Short Fermentation?

[GoldenValleyBrewer]

Brew day was Monday; no fermentation at 8:00 am on Tuesday; fermenting at 7:30 pm and Wednesday at 8:00 am but not at 7:30 pm. When I say fermentation I mean bubbling in the airlock. Is that short? Do I need to repitch? Give it time? Help needed! Thanks!

 

[GHBWNY]

Did you take an OG reading?

 

[C-Rider]

Fermentation is DONE when you get two SG readings two days apart that are the same. Bubbles in the airlock mean NOTHING about being done.

 

[RM-MN]

Brew day was Monday; no fermentation at 8:00 am on Tuesday; fermenting at 7:30 pm and Wednesday at 8:00 am but not at 7:30 pm. When I say fermentation I mean bubbling in the airlock. Is that short? Do I need to repitch? Give it time? Help needed! Thanks!

Bubbling in the airlock means that some kind of gas exchange is happening and it is fast enough to overcome any leaks in the system. That's the only thing you can be sure of when the airlock is bubbling.

With that said, usually airlocks bubble when the fermentation is happening fast enough but the lack of bubbles does not necessarily mean that the fermentation has stopped. CO2 is produced when the yeast devour the sugars. After that, there is no CO2 produced as the yeast complete eating the intermediate products of the fermentation.

In answer to the questions, yes it is short, not necessarily too short though if the temperature of the fermentation is a bit warm. No you don't need to repitch. Yes, give it some time, probably another week at least and I'd prefer another 2 weeks as that allows the yeast time to complete the ferment, clump up, and a lot of it to settle out so it doesn't end up in the bottom of your bottles.

 

[Jim311]

Once I had a bucket with a lid that didn't really seal that great. Once fermentation started to slow down the bubbling quit. I doubt you're done yet.


Now with that said on Sunday night I pitched 3 gallons of apple juice on top of a yeast cake from a pale ale I'd just made. Fermentation was literally done almost overnight. It absolutely raged on those sugars. Pretty interesting. Hope it tastes alright. It's cheap store juice anyway.

 

[GoldenValleyBrewer]

Did you take an OG reading?

Yes, I took an OG reading but for some reason I have not had the best luck with gravity readings. I am really trying to refine my processes as I want to go all-grain soon (maybe next batch) and want to have that all "perfected". I am also considering a Big Mouth Bubbler (suggested here) with a spout for easier/safer access for readings.

 

[RM-MN]

Yes, I took an OG reading but for some reason I have not had the best luck with gravity readings. I am really trying to refine my processes as I want to go all-grain soon (maybe next batch) and want to have that all "perfected". I am also considering a Big Mouth Bubbler (suggested here) with a spout for easier/safer access for readings.

To get a good OG reading with extract is difficult because the concentrated extract doesn't want to mix well with the top off water (if that is what you used). To bet an accurate OG reading you would need to stir vigorously for quite a while making sure to stir deep to bring the extract up to mix. On the plus side if you use a kit, most will tell you the expected OG and if you use the correct amount of water, that is what your OG will be. With all grain your wort isn't so concentrated and neither will the sparge so it will mix very easily.

Instead of worrying about having it "all perfected", just go for it. All grain was intimidating to me with all the steps needed....until I tried one batch BIAB. Then I found it to be no more complicated than an extract batch.

I wouldn't recommend the Big Mouth Bubbler with the spigot for simpler readings. I take a reading when I pour the wort into the bucket fermenter, another reading in about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks and a third a couple days later to verify that I don't have a stuck ferment, then bottle. When you add a spigot for sampling, you need to take it apart after each batch to be sure it is thoroughly cleaned. That makes it not worth the ease of readings to me.

 

[kh54s10]

I am another that doesn't think a spigot in a fermenter is a good idea. Especially if you take a sample from it during the process. The left over wort will get nasty and when you close the valve some of that nasty could get inside the fermenter. That along with having to clean it very well after use.

 

[Jim311]

I think the spigot is handy for situations just like this but I also don't really like the risk of leaks that it introduces.

 

[yeastylad]

Been using spigoted fermenters since I started brewing a number of years ago and never had a single issue with leaks or infection. The only infected batch I ever had was from a vessel with no spigot (secondary, but still...