So I am new and I just made my first LME kit. When I go to check on it I see no activity on the air lock. No bubbles at all. It's in a bucket so I can't see the action inside. Making me wish I had something see through. Later today it will have been 72 hours since I pitched the yeast. I can say it smells good. So maybe the bucket lid has a leak? Should I just wait and guess when it has been enough time? Should I get more yeast and try and repitch it?
Worried first timer looking for advice!
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What was the temperature of the wort when you pitched the yeast? Did you re-hydrate, or pitch dry?
It is not uncommon for the bucket not to seal well enough for there to be no bubbles in the airlock. What kind of yeast did you use? If you used an adequate amount of viable yeast and pitched it after cooling to safe temperatures, you likely have fermentation. Since it has been 72 hours, it should most definitely be fermenting. You could take a quick peak to confirm there is some action inside. You should see a nice krausen forming on top. Just don't get in the habit of pulling covers on your beer... Otherwise, you may want to think about re-pitching, but I doubt that is necessary.
After asking what yeast I realize that was something I should of written down. I went to AIH in Ann Arbor, Michigan and they sold me my first kit. I'll try and find the receipt but it was a while labs tube for a two hearted clone.
wi_brewer
Well-Known Member
If you can smell it then it is probably fermenting.
There is nothing wrong with popping the top off for a moment to make sure.
There is nothing wrong with popping the top off for a moment to make sure.
theseeker4
Well-Known Member
I frequent their Taylor store, great business. I wouldn't stress over what yeast, though the variety is probably listed online if you bought their kit. Just let it ride for about three weeks, though if you can't stand waiting to see, you can carefully crack the lid to look for Krausen. Just don't make a habit of opening the fermenter all the time, it can lead to infection or oxidation. Best to just relax, and let it go without fiddling with it. Good luck, and welcome to the hobby!
Okay! So I cracked the lid real quick before I left and the krausen looks great I believe. Thank you guys for calming me down. I can't wait. It must be a leak in the lid. Anyone have any good suggestions of a primary fermenter? Glass preference.
grevengrevs
Well-Known Member
I remember those first time worries!
I had the same questions, why no bubbles! Took a (quick) peak in the bucket and saw little bubbles and krausen which relieved me of my worries.
I had the same questions, why no bubbles! Took a (quick) peak in the bucket and saw little bubbles and krausen which relieved me of my worries.
theseeker4
Well-Known Member
I do NOT like glass, I use plastic buckets. No matter how careful you are, glass will weaken over time, and will eventually break, or a wrong bump or slippery hand will lead to a shattered carboy, and at best, a loss of a beer batch, at worse, loss of a functioning appendage. Lots of people have used it for years without incident, but there is too high a risk of serious injury for me to be comfortable with using anything larger than a 3 gallon glass carboy, which I use for secondary of smaller batches when needed. Just my opinion, but if you aren't sure what I am talking about, google the images of "glass carboy accidents," but only if you have a strong stomach.
If you want to see in and don't want to use glass, plastic carboys are a good other choice, just don't use a carboy brush on the inside, or it will be scratched up.
If you have a bucket fermenter like the ones by Brewer's Best, they have no seal in the lids. Couldn't find a sealed lid to fit it either. Not around here or the websites I frequent anyway. So when it got infected, I pitched it for the shorty 7.9 gallon from Midwest & put a spigot in it. Those BB unsealed versions always leaked under the higher pressures of initial fermentation, causing daily cleanups on the one I had. Those lil rings around the top always loaded up with fermenting wort.
Then having no lid seal is the likely culprit. They leak under a little pressure.
Foosier
Well-Known Member
If you use buckets and want to get an idea if there is any fermentation activity, you can tell if there is krausen if you turn the lights off in the room and shine a flashlight through the lid of the bucket. I do this and can usually see the ragged line created by the uneven krausen ring. When the krausen falls the ring of gunk remains but you can see a much more clear line where of the beer level.
Just one way to check for activity without opening the bucket.
Just one way to check for activity without opening the bucket.
GHBWNY
Well-Known Member
Your bucket will work just fine for now (and forever, actually). There could be several reasons you have a long "lag time" for your fermentation to show through the airlock, but if you have krausen, then that negates many of those possibilities. Don't gauge your fermentation by what's going on/not going on with the airlock, which you just proved by looking inside the bucket. This beer will be fine, let it ride and don't peek anymore.
For next time, be sure your wort temp is where it's supposed to be before pitching, aerate the wort REAL well, rehydrate your yeast and pitch at the right temp, ferm at the right temp with no wide swings, maybe get a new lid for your bucket if you're in doubt, and give it all the time it wants. You have to treat your yeast like an honored guest, giving it just the right conditions for complete attenuation. Welcome aboard!
madscientist451
Well-Known Member
I like using my glass and plastic carboys so I can see whats going on but also use buckets when all my carboys are full. You should see some bubble activity, sounds like you have a bad lid seal. Get some betterbottle carboys if you are worried about glass.
Yeah. The bucket will be good for sanitation anyways so having it around will be good. After Xmas I'll get some good stuff. Just ordered a beaker for making a starter best time and going to try and make a stir plate. Being that I'm in IT I have tons of spare parts to try and make one.
mmlipps
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How long was it between buying it and brewing it? I had some white labs yeast go bad because I left it in the fridge too long. How did you store it?
If you are looking for a fermentation vessel that can't be beat, get the "Big Mouth Bubbler" from NorthernBrewer.com. They have a huge mouth that makes them super duper easy to clean between batches. My first was a 6 gallon glass carboy. Very heavy and hard to clean without brushes. Now I have 6 different fermenters. All but the original one is plastic, to cut down on the weight. homebrewsupply.com has a wide selection of fermenters too and they are GREAT to deal with. One thing you have to be careful of if you go to "see through" fermenters is protecting your developing beer from light.
