New brewer! Have some questions re: recent brew and Belgian wit.

[rgebo]

Hi all - I just signed up, this forum looks awesome!

1.) Just got into this hobby recently. Made my first batch this past weekend. It was an APA style using liquid malt extract, from a kit. If I had known better I would have started with BIAB, but there's many more brews in the future.


With the APA (now on about hour 48), it was producing some activity in the airlock at hours 12-24. Mostly large bubbles, definitely different than my Apfelwein which has been consistently putting out a number of small bubbles constantly. The lid may be leaking on the APA, but I'm not 100% sure.


Is this an issue that the airlock activity has stopped? When should I take a hydrometer reading/look into the bucket?

2.) I want to brew a BIAB belgian witbier, roughly 3 gallons because I'm using my stove top.


Does anyone have a good recipe? I put this one together:


3lb belgian pilsner 2.1 lb flaked wheat 0.6lb flaked oat

0.4 oz Saaz 0.45 oz tettnag

at 5 minutes: 0.45 oz coriander 0.45 oz bitter orange

Wyeast Blegian wheat 3944

Boil: 3.9 gallons, ferment: 3 gallons.
Mash temp: 155 F

Does this look right?

3.) Are insulated bags for fermenting worth it when you don't have the space for a small fridge? Are there any cheaper options as $65 for a bag seems kinda high.

Thanks a bunch

EDIT: Took a look inside of my batch. Smells amazing. Here's a picture: https://imgur.com/a/I0hEd Looks ok right?

 

[RM-MN]

1. I have buckets that always bubble the airlock, buckets that sometimes bubble the airlock, and a least one that never bubbles the airlock. They all make beer. The ones that do bubble usually stop by day 3. That's a pretty normal time for the yeast to stop producing CO2 which then limits the bubble producing CO2 to what is outgassing and then any tiny leak will allow the gas to escape.

2. There is a recipe section on here. I'd compare any recipe I might come up with against one of the ones in the database to see if I am way off. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=54

3. There are lots of cheap ways to control fermenting temperatures, from dedicated freezers that someone found free on Craigslist to the ghetto cooler using a tub of water with bottles of frozen water added.

 

[rgebo]

1. I have buckets that always bubble the airlock, buckets that sometimes bubble the airlock, and a least one that never bubbles the airlock. They all make beer. The ones that do bubble usually stop by day 3. That's a pretty normal time for the yeast to stop producing CO2 which then limits the bubble producing CO2 to what is outgassing and then any tiny leak will allow the gas to escape.

2. There is a recipe section on here. I'd compare any recipe I might come up with against one of the ones in the database to see if I am way off. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=54

3. There are lots of cheap ways to control fermenting temperatures, from dedicated freezers that someone found free on Craigslist to the ghetto cooler using a tub of water with bottles of frozen water added.

Ok perfect, thank you!