New to all this.

[chris1]

Hi all Chris 36 from Northern Ireland. Got my first batch of beer in the fermentation bin on Sunday night i bought a Coopers Mexican Cerveza kit to try for my first go, before i try to make my own. Unfortunately the kit i bought does not have a bubbler on the bin. How do i know if its definitely fermenting and when its finished. I took a reading with the hydrometer when i made it and it was 1.04. As I'm new to all this expect some stupid questions (well not stupid to me). I did make a home-brew bitter when i was 18 which to be fair was rather nasty but rocket fuel so suffice to say me and my mate drank the lot as 4 or 5 pints we were blocked. Hoping for rather different results now . Cheers and looking forward to learning lots from you more experienced brewers!!

 

[Sir_niveda]

What you want to be looking for is krausen:

It will look something like that, though not necessarily exactly like that. It will rise and eventually fall back. When you think its done, or after roughly two weeks, take hydrometer readings a couple days apart. If it does not change it has finished the primary fermentation. With your initial hydrometer readings and your final hydrometer readings, you can plug those numbers into this handy tool to figure out ABV.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/

Welcome back to this wonderful hobby/life!

 

[soccerdad]

You say 'no bubbler,' but do you have a way yo cover the open top?