slow fermentation and little activity

[Cnd_backpacker]

i have recently started my first blonde lager and as my LBS suggested i started in a fermentation bucket. after a bit of research i learnt that a lot of people only use a carboy so I racked to my carboy earlier then suggested to keep it safer from infection. the first day i was getting a lot of bubbles in my air lock (roughly one every 5 seconds) and when i checked today and yesterday it had dropped to about 1 bubble every 25 seconds. and there is very little foaming activity happening. i do have a small yeast cake at the bottom of the carboy and it sat in the bucket for about 2 days and the carboy for 4. my question is should the bubbling decrease that quickly? and if not should i try anything to fix it?

thanks again for any advice, or tips you can offer.

 

[miguy96b]

It sounds like your ok. Some prefer carboys and some prefer buckets. I use buckets for primary and carboys for aging or additions. To secondary or not is a personal preference too.

But to your issue at hand it's probably fine, airlock activity isn't a great gauge for fermentation activity. The only way to know how your fermentation is going is to use a hydrometer. Usual rule of thumb is to pitch and then do your best to forget about it for 2 - 3 weeks minus the rare need for a blow off tube or other minor maintenance.

 

[Cnd_backpacker]

thanks for the quick response. i haven't taken a hydrometer rating since my concern started, as i want to limit the number of times i open the carboy but since you think its fine i will probably leave it for a couple more days and take a reading to see where it sits!

thanks again

 

[RM-MN]

i have recently started my first blonde lager and as my LBS suggested i started in a fermentation bucket. after a bit of research i learnt that a lot of people only use a carboy so I racked to my carboy earlier then suggested to keep it safer from infection. the first day i was getting a lot of bubbles in my air lock (roughly one every 5 seconds) and when i checked today and yesterday it had dropped to about 1 bubble every 25 seconds. and there is very little foaming activity happening. i do have a small yeast cake at the bottom of the carboy and it sat in the bucket for about 2 days and the carboy for 4. my question is should the bubbling decrease that quickly? and if not should i try anything to fix it?

thanks again for any advice, or tips you can offer.

Most infections seem to occur in the secondary so I don't think you helped anything by moving to the carboy. Nearly all my brews sit in the bucket primary for 2 to 9 weeks (yes, that is a nine) and I haven't had an infection from doing that.

Here's a little info on what goes on with the yeast in the fermenter. http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

 

[Trox]

You are probably fine but would have been better off just leaving it in the bucket. Only time a bucket might be inferior to a carboy is if you plan on leaving it in there for 3+ months; then you might have to worry about the air permeability of a plastic bucket. I would let it ride until 14 days have passed since brew day and then take a hydrometer reading, wait 2 days and take a second.

 

[Cnd_backpacker]

i'll wait the 2 weeks to take my reading and go from there.

the main reason i switched is because my LHBS mentioned nothing about blow off or air locks. they said i could simply place the lid loosely on top. I've read about success with this as well but i though the carboy would provide more of an airtight seal to prevent oxidization or infection.

thanks again for the help guys!

 

[BigFloyd]

What you were told about buckets is absolute rubbish, caused you needless worry, and led to a bad decision. Lots of awesome beers are fermented in 6.5 gallon fermenter buckets with no issues of infection or oxidation. It's only when you are going to long-term age or cold lager for several weeks or months that you'd not want to leave it sitting in a plastic bucket. I do my lagering in corny kegs, so I never use a carboy.

Are you using lager yeast? How much and what kind did you pitch? At what temp have you been fermenting? Lagers need 2x the yeast cell count vs. a comparable ale and careful temp control (typically around 10*C). They also tend to ferment more slowly. By pulling the beer off the yeast cake after just two days, you took a large number of cells out of the process which can cause some problems (like a stuck ferment).

 

[Cnd_backpacker]

I'm not sure what type of yeast it was now.. It was the one the Lhbs gave me with the kit.. As for temp control I bought a couple of those stick on thermometers and have had very little success getting a reading from them. I've been very careful to keep the temp. In my apartment the same roughly 15*c .. I think I will let it sit for the 14 days and see how that goes when I take the hydrometer reading.. Would it make sence to add more yeast if my reading is off?