Yeast but no bubbles in airlock

[crownheights_homebrew]

Hi there! I've been brewing beer for over a year now, but I seem to be having issues with my most recent batch. I brewed a Cherry Amber Ale with a North American yeast on Friday, November 13th, and it's been sitting in the fermenter for a week.

This is the first time I haven't seen bubbles in the airlock forming on its own. When I push the lid down, there are bubbles and they keep going for about 5-10 minutes, and there's that awesome yeast smell, but no bubbles on its own!

I opened it up yesterday and noticed a thick film of yeast on the top, which looked really good, but I didn't see any active bubbling. I gave it a good stir, closed the lid and placed the airlock again.

Still, no bubbles on its own, although the film of yeast has formed again on the top.

What should I do? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Bellybuster]

buckets are famous for losing their seal allowing the CO2 to escape instead of going thru the airlock. No worries, trust your hydrometer.

 

[hunter_le five]

Don't rely on airlock bubbles to judge your fermentation. It's an unreliable indicator. Quit messing with the beer and let the yeast do their thing.

The airlock is there to make sure the lid doesn't blow off, not to guage fermentation. Bucket lid seals tend to develop leaks over time, which is fine.

And trust your hydrometer instead, as Bellybuster said.

 

[mtyquinn]

Buckets leak. Check for krausen and leave it alone if you see one. Hydrometer is the only true way to know for sure.

 

[ncbrewer]

When you opened it, was there kraeusen or any gunk stuck to the side of the bucket indicating that there had been some kraeusen?

 

[crownheights_homebrew]

Hi all, thank you so much for your comments! Yes, there was krausen when I opened it the first time. After giving it a stir and then then letting sit for another day, I noticed the krausen developed again.

I still haven't done a new gravity reading yet, but I'll be sure to do it this evening and get back to you if there hasn't been any changes.

Thanks so much again!

 

[pshankstar]

My last few batches never had any airlock activity, but I could see there was a krausen ring (using the FastFerment conical). When I changed out the collection ball, I would take a gravity reading from that (if it wasn't all sludge) and check to verify fermentation was occurring. As others have said, the airlock freaks a lot of people out and is not a good indicator. Leave it alone and learn patience. This hobby has helped me with patience for sure! Brew on!

 

[passedpawn]

[thread moved to beginner's]

 

[passedpawn]

 

[unionrdr]

One the rapid bubbling slows or stops, usually only initial fermentation is done. It'll then slowly, uneventfully creep down to a stable FG. Then I give it another 3-7 days to settle out clear or slightly misty before bottling.