very little airlock activity

[noelc]

second time brewing ever. this batch is a whitbeir with very little airlock activity just wondering if this is normal for this type of beer

 

[PADave]

Fermenting in a bucket?

 

[curtisbrewer]

When was it brewed ? Bucket or carboy ? Every beer should show some activity , some fermentations are crazy and others are a slow there's a lot of factors affecting them.

If it's in a bucket check the lid seal , I have had a few times I didn't hit down the last corner hard enough and noticed it the next day ( have since changed to the rubber mallet ). I have also had cracked one piece airlocks where they hold water and everything but near the base has a small air leak .

If all that is good and it's really early in the fermentation it could just be starting up slower than your previous brew .

 

[RM-MN]

Forget airlock activity. It doesn't mean much in terms of fermentation. Little leaks around the stopper or lid and you get little airlock activity.

Look for a krausen ring. If you get that your yeast did what they should. Use a hydrometer to decide if the yeast completed their job.

 

[beergolf]

Forget about the bubbling. All it really means is that the pressure inside is greater than the outside. Any small leaks in the lid and you may never see bubbling.

Let me know if you this one is done...

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4jzT_KTTZ0Q[/ame]

 

[invictusbrew]

Looking good, beergolf. Is that one of those 0 calorie beers?

 

[Homercidal]

second time brewing ever. this batch is a whitbeir with very little airlock activity just wondering if this is normal for this type of beer

It's maybe normal for a lighter style beer, depending on the yeast strain, temperature of fermentation, fermenting vessel, etc.

Bubbling is not generally a reliable indicator of fermention activity, especially in a fermentor that is prone to leaking around the lid. Carboys, and some other vessels are better at it, but really, it's best to measure the gravity to know for sure what's going on.

Get a hydrometer and a thief, and pull a sample and check it.

In general, lighter beers will ferment at a slower rate, and finish faster than big beers, because their sugars are less and further apart. Big beers can go nuts and ferment for several weeks do to the much larger amount of sugar.

Of course, temperature can affect this as well, since yeast likes it a bit warmer than you should really ferment at and will ferment faster at those temps. Also the amount of yeast will affect how fast the ferment goes since 800 billion yeast cells will ferment a batch faster than 400 billion cells will.

One reason to use plenty of yeast, especially on big beers.

 

[ncbrewer]

Late October and it's getting cooler (depending on your hemisphere). Is it possible your fermenter is too cool?

To check on kraeusen in a bucket fermenter, you can darken the room and shine a flashlight down on the lid - kraeusen ring, if there is one, will be visible on the side.

 

[Sailingeric]

My lids seal very poorly so I always look for the krausen ring.

 

[noelc]

thanks guys this has been helpful