No action in the airlock. Is it cause for concern?

[billspudley]

I just brewed the Truebrew Oktoberfest extract kit last night (let's not get into why I did it at this time of year since it's an ale and not a lager). Granted it has only been sitting for about 8 hours, but there's no airlock activity. Am I just being a concerned parent, or is there a legitimate reason for concern? I'm brewing in "ale pails," as I'm still a newb trying to get my feet wet. Any help you could give is greatly appreciated.

 

[1977Brewer]

8 hours is no worry, pail lids don't always seal, airlock bubbles are not an indication of fermentation activity. If you pitched at the right temp for the yeast, and it was viable, you're making beer.

 

[billspudley]

Thanks for the reassurance. The wort was at about 72 when I pitched the dry yeast pack that came with it, and I heard the tell-tale of yeast activation (at least I think that was what that was) after it was pitched.

 

[khawk95]

Airlock activity is not a sure sign either way. I have one lid that seals and one that doesn't. Hence one airlock bubbles and the other doesn't.

RDWHAHB.

 

[ol-hazza]

One top tip i'm going to share with you is about getting that lid on securely.

Now if you have it on properly and its just a bad seal forgive me, but if your pail is the same as mine chances are the lid isn't jammed on.

My favourite way of getting it on is to hold the lid nigh on perpendicular to the rim, and put pressure on it (kind of roll it on), which opens the seal and the rim slots on in. You can also soften it up with some boiling water previously if the plastic is a bit stiff. this should be done when the pail is empty. Seriously it works better than hitting it with a hammer (which didn't work at all for me).

Urgh this explanation doesn't make a heap of sense, i might try a video later if i get the time.

 

[Kevin79]

I just brewed the Truebrew Oktoberfest extract kit last night (let's not get into why I did it at this time of year since it's an ale and not a lager). Granted it has only been sitting for about 8 hours, but there's no airlock activity. Am I just being a concerned parent, or is there a legitimate reason for concern? I'm brewing in "ale pails," as I'm still a newb trying to get my feet wet. Any help you could give is greatly appreciated.

I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've had airlock activity in less than 8 hours. No need to worry, at all, period.

 

[RM-MN]

I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've had airlock activity in less than 8 hours. No need to worry, at all, period.

If you don't have acitvity in 78 hours, its time to worry. No airlock activity but krausen will tell you if you have activity. I pitch dry yeast and may not see any sigh of activity for 30 hours or more. I still get beer.

 

[BigFloyd]

Relax. I rarely have one show activity in less than 10-12 hours. That's probably because I pitch into wort that has been chilled a few degrees below my target ferment temp (low end of optimal for the strain).

It's better for it to start off slow. When someone posts (usually bragging about it) that their non-hefe batch took off like a rocket and is going bonkers 12 hours after pitching, it's usually an indication that they pitched into wort that hadn't been chilled enough. The result is often damage to the flavor.

 

[Chadwick]

My ale pails all have leaky seals. The airlock cannot be trusted as an indicator of what is happening inside. The best thing to do is wait and check the gravity in 2 weeks. Then check again 3 days later to see if it's still dropping.

 

[billspudley]

I guess I've got to be patient and trust my yeasties are doing their thing. I've also been misled into false expectations by my two previous batches: a.) a stout which may not have been chilled enough before the pitch and b.) a hefe that is on point with FG, flavor, aroma, cloudiness, head, and satisfaction!

Thanks for the advice, I sure am glad I joined the forum!

 

[billspudley]

Crisis averted, no action yet, but I can certainly smell what's going on in the container. Whew.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Glad to hear that all is well in fermentation land.

Is your bucket in a dark room? If you can make it dark enough, shining a flashlight onto the lid or onto the side of the bucket can sometimes make the bucket just translucent enough to see if there's any krausen formed.

 

[billspudley]

It's in a closet, I'm gonna try to see what's forming when I get home tonight. But the presence of the delicious smell is definitely a welcome change.