2 days ago I made my first home-brew, White House Honey Ale. I was amazed at how fast the bubbles came from the fermentation. Today there are hardly any bubbles. Maybe one bubble in 2-3 minutes.
The big head of foam is gone and Im wondering if the fermentation is over. The directions say 1-2 weeks primary fermentation. So…a few questions…
ShouldI leave it alone until 1 week is up? Is this “normal”. Should I do something else to it? More yeast? Stir it? If there are no more bubbles does it hurt it to sit there? The mixture is very cloudy. I followed the directions carefully and since I have zero experience I am puzzled that this batch has apparently nearly stopped fermenting inn less than 48 hours. Any suggestions for me?
Welcome to the forum and the hobby of home brewing. Your first stage of fermentation is complete but it is important that the beer is allowed to sit for another week so the yeast can clean up after itself. The beer benefits greatly during this process. I would personally leave it in primary for 2 weeks and then you can choose to secondary for 2 weeks if you so desire. I like 2w primary, 2w secondary and 2w in the keg for conditioning.
Congrats! You’ve made beer!
Fermentation is probably winding down. It can easily finish in a couple days, especially if wort temperature is warm.
Guessing you cooled it to ‘under 80 degrees’ like the instructions say. If you continue brewing you’ll want to find a way to control fermentation temperatures so you can make the best beer.
Let I it sit for 10 -14 days at least, 3 weeks would be better unless you have a hydrometer to check gravity. Then bottle it.
OK thanx guys…I will let it sit for the full two weeks then.
I am just repeating what the other said above, but just to add on - yes. Leave at least 2 weeks especially if you are ONLY doing a primary. 2 1/2 to 3 weeks may be even better.
Which BTW I would suggest only doing a primary anyway. Many schools of thought but I tend to think moving to a seconday usually doesn’t serve much purpose, and just adds to the chance to get infection, oxygen etc. Most likely it wouldn’t, but if not needed why even bother is my thought.
but back to your core question - it is not done in 2-3 days IMO - yes it is hard but let it sit happily and quietly for ~ 2 weeks at least.
DO NOT Stir it - would add oxygen which you don’t want now. Do not add more yeast. go to the library, get a book, or rent a movie, go play golf. whatever, just let it sit alone for a few weeks (smile…).
I know it is tough.
