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[redarmy990]

Hi all
Just completed my first boil and american pale ale is in the fermenting barrel
Brew date was 08/28/16.
Got into home brew after i had a gift card bought for a place near us called flying barrel, you go pick your recipe and brew on premises, then you go back around 3 week later to bottle, and bring home. I loved it, so bought a starter kit.
Just wanted to know how long before i should see fermentation bubbles in econo lock.
I live in a apartment so not much space, fermentor is around 71 degrees.

Thanks all and look forward to learning and brewing.

 

[catdaddy66]

Bubbles may or may not appear in the airlock and that is pretty normal. The best way to check the staus of fermentation is to take hydrometer (gravity) readings. When you get 2-3 that don't change then you're ready to bottle. One drawback is it gives bacteria more opportunities to get into the beer and infect it, but if you practice good sanitation you won't need to worry.

Good luck!

 

[Pratzie]

Welcome, great forum here, a lot of knowledge and resources.

For your question it will depend on the yeast strain. Some are slow workers, others will start within a few hours.

As long as the wort was at the current temp before you pitched, I'd imagine you'll see some action today or later tonight.

 

[redarmy990]

Cheers i used a wort chiller and got it to 75 degrees, im using a dry yeast safale 05, which came with the ingredients.
its been nearly 24 hours in fermentor and i have no action in econo lock.
its a 5 gallon batch and i put in the 11.5g package.

 

[Pratzie]

Cheers i used a wort chiller and got it to 75 degrees, im using a dry yeast safale 05, which came with the ingredients.
its been nearly 24 hours in fermentor and i have no action in econo lock.
its a 5 gallon batch and i put in the 11.5g package.

My experience with that is a similar to what youre saying, maybe a little sooner.

Don't worry at this point I'm sure you'll see it going soon. If its not active by tomorrow evening, post back.

 

[buzd]

I've had US05 take 2-3 days to show visible activity.

 

[ncbrewer]

If you're fermenting in a carboy, you can see the fermentation going - bubbles streaming up the side, and kraeusen on top. If it's a bucket, you can darken the room and set a flashlight on the lid pointing down - that will let you see the liquid level and any kraeusen. If you have kraeusen, fermentation has started, even if you don't have bubbles in the airlock.

71 degrees is kind of warm, and if that's ambient, the beer is even warmer. If you have room for a plastic WalMart wash tub, you can put some water in it and add ice bottles to cool it off. I like a beer temp of 66F with US-05. A fermometer will give you the beer temp.

 

[redarmy990]

I am short of space living in a apartment, the fermentor is in our walk in shower on the tiled floor.
I have been using a laser thermometer on the bucket its currently 70 degrees right now.

I will sit it in a wash tub i think thanks

 

[redarmy990]

Hello all.
So still no action in econo lock but I have a good foam on top so im hoping I am good.
Also now have fermentor sat in water and now down to around 66 degrees temp taken with laser thermometer on side of fermentor.

 

[Pratzie]

Hello all.
So still no action in econo lock but I have a good foam on top so im hoping I am good.
Also now have fermentor sat in water and now down to around 66 degrees temp taken with laser thermometer on side of fermentor.

Theres a chance theres a leak somewhere and that's where the CO2 is escaping. If theres a good amount of foam its def working. if you have any iodophor or stan san in a bottle, spray some around the seal of the airlock, and if you're using a bucket, around the lid/bucket seal. If you see bubbles, you know theres a bad seal somewhere and that's where the CO2 is escaping.

Its not a need to worry but you can fix it for next time with either a new fermenting vessel or checking to see if anything is warped. Its not uncommon to have an issue like this.

 

[redarmy990]

Thank you
Every thing i am using is brand new but i will check all the seals
Actually last night i started getting bubbles going through the air lock, but this morning nothing and nothing right now.
Also if you just push slightly on fermentor lid it causes the airlock to bubble.
Could it be a bad econo lock

 

[Pratzie]

Thank you
Every thing i am using is brand new but i will check all the seals
Actually last night i started getting bubbles going through the air lock, but this morning nothing and nothing right now.
Also if you just push slightly on fermentor lid it causes the airlock to bubble.
Could it be a bad econo lock

Yeah sometimes u get brand new stuff that might have a slight "warp" in it thats hard to see by the naked eye. Its doesn't make it bad equipment, some people still use it if their budgets down allow for replacing. They just need to keep an eye on things.

As far as this batch is concerned, have you tested the gravity yet? That's the best way to see if everything fermented out.

 

[RedlegEd]

Thank you
Every thing i am using is brand new but i will check all the seals
Actually last night i started getting bubbles going through the air lock, but this morning nothing and nothing right now.
Also if you just push slightly on fermentor lid it causes the airlock to bubble.
Could it be a bad econo lock

Charlie Papazian has a saying, "Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Home Brew' (RDWHAHB). You'll see that here a lot, and the best advice many will give you is relax, have patience, and enjoy the hobby. Our little friends (the yeasties) will do wonderful things for you, but on their own timeline. As long as you give them a clean place to play (i.e. watch your sanitation,) and try to keep the temps where they like them, your beer will come out great. Welcome to the hobby/obsession, and welcome to HBT! Ed

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

This is a great site with lots of helpful people. Use the search function and you will find answers to just about any question you have. As for your brew, if you have foam (krausen) you have fermentation. Don't worry about the airlock. It can be hard to get bucket lids sealed all the way around. You practically have to stand on the things.

The best thing you can do right now is leave it alone. Resist the temptation to open the fermenter. It just increases the chance of infection. Wait 7 days. Better yet, wait 10 days. Then check the gravity. It should be near your estimated FG. Wait 3 more days and check the gravity again. If it is the same, it's done. You can go ahead and bottle (or keg). Or you can give the yeast a few more days just to be safe. Anything with an OG <1.055 I give at least 2 weeks, otherwise 3 weeks or more.

Patience is the hardest part. Sounds like you're off to a good start. Cheers!

 

[redarmy990]

I am going to check final gravity tonight and then bottle tommorow if it is the same reading as Friday,

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Considering you've only had active fermentation for about 5 days, I would recommend giving it some more time. Even once you reach FG the yeast are still working and cleaning up some of the biproducts of fermentation. Time is almost always a good thing.

 

[vgmohag]

I have brewed 5 extract batches so far and only one of them had airlock activity. I have made sure the lids are snapped on tight but no bubbles. All of them have made beer however so I guess my 2 fermenting buckets have small leaks.