Second Batch Not Panicking Yet

[Manothfc]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum and heard it's the best around!

I read loads of posts by Revvie so it sort of puts my mind at ease being a newbie.


I just made my second batch and this one is English Pale Ale with speciality grains. My OG was 1.052 which was almost spot on. I pitched my yeast at 68. I haven't seen any activity in the airlock. I know this doesn't always mean a thing. I am using a bucket and aware they can leak co2. I do not want to open my lid at all.

My question is shall I just buy a secondry fermentation carboy/bucket and on day 7 or so take a hydrometer reading then then transfer it to a new bucket/carboy? If it's not changed will it be too late to add yeast again? I just worry opening my lid when it's probably working it's magic and I'm being paranoid a bit

 

[Yooper]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum and heard it's the best around!

I read loads of posts by Revvie so it sort of puts my mind at ease being a newbie.


I just made my second batch and this one is English Pale Ale with speciality grains. My OG was 1.052 which was almost spot on. I pitched my yeast at 68. I haven't seen any activity in the airlock. I know this doesn't always mean a thing. I am using a bucket and aware they can leak co2. I do not want to open my lid at all.

My question is shall I just buy a secondry fermentation carboy/bucket and on day 7 or so take a hydrometer reading then then transfer it to a new bucket/carboy? If it's not changed will it be too late to add yeast again? I just worry opening my lid when it's probably working it's magic and I'm being paranoid a bit

Well, you wouldn't want another bucket for secondary, as if it is indeed done or nearly so, you'd be risking oxidation due to the wide headspace of the bucket after racking the beer.

If you want to transfer to a carboy, you won't harm the beer.

That said, there is absolutely NO benefit to what you propose. Opening the beer and transferring the beer will expose it to far more oxygen than you opening the bucket, using a sanitized turkey baster or beer thief to remove a sample and closing it back up, particularly when fermentation is ongoing or nearly finishing.

If it has been 72 hours since you added the yeast, and you've seen no signs of fermentation, you could either gently remove the lid and take a peak and see if you see krausen or a remains of a krausen ring around the surface of the beer, or even just look through the airlock hole by removing the airlock. If there are NO signs of krausen or the krausen ring, remove the lid and take an SG sample.

 

[Kerrbrewer]

Welcome to the forum! IMHO if you plan on spending money on a carboy, buy one for primary. You can see everything going on. Once youve watched a few ferments you can tell it has started without krausen or airlock actvity. See the krausen fall and yeast settling etc.