The fermentation is in a 6gal bucket with the lid just sitting on top (not sealed). This may be the reason I have yet to see one airlock bubble in the first 5 days.
Being worried about that, I took a SG reading. OG= 1.052 and today’s reading is 1.013.
Something is working.
Now, a couple of observations…
There is a 1/4" to 3/8" scum on the surface.
Tasting, my wife said it was bitter to her. After I pondered that, I agreed. I don’t mind the bitter, but it hung around long after the last sip (maybe just overly young. The beer, not the wife).
Also, it is very cloudy.
Am I on track here, or are there nasties afoot.
It’s a common post here about no bubbler activity with buckets. Inevitably it comes down to the lid not being sealed 100%.
The “scum” is called a Krausen (pronounced kroy-ZEN). It is the yeast in a floating mat form. It will eventually fall to the bottom. The cloudiness is also mostly yeast in suspension that will fall out as well with time or you can speed it up with a cold crash.
The bitterness is often bits of hops in suspension. When the bitterness stays in your mouth it is usually hops stuck in your mouth. If you want to learn to identify this effect as a taste sample the hop sludge in the bottom of your pot at the end of your brew day. Everyone has to do this once.
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I agree. That is why I ordered a Spike Flex fermenter yesterday. Want to buy a slightly used plastic bucket?
Reminds me of hand loading ammo. The savings are illusive.
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Don’t get rid on that bucket haha. You will definitely still use it for bottling, storing StarSan, or a quick side fermentation project/ experiment.
Yeast in suspension will give you bitterness as well. At this point it is way to early to judge your beer. As far as a tight sealing bucket that wont affect your beer. Some yeast do better without pressure.
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All good points. I’ve found saison yeast like “open” fermentation, just a bit of foil to keep out airborne invaders, no airlock.
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Fancy fermenters are nice but buckets are just fine. Keep it. You’ll eventually want to have more than one fermentation vessel. If you seal your lid you’ll get more airlock activity but it’s not that important. Just don’t lift it all the way off too often. You introduce air which can oxidize the beer later in fermentation but can also take nasty little airborn bugs into your beer.
I concur with the others that you’re sampling a bit soon to get a feel for how the beer will taste. Not a bad thing to gain an understanding of the process though. You’ll certainly be overwhelmed by the yeast at this point though. Sounds like you’re almost done really if you’re down to .013. Extract batches typically don’t go much lower but time will allow the yeast to drop out more and the beer to clear a bit before you package it.
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All yeasts have a slightly different taste as well as the flavors that they produce. I never thought of yeast being bitter @brew_cat I always considered yeast to be nutty and fatty. So I just ate some and some pure nutritional yeast. I think there is a lingering bitter aftertaste when eating it pure. Sort of like a carrot.
I get a harshness in a green beer I’ve always attributed it to the yeast. But your right it could be suspended hops, maybe both
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That Non meat… meat is getting some of its flavor from yeast… I await trying some…
Sneezles61
Don’t toss the bucket yet. Try wetting the gasket with water or sanitizer then tap around the edge with the heal of your hand or a rubber mallet. Don’t kill it. Once the air lock is installed and filled, press down a little in the middle of the top to see if the liquid in it rises. That will give you an idea if there is a seal.
If it still won’t seal then it is time to use it for a bottling bucket or to sanitize stuff in.
I put a drop of iodine on a beer sample and it turned a medium brown. I believe that indicates some sugar is still in there.
The Flex on order is not pressure capable, just a good seal which makes me feel better.
Just kidding on the bucket for sale. A man can not have too many buckets.
Thanks Squeegee, on the hop sludge tasting tip. I’m lost on the descriptive flavors in beer tasting.
Just like cigars and their descriptions of coffee, chocolate, citrus, leather, pepper, earth, etc.
All I ever taste is cigar, thankfully.
So now I’ll sit and be patient for the next week and a half.
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Like a cigar, you aren’t going to be tasting much else after tasting hop sludge. 
An iodine test is used to check for conversion of starches to sugars in a mash. It will not tell you anything about fermentation.
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You are right, Loopie, I forgot that.
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Tough to take all of it in at once. No worries.
Just for the information.
They say the iodine test isn’t really necessary any longer due to the modern highly modified grain. I have a bottle so since I don’t plan on putting on a cut like mom did I do the test and it always comes out good.
You simply take a tablespoon or so of the liquid from your mash, let it cool on a white plate (I use a foam disposable bowl) and drip a couple of drops of the iodine in it. If it turns black, it is still starch and did not convert. If it is brown, you are done, it converted to sugars.
I put my iodine back in the medicine cabinet…Years ago… Seeing as how I’m getting scuffed up… daily… 
Sneezles61
That’s me too. it is unusual for me to not have a bandaid on somewhere. Knocking on wood. I try to go with soap and water and maybe Neosporin or something. When the iodine runs out, I will quit the mash test.
If thats what you do, you wouldn’t have to stop…
As a side note… I checked after about 20 minutes into the mash and conversion had been reached… that was many years ago…
Then that begs to ask a question…
The longer you mash, the more sugar extracted? I’d bet Denny/Drew have that answer…
Sneezles61
I read a long time ago that everything that happens is in the first 15 min. of the mash so you can cut time off it if you want. I figure I have time to wait an hour so why not.
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