Fermentation question

Northern Brewer General
1

Hi,

last Sunday (3 days ago) I made another brew. It was a RyeIPA.

There was a bit of a problem with the Wyeast package (it was already inflated, so I could not crack the internal nutrients bag). As a compromise I decided to make a yeast starter the day before.
After one day the starter looked fine, smelled ok and was responsive to stirring.

After the Sunday brew, I pitched and put the beer in the basement. Checked it every day, no bubbles what soever from the air-lock. Not on Monday, Tuesday and today. Could this be ok? Or is this a problem?

Any input more than welcome!

Pete

2

72 hours is generally when I start to worry that fermentation has or has not kicked in.

Remember though, airlock activity or lack thereof doesn’t reflect what’s actually going on inside the fermenter.

I’d give it one more day, take a gravity reading to see if anything is happening, and if not - pitch another pack of yeast.

3

Was there signs of fermentation with the starter? Krausen and release of CO2 when you swirled it?

How big of a starter did you make?

Which yeast strain is it? Yes I could look at the kit and come up with the answer, but I’m lazy/busy. :wink:

4

@nighthawk:
The starter seemed healthy enough. With a bit of Krausen and releasing CO2 when I swirled it.
It was a starter of 1000ml or roughly 0.25 gallon.
Strain: Wyeast 1056.

I decided to open the fermentor (NB bucket) and there was a very healthy bubbling Krausen visible to my surprise :slight_smile:

So probably the grommet or the lid of the bucket does not close completely? It is a new bucket I just recently bought…

Well the good news is that the beer is fermenting. Have to find out what the problem is with the bucket.

5

[quote=“pete_brewer”]@nighthawk:
The starter seemed healthy enough. With a bit of Krausen and releasing CO2 when I swirled it.
It was a starter of 1000ml or roughly 0.25 gallon.
Strain: Wyeast 1056.

I decided to open the fermentor (NB bucket) and there was a very healthy bubbling Krausen visible to my surprise :slight_smile:

So probably the grommet or the lid of the bucket does not close completely? It is a new bucket I just recently bought…

Well the good news is that the beer is fermenting. Have to find out what the problem is with the bucket.[/quote]
I use carboys so the air lock is a fair indicator of fermentation activity. Not unusual at all for buckets to leak. Most say it is not a big deal, but I personally would worry about something getting in there, whether it be airborne or mechanically introduced.

Try sealing your bucket with painters tape. Comes off easily and does not leave a sticky residue.

6

Well as long as fermentation is going on, it’s hard for anything to get in if the leak is not too big (at which time it would be quite obvious). The CO2 from the fermentation process will create a positive pressure.

So I think I agree that it is no big deal, however it is kind of disappointing to buy a bucket and have it not seal properly.