should i take a peek?

[freddykreuger666]

put me first batch in and it aint doing anything in the airlock for 22 hours. shud i take a quick peek to see if anythings happening and wot should i see?

 

[92greenyj]

patience is a virtue young grasshopper.

did you use dry yeast or liquid yeast? and how did you pitch it? it takes longer if the yeast is not properly propogated before it is pitched. however, if after about 48 hours you still dont see any activity, get yourself some more yeast and re-pitch it. but dont wait more than 48 hours to re-pitch or you bear the potential of losing your batch

 

[freddykreuger666]

i had some dry yeast which i had from an ingredient kit. i just bunged that in and stirred it in my fermenting bin when i had it all filled up with water. was i meant to do sumthing else?

 

[92greenyj]

yes. you should have used a yeast starter, especially with dried yeast. It will take a bit longer to start fermenting since you just dumped it into your fermenter. do some reading on making a yeast starter. i gaurantee if you use a starter next time, it will start fermenting much quicker.

As i said to you before, you need to do some more research before you just jump in and start breweing. theres alot of finer points to this hobby than just throwing a bunch of stuff in a bucket and hoping for beer.

 

[TDorty3]

I had the same problem on my first batch of beer as well. I actually just bottled my first batch a couple nights ago.

I was using a bucket. I had absolutely no bubbles coming from the air lock. i was nervous that I put the yeast in at a wrong temp or thought maybe it was because I didn't use a starter.

Not long after I started to freak out I noticed my whole room smelled like beer. I took a peek under the lid and saw the yeast was chugging along.

I have come to the conclusion that my bucket was not air tight and the air was escaping some way other than the air lock.

If I were you, I would take a peek and if you see the foam and crud I would just let it be until it's time to transfer to the secondary. If you don't see any evidence of fermentation I would repitch.

I have a feeling though that everything is going well.

May the beer god be with you.

-tim

 

[Scubadude]

When I went to ferment my 1st batch, I wasn't getting any action in my airlock.

I took a hard look at my pail and lid. I found that the grommet wasn't on the lid properly. It turns out that while playing with my equipment for the 1st time, I had partially dislodged it.

I corrected it, re-sanitized it, and am now enjoying my 1st batch with dinner each night. It came out wonderfully.

 

[freddykreuger666]

im starting to freak out as its now gone 48 hours and it only has a slight bit of bubbles/foam on top that isnt anything dramatic. it smells of flat beer and im pretty sure it is airtight. cos when i push lid down air rushes into the airlock. i think it mite be a bit cold as i got in the garage and im in the uk. i aint allowed to bring it in my house so im gonna have to hope it aint too cold. wot shud i do to make it warm and make it ferment?

 

[sudsmonkey]

I'm new to this, so it may not help any. I just bottled my fourth batch of beer. It,s a pilsner this time. I'm pretty sure I've done just about everything wrong I could with each batch, but they just keep getting better. I pour my yeast into the fermenter (a plastic water-cooler bottle) and let it soak for about 10-15 minutes before stirring it in. Couple of batches ago, I didn't stir it and when I woke up the next morning a dead airlock was what I found. I took a chance and stirred it. I checked again a couple of hours later and had a bubble every six seconds. My daughter thought I'd lost my mind running around the kitchen screaming, " It's alive! ". My family has come to accept my hobby. As far as keeping your fermenter warm, you could build a box to cover it and put a lightbulb inside. Maybe sit the jug on a piece of carpet or a heavy towel to insulate it from the concrete floor. A cardboard box might even work as long as there's room for the bulb to not touch the sides of the box(see garage fire) . You could insulate it with a blanket . Just have to watch your temp. maybe cut vent holes to maintain optimal fermenting temp.(I couldn't tell you what that is. Surely one of the More Experienced could.).


Good Luck!

 

[92greenyj]

for ales, you want to ferment between 65 and 75 degrees. so shoot for about 68 or 70 and you will be at optimal fermenting efficiency.

 

[kenmc]

im starting to freak out as its now gone 48 hours and it only has a slight bit of bubbles/foam on top that isnt anything dramatic. it smells of flat beer and im pretty sure it is airtight. cos when i push lid down air rushes into the airlock. i think it mite be a bit cold as i got in the garage and im in the uk. i aint allowed to bring it in my house so im gonna have to hope it aint too cold. wot shud i do to make it warm and make it ferment?

If it's in the garage, and the temperature is anything like it is in Ireland these days it's probably a bit cold out there methinks. Get yourself a heat mat or something (can get a heat pad in argos quite cheaply, or a homebrew store) and insulate with an old sleeping bag/lagging jacket/blanket.