Is this normal? (AIRLOCK)

[saeroner]

Brewed Thursday night (3.5 days ago). About 18 hours after setting the airlock the bubbles started. It was about every 3 seconds all weekend long. Today (monday) I'm hardly getting any. I went home at lunch and checked couldn't notice any bubbles in the airlock.

It's a 5 gal extract batch 'hop head x2 IPA'.

So 3 and 1/2 days and bubbles stop? Does it take breaks?

 

[WestCoastBrew]

It may very well be finished or near finished. Fermentation activity does not usually stop and restart. Do you happen to have a hydrometer or refractometer to take a gravity reading?

 

[E_Marquez]

What yeast was used? How much?
What is your fermentation temp? is it stable or fluctuation,,if so what is the swing.

After 3.5 days Id bet the fermentation rate has just slowed down..

But the experts will chime in soon and help you discover if you have a stalled fermentation issue, something else or no issue at all.

I'm only on batch 7....violent fermentation was done in 3-5 days for all.
But I have a 5gal batch in my fermentation chamber now, that is 30 days in the bucket and still sends bubble of co2 to the blow off jar every few hours.

 

[kh54s10]

That sounds totally normal, especially if you fermented on the warm side. Yeast love warm temperatures, the beer most often does not. There are styles that do benefit from warm fermentation.

 

[reverendj1]

Yes, that is normal. Do not use the airlock as a sign of fermentation (or lack thereof). Airlocks can bubble more if there are temperatures swings and sometimes won't bubble at all if the lid of a bucket isn't completely secure (which happens often). I have had several batches where I didn't see a single bubble in the airlock. The only way to be certain is to use a hydrometer 3 days apart to tell if fermentation has stopped. Given optimal circumstances, beer takes ~5-7 days to finish fermenting, and then the yeast need some time to clean up their by-products. RDWHAHB

 

[saeroner]

OK Thanks.

Yeah i live in Florida and put the fermenter in water, in party tub, with rotating Ice coolers every 6-10 hours. I tried to get the water temp around 62 degrees but it fluctuated up to 68 sometimes. The room air temp was around 76 average.

So should I wait a day and take a reading? There is a se condary carboy that I'm supposed to rack for a while in (dry hop).

 

[Jon73]

Yep, use your hydrometer to tell you when the ferment is done. Personally, I wait until the krausen has settled and there is nothing on top of the beer, just a clear lake of brown goodness, then take a reading. It is usually done at that point. About 7-10 days, but I let it sit in the carboy for two weeks before kegging, as a rule. Take no chances.

 

[Dolomieu]

Brewed Thursday night (3.5 days ago). About 18 hours after setting the airlock the bubbles started. It was about every 3 seconds all weekend long. Today (monday) I'm hardly getting any. I went home at lunch and checked couldn't notice any bubbles in the airlock.

It's a 5 gal extract batch 'hop head x2 IPA'.

So 3 and 1/2 days and bubbles stop? Does it take breaks?

You broke it!

 

[Demus]

OK Thanks.

Yeah i live in Florida and put the fermenter in water, in party tub, with rotating Ice coolers every 6-10 hours. I tried to get the water temp around 62 degrees but it fluctuated up to 68 sometimes. The room air temp was around 76 average.

So should I wait a day and take a reading? There is a se condary carboy that I'm supposed to rack for a while in (dry hop).

Florida can be a pain. I recommend Craig's list for an extra fridge or chest freezer to ferment in.

As for when to take your reading, I'd wait at least a week. It's likely your beer is still fermenting after just 3.5 days, it's just slowed drastically. This is a bad time to disturb it. Personally I don't mess with any beer in less than 2 weeks no matter what's going on. Then, take a reading and wait at least 2 more days. Take another and confirm it's EXACTLY the same. Even .001 lower means it's still slowly fermenting. Airlocks are to release pressure and prevent infection, NOT to gauge fermentation...

 

[RIC0]

I've had the airlock farting for as long as 3 weeks and as little as 2 days.

It's all good I'm sure no worries.

 

[unionrdr]

There's nothing wrong with it,it didn't stall,it's not infected with beer cooties. It won't stop & start. After 3.5 days of mad bubbling suddenly slowing down or stopping...Damn,I hate to be the barer of such tidings...but I guess it's only fair to tell you...the honest truth.............only initial fermentation is done! It'll now slowly,uneventfully creep down to FG.
Give it a total of 2 weeks Then do a hydrometer test,wait two days,& repeat. If the numbers are the same,it's done. Then another 3-7 days to clean up & settle out clear or slightly misty.