I Know... "Relax and ..." but...

[KPatrick]

So my first batch started to show signs of fermentation within 8 hours, I was pretty pleased. But after two days, the bubbling has basically stopped. Should I be worried? Should I risk opening the fermenter to add more yeast? Or should I just wait it out and see what I get when I move to secondary?

Thanks, all.

---KP

 

[ChshreCat]

It could very well be pretty much done with fermentation. Give it a few more days and take a hydrometer reading. Then leave it for another week or two to clear and clean up. The airlock can't be trusted to tell you what's really happening.

and....

RDWHAHB

 

[9/9]

Some beers can ferment out in a couple of days. So, it could be done, or it could be stuck (unlikely to be stuck). Do a gravity check, if you can. Even if it is stuck, there are a couple things you can try before you add more yeast.

Also, if you can say more about what kind of beer, or the recipe, people can give more advice as to if it is likely to be done.

I bet it is fine.

 

[Nurmey]

Fermentation is probably finished but the yeast isn't done with it's job. It is busy cleaning up it's waste to make your beer taste better. Let is sit for at least 10 days if you are using a secondary or three weeks if you are using primary only.

Oh yea, listen to the grinning cat and RDWHAHB!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Don't touch it. Don't even think about opening the fermenter. It's only been two days, and you had solid proof that fermentation was occurring. It's just slowing down. Leave it alone. Really. Really!

 

[KPatrick]

It's a Cooper's Dark Ale Extract kit. I was planning on leaving it in primary for a week, is there any harm in leaving it that long if fermentation is stopped? I wouldn't think there is, since I'm moving to a secondary for a week or so anyway...

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Leave it in the primary for three weeks. Yes, THREE WHOLE WEEKS! Then rack to secondary for another three weeks. Then bottle and let it carbonate for another three weeks. Oh no! NINE WEEKS until my beer is done?! Well, yeah.

Read this thread for some additional info on aging/conditioning your beer (and some techniques for making it better, faster).

 

[JoeMama]

There is NO harm leaving it there that long - even longer. Some of us leave our beers in the primary for a month of longer (with no secondary) and it makes GOOOOOOOOOOOD beer.
-Me

 

[Blender]

Leave it in the primary for three weeks. Yes, THREE WHOLE WEEKS! Then rack to secondary for another three weeks. Then bottle and let it carbonate for another three weeks. Oh no! NINE WEEKS until my beer is done?! Well, yeah.

First batch ......nine weeks .........no way.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

First batch ......nine weeks .........no way.

I was gonna say the same thing until I realised it was Yuri that said it, and the nature of that thread he linked to.

 

[ChshreCat]

Leave it in the primary for three weeks. Yes, THREE WHOLE WEEKS! Then rack to secondary for another three weeks. Then bottle and let it carbonate for another three weeks. Oh no! NINE WEEKS until my beer is done?! Well, yeah.

Holy crap! That's a long time for someone just starting out. I thought I pushed the envelope when I went two weeks in primary and two in secondary with my first batch. Sure, I can go three weeks or more now, but... but... waiting for your first batch is worse than waiting to open your christmas presents when you're nine years old and you know that package with the red paper is EXACTLY the size and shape of an Atari 2600 box that you've been wanting ever since Ricky next door got one and won't let you play on it.

With a darker ale, the secondary isn't quite as important. You're not going to know if it's not perfectly clear. Do the three and three if you can, but if you can't then try to get more time in the primary so the yeast can finish their job and clean up after themselves. There will still be yeast in the secondary, but there's more in the primary and they'll do a quicker and more thorough job in there.

Another good reason to keep it in the fermenter longer is because beer seems to age faster in bulk than it does in bottles. My first batch took about a month after it carbed to lose the green taste. The second time I made the same recipe, I left it in the primary an extra week and it was good right away.

Time is your friend! The extra time in primary will go by faster if you busy yourself getting ready for your next batch, then when you transfer to secondary you can get brewing again to distract you. Once your pipeline is going, it gets easier because you have good beer from three batches ago to enjoy while you give the current ones more time.

 

[ajf]

That's pretty normal. As the fermentation proceeds, the rate of CO2 production decreases. When fermenting in a bucket, it is quite normal to have small leaks that let some CO2 escape through paths other than the airlock; and as the CO2 production approaches the leakage rate, the airlock is going to stop bubbling. Many people have posted that their airlocks never bubbled at all!
If you're going to use a secondary, then leave it for at least 7 days before taking a gravity reading, then rack to secondary if the gravity has fallen to the specified FG and the krausen has mainly dropped.
If you aren't going to use a secondary, leave it alone for a total of at least 2 1/2 weeks before taking a gravity reading. Then take gravity readings every 3 - 4 days. When you get two readings the same but 3 - 4 days apart you can bottle.

-a.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

FYI, I recommended the 3/3/3 timeframe for three reasons:

Assumed a lack of temp control.

A demonstration that a slightly extended time in the primary is not harmful (sorry, is that mean?).

Most importantly, kit/kilo beers definitely benefit from age.

 

[KPatrick]

Okay, I hereby vow to leave it in the primary for three weeks. You guys know your stuff, and I'll take that experience if I can get it. I'll try the 3/3/3. Here's looking at self-control. Thanks all.

 

[Yooper]

Okay, I hereby vow to leave it in the primary for three weeks. You guys know your stuff, and I'll take that experience if I can get it. I'll try the 3/3/3. Here's looking at self-control. Thanks all.

Good! Now, when you rack it to secondary, make sure you take an SG sample. And drink up that sample! Then, when you bottle it, make sure you take another SG reading. And drink that sample, too. So at least you have a couple of sips of the goodness yet to come.

It's hard to wait, I know! So, next week is the perfect time to start a new batch. That way, you have something to do while you're waiting. But then, you'll be waiting for the next brew, so you might have to brew again. It's a vicious cycle- but it's so worth it!