every time you do open it you are risking oxidation or infection. The risks are pretty low, but if you don't open it the risks are much lower.

It gets easier to ignore the fermenter when you have done a few dozen batches.

Understood. Thanks! Yeah, I am guessing after I've got a few batches under my belt, I will be much less antsy.

 

[mongoose33]

I see the syrofoam for the probe but whats the towel for? Light? Is the mesh setup just there as a handle?

The towel is actually covering a heat mat; this pic was taken during the winter when the garage is down around 40 degrees; the towel provides just enough insulation so the heat from the mat is more directed inward than lost to the outside--and so it can maintain temps. When I shut the fridge door it's dark in there.

 

[mongoose33]

The general "rule" of not to open and leave it alone is the best idea.

Yes you can open it, and often will have to open it, for things like dry hopping.

But, every time you do open it you are risking oxidation or infection. The risks are pretty low, but if you don't open it the risks are much lower.

It gets easier to ignore the fermenter when you have done a few dozen batches.

Understood. Thanks! Yeah, I am guessing after I've got a few batches under my belt, I will be much less antsy.

The hardest thing to learn when starting homebrewing is not water, or fermentation, or bottling, or watching out for boilovers. It's patience!

I recently brewed my first lager; after cold-crashing and kegging it, I left it to sit, undisturbed, in my keezer for 10 whole days.

New record. Then I just had to try it to see if it was doing well. It was.

I've been known to leave a fermenting batch in the primary for up to 4 weeks. Easier since I have beer on tap, admittedly.

It'll be easier not only after you've done a few dozen batches, but also when you have beer in the pipeline.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I knew I'd be like this, so I went for the clear carboy from the get-go. If there's any part of it that feels worth it, it's watching the beer when it's fermenting vigorously for the first couple of days. The flowing and swirling going on inside there is kind of hypnotic, and it's fun to imagine exactly what's happening to cause it.

 

[skraeling]

There are many ways to skin this fermenting cat.