First Time Fermentation Question

[sdatish]

I've been brewing beer for about 5 years and started my first wine kit last night. It's the Selection Original Luna Rossa. I'm use to seeing a lot of activity in the primary when brewing beer. Does a wine like the one in the kit I used have a lot of activity? Should I expect to see a krausen like foam and rapid bubbling from the airlock in the primary fermenter within a day or two? Thanks. -Steve

[oldstyle]

i just made that same wine last thursday and it's really mellow fermentation. no real evidence of activity inside the carboy, and no need for a blowoff or anything like that just a slow steady bubbling in the airlock. my basement smells like my LHBS. delicious

[sdatish]

Thanks for the feedback. About how often should the airlock be bubbling during primary fermentation?

[Musher]

To some degree, yeast is yeast. You shouldn't expect a major difference in behavior over brewing . There will probably have a 12 to 24 hour lag time while the little yeasties get busy raising the population. Serious bubbling and foaming should be under way in 24 to 48 hours. Lag time and foaming depends a lot on the specific yeast. Kit yeasts tend to be more aggressive to help keep the time line short. Don't be surprised if it suddenly goes nuts on you. As in 6 gl in a 6.5 gl carboy may not keep things contained, the standard 7.9 gl brew bucket should do the trick though. You should have very steady bubbling once it's up and running.