My first batch!!!!

[220swift]

Well I just pitched my yeast on my first batch of American Wheat Beer. O.G. was suppose to be 1.043 and it came out at 1.041, figure that is pretty close. Is it bad to see the air lock bubbling within the first half hour or is that just a sign of really good yeast?

 

[Revvy]

If it's within the first half hour, it's more than likely just off gassing the oxygen from all the sloshing and such before you put the lid on.

Your airlock is just a vent, a valve to release excess gas, and to keep the beer from exploding onto your ceiling. It's not a good fermentation gauge, sometimes they don't even bubble, or stop and start for environmental reasons (like change in temps or barometric pressure,) or will stop and start because the cat bumped it, or you opened up the lid. So trying to gauge fermentation by it isn't a good idea.

Congrats on your first batch!!!

 

[bferullo]

did you adjust your OG reading for temp. If not you may have actually hit your gravity on the dot. Either way +/- a few points will never hurt ya. I am 100% sure it will turn out fine.

Airlock bubbling isn't bad. Don't think the yeast will act that quick (although maybe if you used a starter). Sometimes you will see "bubbling" when the fermenter was moved or settling. That's just at least what I have observed from my batches.

 

[birvine]

Seems too fast for yeast activity. Initially the yeast will 'get ready' to ferment and not until at least a few hours or even a day or two will you actually see bubbling from the production of CO2. That being said, I harp on it continuously, but, don't let the fact that the bubbling has stopped (in a few days) fool you into thinking the beer is ready to drink. Kit instructions are notorious for telling brewers to rack to a secondary in several days. ALMOST always, this is incorrect. Leave it for a few weeks and then check with a hydrometer to ensure the process is complete. THEN bottle or keg.

Trust me.

B

 

[onipar]

Congrats on the first batch! And listen to Revvy.

 

[GodsStepBrother]

Congrats on your first brew, it will be okay. Listen to what Revvy and bferullo said.

If you do not know how to adjust your hydrometer reading, you can use this link.
http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/recipator/recipator/hydrometer.html
Just be sure to take a temperature reading of your hydrometer sample, plug that in and then plug in what you see on your hydrometer. Unless your sample it is a 60 degrees Fahrenheit, there is some adjusting to do.

edit: you guys are fast! listen to everybody not just Revvy and Bferullo.

 

[Revvy]

I'll play, listen to GodsStepBrother, onipar, birvine, & bferullo....You can ignore me though.

 

[220swift]

Thanks for the responses guys. My hydrometer had a chart with it, the wort temp was 70 deg. when I took the reading, it came out at 1.040 and at 70 deg I was to add .001 so that's how I got the 1.041 reading.

And now sitting hear watching I see that it has quit bubbling so must have been from when I put the lid on and snapped it down. Thanks again