Primary Fermentation

[TheAdric]

I have started a Lefe style blonde. I was wondering how long should i do my primary for? I am not doing a secondary because i dont have another fermenter. Iam also worried as my air lock has not been very active, i can see it bubbling on the surface and theres a scum line and a little bit of condensation in the air lock. I was also wonderibg how dark of a place do i keep it in? It has not really seen day light but has seen the indoor light.

 

[brewinchef_fairfax]

3 weeks in primary. Check the airlock - make sure it's tight - other than that - sit back, relax and wrap the fermenter in aluminum foil to block out the light if it's too bright..

 

[TheAdric]

Cheers. Yea air lock and lid are tight dose not see any natural light prity dark in the room but will see the room light dose that matter? Could it also not be so active because i used dry yeast and really soft water?

 

[gwapogorilla]

Did you used a starter? Did you pitch the dry yeast directly, or re hydrate in preboiled (and cooled) water? Was there a big temp difference between the yeast and the wort? What was your OG and your pitching rate?

I am new to. But I know all of these "questions" effect "LAG TIME". I also wrap mine in black garbage bags to keep them "dark".

 

[TheAdric]

I did not activate the dry yeast. My SG was 1054 which is high on purpose as its a Belgium beer so in alcohol.

 

[unionrdr]

Cover the fermenter at least with a dark tee shirt to keep light from skunking the hops. or a small dark blanket. I've found the black velvet smoking jacket our dog chewed up makes the best cover material. It maintains a steady,slightly lower temp than a tee shirt,which is more suceptable to ambient temps.
Pitching the yeast dry can give more lag time than the other methods.

 

[snaps10]

I you've got a Krausen ring you've got fermentation. Airlocks don't always bubble. As long as you're close to a seal on your fermentation vessel you're fine. 3-4 of my kids don't seal well on my buckets, I get very little airlock activity on those, but they always ferment. If its in a carboy, as state above you can cover it, but seeing as its only getting a little secondary light you should be fine.

 

[unionrdr]

As for myself,I don't use carboys. I was refering to plastic fermenters,pails or otherwise. I always cover them to make sure they don't get skunked.

 

[TheAdric]

Thanks guys its been a help. I have covered it with a jacket for the mean time. Should be ok as i said it only really saw the room light. Iam brewing from a plastic fermenter. I dont think i will be using dry yeast ever again i will switch to good activated yeast something that goes well with my next beer. I am thinking of doing a porter next and using white labs yeast one for there ales have any of you used this? I also had an idea of using 3 different kinds of hops 2 flavoring 1 dry as i wanted something hoppy and unusual iam extract brewing at the moment. Do you think that would work or to many hops?

 

[BlackGoat]

White Labs and Wyeast are the two usual suspects in the world of liquid yeast and both are excellent, although many get great results with some of the dry yeasts out there. I use white labs for all my batches just because I'm in southern california and that is what is typically stocked in the stores around here. As for hops, experimentation is part of the fun. For newbies, its usually easier to keep it simple (so for something like a porter maybe just sticking to one or two varieties) but that's a matter of choice. I probably have more fun kicking around ideas on hops/yeast/grain combinations before brewing a batch than I do actually brewing and drinking them so just have fun with the process.

 

[BlackGoat]

btw, if you are moving on to liquid yeast, brush up on info around the web on how to make a yeast starter - it will be more important with liquid yeast to make a starter than it would be for dry yeast (many/most dry yeast users don't bother).

 

[snaps10]

US05 will perform as well as WLP001 or 1056 in my experience. The difference that I've learned is that dry yeasts tend to mutate sooner and easier than liquid yeasts. When harvesting and washing yeasts I've found that by the third generation the liquid strains have higher flocculation and better performance. Your mileage may vary though. I always keep a few packets of US05 in my fridge for those panic times.

 

[STEVESKI]

As for myself,I don't use carboys. I was refering to plastic fermenters,pails or otherwise. I always cover them to make sure they don't get skunked.

Do you use clear buckets or something? I'm a newbie,but I was under the impression that only clear carboys needed to be covered from light. I thought normal white buckets blocked all harmful light?

 

[BlackGoat]

typical white buckets block most of the light. I usually keep mine in a dark corner of a room where it won't get any direct sunlight from a window. Throwing a towel over it or something won't hurt, but if you're using a transparent carboy you should put a tshirt on it or otherwise make sure its protected from light.

 

[TheAdric]

I use a proper plastic fermenter that is opaque so not all that see through but you can see the liquid level. The top of the lid is see through but it has sat in the dark corner of room with only a room light that will hit it occasionally.