First Time Brewing Fermentation Stopped

[CardenVonDraken]

I'm just getting into home brewing, so I thought I'd try something simple for my first attempt: 1 gallon spiced hard cider. I added 1tsp of yeast to the 1 gallon mixture. The airlock started bubbling pretty soon after. I put it in my minifridge (thinking I had gotten it warm enough). I checked back later and it had stopped bubbling. I took it out of the minifridge (realising my mistake that I got it too cold) and gave the liquid a good swish. After a minute or two it started bubbling again. But now it has stopped and only gives me one or two bubbles if I swish it again.
It's one gallon in a 5 gallon carboy, if that makes any difference in how much the airlock will bubble.
I'm just paranoid that I ruined it.

 

[tonybaloni]

I'm just getting into home brewing, so I thought I'd try something simple for my first attempt: 1 gallon spiced hard cider. I added 1tsp of yeast to the 1 gallon mixture. The airlock started bubbling pretty soon after. I put it in my minifridge (thinking I had gotten it warm enough). I checked back later and it had stopped bubbling. I took it out of the minifridge (realising my mistake that I got it too cold) and gave the liquid a good swish. After a minute or two it started bubbling again. But now it has stopped and only gives me one or two bubbles if I swish it again.
It's one gallon in a 5 gallon carboy, if that makes any difference in how much the airlock will bubble.
I'm just paranoid that I ruined it.

Hi With that much head-space in the carboy it will take one heck of a lot of fermentation to start pushing the airlock.
The airlock works by pressure build up behind it, air is far more compressible than wort the airlock wont do much after the initial few days I wouldn't have thought. The only way to tell if the brew is finished would be to use a hydrometer IMO.

 

[AmandaK]

It's one gallon in a 5 gallon carboy, if that makes any difference in how much the airlock will bubble.

Absolutely. I would be surprised if your 1 gallon of wort built up enough head space to ever push the airlock. Take a hydrometer reading, no need to worry.

 

[BigFloyd]

Just because the airlock stops bubbling does not mean that it's not fermenting.