Odd...

[zproducer]

I have been brewing for quite a few years. I would not say that I am a pro, but I like to think that I know what I'm doing. I have an American Amber going in the primary at the moment. I brewed on 2/23 with a starting gravity at 1.036. I have not seen the airlock bubble since I put it in the primary. This concerned me, so I popped the top on the fermenter on 2/25 - THERE WAS KRAUSEN ON THE WORT!!! STILL NO BUBBLING IN THE AIRLOCK, so I get out another package of yeast to pitch again today - 2/27 - pop the top on the fermenter and the krausen is gone and the wort is beginning to smell like beer. So I decide to take a hydrometer reading... 1.012. Just were it should be for racking. I have checked the seal on the fermenter and it checks out. So, my question is... Has anyone ever experienced fermentation without a bubble in the airlock? Or is it possible that it fermented out in one night while I was asleep?

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

I'd say your loosing CO2 somewhere else. You should still be seeing some airlock activity even if fermentation is through. But can I also suggest you let this sit a while before doing anything. You say you brewed on the 23rd. It's only the 27th. WAY too early to be concerned with racking, FG's, etc.

 

[zproducer]

I'd say your loosing CO2 somewhere else. You should still be seeing some airlock activity even if fermentation is through. But can I also suggest you let this sit a while before doing anything. You say you brewed on the 23rd. It's only the 27th. WAY too early to be concerned with racking, FG's, etc.

Yeah, I am still letting it sit, but I am going to rack it into a secondary before I bottle as well.

 

[Revvy]

Most of the time it seems that the fermentation faries only come when I'm asleep. So I've started leaving a thimble full of beer to thank them for their work on my brews. They seem to really like stouts and porters...but hate "foo foo fruity" things like orange wits.

Actually I rarely see any airlock action on my brews...but if I look carefully at the water in the airlock I can see that they're full of tiny bubbles so I know that something is going on...

and my beers always turn out, so I'm doing something right...

(I think it's the booze bribe myself.)

 

[Ice9]

I had the same thing happen on my Cali Common that I brewed a couple of weeks ago.
The only difference for me was that I used my bottling bucket with the spigot on it, instead of my primary bucket. I had a "rotten eggs" smell for a couple of days after pitching and I opened the lid a few days in and had Krausen on top. I just let it go for an extra week in the fermentor. I'm planing on racking it tonight.

 

[zproducer]

Actually I rarely see any airlock action on my brews...but if I look carefully at the water in the airlock I can see that they're full of tiny bubbles so I know that something is going on...

I do have little bubbles now that I have looked. Also, I had to add some water to the airlock... So something must be happening!:cross:

 

[jmiracle]

I did a hefe in a plastic bucket, hooked up a blowoff tube but never saw a single bubble, so I broke my own rule and cracked the lid after two days, saw a ton of krausen. I just let it sit for 3 weeks due to a combination of laziness and busyness. I cracked it last night, took a gravity reading and it was at 1.010 and all the krausen had fallen so I bottled that sucker. Tasted great at bottling time too.

It seems like every time there's a story about not seeing airlock activity it's always in the ale pail and I'm sure it's an incomplete seal around the lid or grommet that's to blame.

 

[cglkaptc]

My first brew was like that. It was a red ale and their was no bubbles but there was krausen. I just about pooped my pants thinking that I ruined my first beer, but it turned out fine. There is probably just a leak in the lid. Although since then I have been using the same pale for fermenting and I am getting a lot of bubble action.

-Chris

 

[zproducer]

Well, I racked into the secondary yesterday (3/3) and everything seemed fine. It smelled good and tasted good.