Simple Question about "No Blow off Activity"

[LamIAm]

I've searched and read the many, many threads on this and had a very simple question. (NOTE: Brew date was Monday, 12/30)

Two of my three beers are bubbling away. One is not. This was a pumpkin ale using S-04 yeast. Never done a pumpkin beer before. I *might* have pitched when it was too warm but don't remember. FYI, I brew in buckets, not carboys so I can not see active fermentation.

I have all three blow off tubes going into the same jar of sanitizer. When I went to rearrange the tubes, I did see a little pressure come out of the pumpkin ale tube. Additionally, I went to press down on the seal of the lid to make sure it was tight. Again, I saw a little pressure come out.

Is it possible to have air come out of the blow off tube if I didn't have fermentation? Or do I have fermentation...enough that disturbing the bucket caused some activity?

 

[BigFloyd]

Take a gravity reading. That's the only way you'll really know.

 

[Brewtah]

If there is air pushing through the blow-off you probably have active fermentation. It think it takes a bit more pressure to see activity with a blow-off as opposed to air-lock. You brewed on Monday, I would wait 1 week and check gravity. With that being said, I am assuming proper temps and bucket sizes.

 

[Setesh]

Do you have a good flashlight? I have found that you can "candle" a bucket with a flashlight and see the krausen ring. Hold the flashlight on the opposite side of the bucket to your eyes and see if you can see the krausen.

 

[billl]

It is very easy to have a bucket that doesn't seal well enough to see activity in a blowoff tube.

 

[LamIAm]

New buckets so not sure if that aids or detracts from the "not seal". That being said, seals do look good.

Setesh: I am totally going to do that now. Thanks for the idea!

 

[LamIAm]

So I used a flashlight to look for krausen. I see floaties stuck to the side of the top, probably from sloshing around when I moved it downstairs. Could that be dormant yeast that didn't make it down to the beer?

Like I said, if I press down on the top, I get a little activity out of the blow off tube.

 

[Setesh]

So I used a flashlight to look for krausen. I see floaties stuck to the side of the top, probably from sloshing around when I moved it downstairs. Could that be dormant yeast that didn't make it down to the beer?

Like I said, if I press down on the top, I get a little activity out of the blow off tube.

Are the 'floaties' about 1" above the liquid surface? That is where krausen will form. Here is a test for seal for you, it works best with the 1 piece airlocks:

1. observe the liquid level in the airlock, this is probably even on both sides since your seal is probably not perfect.

2. press down slightly on the lid until the liquid level on the exit side of the airlock increases but does not allow a bubble to pass, the entry side should decrease proportionally. Keep holding steady pressure on the lid for about 30 seconds. Does the liquid in the airlock return to it's normal position while you maintain pressure or slowly creep down? If it does, you don't have a good seal. If it doesn't, you have a good seal.

Reasons for not having a good seal:

1. You are using a bucket with a lid that isn't air tight, this is usually the case if no oring is visible in the sealing channel of the lid.
Resolution - get a better lid for your bucket.
*Note - This is really no biggie if you drink your beers quickly. There is no real reason you need a perfect seal other than preventing oxygen getting in after fermentation is complete. If you plan on aging this beer for a year then I would highly suggest using a better bottle or carboy. Oxygen stales beer over time. For things like pale ales and IPAs and anything that you don't let sit around you probably won't ever notice this effect unless you really over do the post fermentation oxygenation.

2. The little rubber grommet in the lid doesn't seal well and lets air through.
Resolution - Remove the grommet and coat the inside channel with keg lube before re-installing it into the lid. Place a little keg lube on the outside of your airlock tube as well before inserting it into the grommet.

3. The plastic casting flash on the sides of your airlock are sticking up too far and causing a poor seal at the grommet interface.
Resolution - Take a razor blade and carefully shave this flash down to the level of the rest of the tube or use a 3 piece airlock which will normally have a smooth tube with no flash on it.

 

[LamIAm]

So I broke down and decided to check gravity. OG was 1.055. Today, it was 1.022, so there is obviously fermentation.

I wonder if pitching the yeast when it was a little too warm caused it to super ferment.

 

[BigFloyd]

So I broke down and decided to check gravity. OG was 1.055. Today, it was 1.022, so there is obviously fermentation.

I wonder if pitching the yeast when it was a little too warm caused it to super ferment.

Too warm of a pitch and initial ferment temp will cause it to take off faster and more vigorously. Although some folks seem to get excited about that, it's really not a good thing since it stresses the yeast and makes the beer taste bad.