On second batch

[Tomas Ramirez]

Hey guys glad to find this page, have some questions. First batch of beer was was awesome for how horrible the brew day went lol. fermentation air lock was rocking and rolling for pretty much the two weeks the kit instructions said it would (Northern Brewing Chinook IPA). awesome beer. Now second batch has been fermenting for 3 days and the first day that airlock was going pretty hard and now i get like one bloop every couple hours if that. Is this normal? I was sifting through some posts on fermentation and saw that i should check for gravity. Wouldn't opening the lid allow it to be come contaminated?

thanks for the advice

 

[mac_1103]

There's really no "normal." If the second batch is a different recipe and a different yeast, then it's no surprise for the intensity and duration of the fermentation to be different. Opening the lid will not instantly contaminate your beer, as long as you sanitize anything that actually touches it. But opening the lid repeatedly can oxidize your beer so I would be inclined to leave it alone for at least another week. RDWHAHB. If you already drank all of your first batch, then RDWHACB.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

What kind of container are you using? You may be able to let beer out without letting O2 in.

To me, it makes sense to try to have some inventory. Depends on your budget and how crazy you are. If you have beer to get you through, waiting for new fermentations to end is more pleasant.

 

[Tomas Ramirez]

There's really no "normal." If the second batch is a different recipe and a different yeast, then it's no surprise for the intensity and duration of the fermentation to be different. Opening the lid will not instantly contaminate your beer, as long as you sanitize anything that actually touches it. But opening the lid repeatedly can oxidize your beer so I would be inclined to leave it alone for at least another week. RDWHAHB. If you already drank all of your first batch, then RDWHACB.

just finish last batch yesterday. right on thanks

 

[Tomas Ramirez]

What kind of container are you using? You may be able to let beer out without letting O2 in.

To me, it makes sense to try to have some inventory. Depends on your budget and how crazy you are. If you have beer to get you through, waiting for new fermentations to end is more pleasant.

using the northern brewers fermenting bucket

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I've used bucket spigots to take samples. I just assumed it was the way. Maybe someone will disagree. You can hose the inside of the spigot with Star San after you take the sample and close the spigot. I saw someone recommending hosing it before sampling, too.

 

[mac_1103]

I've used bucket spigots to take samples. I just assumed it was the way.

I just assumed he didn't have a spigot on his bucket. Northern Brewer sells them with and without.

 

[Broken Crow]

I just looked at the Northern Brewer buckets and the lids have the smaller grommet rather than a bung-hole, so unless you can drop a very small hose into it, you'll have to open a lid to take a sample. If I were in your position, I'd just wait a few days to a week longer than the instructions say it's finished, and prepare for bottling, opening the lid and taking a sample at that time if only to confirm it's actually finished. After bottling; I'd start thinking about maybe drilling out a larger hole in the lid and using a larger bung with the airlock to enable using a wine-thief or siphon for future samples, or maybe adding a spigot to the side of the bucket, or even the more complex bulkhead solutions some folk on here have come up with.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Installing a spigot is easy, and they're cheap. I like the ones with silicone washers. They say silicone lets O2 in, though.

 

[mac_1103]

Installing a spigot is easy

Sure. Just not when the bucket is full.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Hope he knew that.

 

[wdavis2003]

If the first beer you ever brewed was awesome, congrats. You're in the minority. You may have a bright future in brewing! But, patience is key. Give it some time before opening the lid.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I named my first beer "Strongarm Ale" because I dropped a grommet in the fermenter and had to reach in and grab it from the bottom of the bucket.

It was excellent. I must have cleaned my arm really well, or maybe my natural microbes rival 1056.

 

[mac_1103]

I must have cleaned my arm really well, or maybe my natural microbes rival 1056.

Doesn't this belong in the "forbidden yeast" thread?

 

[Tomas Ramirez]

If the first beer you ever brewed was awesome, congrats. You're in the minority. You may have a bright future in brewing! But, patience is key. Give it some time before opening the lid.

this is funny be the first brew day was a train wreck at best it was rushed, didn't control temp before the boil and read the instructions wrong for the hop additions lol. but i was fun and i am hooked just wanted things to be perfect this time around. i really do appreciate everyone here commenting with tips i don't have a home brew store anywhere near me that i can find closest one is 3 hours away, and i dont know anyone who is in the hobby

 

[wdavis2003]

i don't have a home brew store anywhere near me that i can find closest one is 3 hours away

That kinda stinks. I'm fortunate enough to have two in the DFW area. Morebeer is a great option though. I'm always impressed when I brew their kits and I've never had a bad experience when ordering from them.