Noob with a fermenmtation Q

[dexter_craig]

I started primary on a NCBA clone kit on Staurday evening and I followed directions as well. It has been 3 days now and the directions state that the airlock should be bubbleing. Just how much 'Bubbleing' should be taking place.

I did notice that when I put the airlock in place it had equal amounts of water on both sides, The next day the vent side had most of the water and today it's back to equal.

Is it ok to open the bucket and test gravity or should I wait the 7 days as indicated.

I plan on a 7 day secondary fermentation at the end of the 7 day wait.
Then I will rack to bottles.

 

[BierMuncher]

Go ahead and draw a sample and test it.

I do all the time and don't rely on the "bubbler" for information on your fermentation.

Drink the sample...don't return it.

Once your gravity remains statice several (2-3) days in a row...give it another 48 hours and then rack to the next stage.

 

[Yooper]

Well, you could check the sg if you want, just to ensure that fermentation took place. It sounds like your seal might not be supertight, so you probably just missed it.

I think two weeks is a little early to bottle, though. I'd recommend doing the 1-2-3 method if you're using the secondary clearing tank- 1 week primary, 2 weeks to clear, then 3 weeks in bottles.

 

[RichBrewer]

It happens fairly frequently that folks lose the seal on their air lock. If when you open it you see lots of gunk on the sides of the bucket, you will know your beer fermented.

 

[dexter_craig]

There is no rubber ring in the lid. Should there be?

 

[RichBrewer]

There is no rubber ring in the lid. Should there be?

All of the bucket fermenters I have seen have a rubber ring in the lid. This is what seals it. Did you have gunk in there?

 

[Brewsmith]

I have a bucket that does not have a rubber gasket and it seals fine, but you could still have an air leak. I'll second or third the "gunk" option to see if you have fermentation.

 

[malkore]

none of my bucket fermenters have seals. don't worry about it.

always give a beer at least 7 full days in primary, even if it seems to stop after 3-4 days. yeast are still doing some 'clean up' even if your gravity has completely stopped falling.

patience is a must in this hobby.

 

[dexter_craig]

Yes! The gunk is there! The oOG was 1.062 and now it is 1.022. I resealed it and will wait till Saturday then put it in Secondary.
It is still a bit cloudy though. I'm sure it will clear up.

 

[BierMuncher]

Yes! The gunk is there! The oOG was 1.062 and now it is 1.022. I resealed it and will wait till Saturday then put it in Secondary.
It is still a bit cloudy though. I'm sure it will clear up.

Congratulations.

Your beer is doing just fine.

It will remain cloudy for some time...as the yeast will remain in suspension for a while.

Generally, if yo leave it alone in the primary for three weeks it will clear up pretty well.

Moving it to the secondary will speed things up because you'll be "thinning" out the solution and the yeast will fall quicker.

Follow your plan to rack on Saturday. Leave it be for a couple weeks and it will really clear up.

 

[brewerdave]

always give a beer at least 7 full days in primary, even if it seems to stop after 3-4 days. yeast are still doing some 'clean up' even if your gravity has completely stopped falling.

I agree totally with this statement, but I have a question about racking the beer off the trub. Even if you rack your beer to the secondary sooner than seven days, wouldn't there still be enough yeast in the beer to clean up the waste products? Anyone have any insight on this? The reason I ask is that I see a lot of recipes that say to rack the beer to a secondary after four or five days. Sorry to hijack the thread, just wondering about the discrepancy.

 

[BierMuncher]

...Even if you rack your beer to the secondary sooner than seven days, wouldn't there still be enough yeast in the beer to clean up the waste products?...

Technically, yes. There is amply yeast to continue the process. However, the higher quantity of yeast in the primary seems to amplify the process. There is continued debate about the need for a secondary at all. Yeast is good for your beer, even beyond the fermentation process.

I used to rush my beer out of the primary (3-4 days) into the secondary to get the yeast to fall quicker. I’ve finally acquired enough primaries that I have the luxury of leaving the beer alone in the primary for a minimum of 2 weeks.

Everyone will get different results from different processes.

 

[brewerdave]

Thanks BierMuncher, that's what I thought. I usually leave my beers in the primary at least a week, usually two. Yesterday I wanted to get my beer out of the primary so that I could brew another batch quickly, and my beer had been in the primary for five days. I figured it would be OK because I had seen recipes calling to rack after five days. I don't have room for another primary, as my wife would likely kill me for getting more brewing equipment! She's fine with my brewing, but with a new baby, we really don't have room to add to daddy's brewery right now.