First Batch - Smashing Pumpkin Ale

nolajay73 · April 25, 2014, 2:51pm

I brewed my first small batch on Easter Sunday. I used the Northern Brewer Small Batch kit with the Smashing Pumpkin Ale recipe kit. On Tuesday, there was some foam and lots of activity in the airlock. As of last night, the foam is approaching the top of the fermentor but there is no activity in the airlock. Should I be worried? I don’t have a cool space in the 60’s, but the fermentor is sitting inside of a rubbermaid container and covered with a box. It is in the corner of my living room, away from air vents, which is kept at 70 degrees. I know I’m supposed to wait until the foam subsides and the sediment subsides to the bottom. But, no activity in the airlock. I will be away for a few days starting tonight. Should I just let it go until I return, and possibly bottle next weekend? That would give it two weeks of fermentation.

Jay

loopie_beer · April 25, 2014, 8:25pm

Will you need a blow off? Not sure because we can’t actually see the fermenter. Should you be worried? Kind of because blow offs are messy. Will it ruin you beer? No. I would suggest starting with a blow off tube installed then you don’t yave to worry about the krausen creeping up the neck. Better yet get a 2 gal plastic fermenter then you don’t have to worry about blow off and loss of beer.

Airlock activity is not a tried and true method. Yeast will continue their work cleaning up byproducts long after airlock activity has ceased. In addition the bung/stopper may have a leak and thus isn’t showing any activity. Take hydrometer or refractometer readings to confirm.

There is no harm letting it sit in primary for 3-4 weeks so I would leave it there and bottle when you get back.

nolajay73 · April 28, 2014, 10:06pm

Thanks Josh! I just returned home and things seem to be settling. Yesterday made a week of fermenting. I’m gonna let it go another week, and bottle this weekend. I was going to switch the airlock for a blow off tube today, but I think I’m safe now. Any tips for bottling using the auto-siphon and bottling tube included with the small batch kit?

Jay