I have the starter kit and this is my first batch. I need some guidance.
I started the fermentation process of my beer four days ago and I don’t see any foam and any movement in the airlock the fourth day. Should I leave it longer to finish the one or two week period?
How can I tell the process of fermentation is finished? I read in a lot of responses to other question similar to mine, was to test with a hydrometer, which I don’t have.
I also read about leaving it longer after the activity of the fermentation is done, to let the yeast “clean up”. Is that okay?
My ultimate questions are can I leave the beer for longer time before bottling it or would it hurt the process? How time sensitive is the process between the finish of fermentation and bottling?
I’m never in a rush to bottle a beer. My beers will be in the primary fermentor, don’t use a secondary vessel, for at least 21 days. I have a Belgian tripel in primary now. I will primary this one about six weeks.
I’m guessing your primary fermentor is a bucket. Often the bucket lids don’t seal well. The CO2 produced by the fermentation will escape around the rim, rather than being pushed through the air lock. It would not hurt to pull the air lock and look for krausen formation indicating a progressing fermentation. Sanitize the area of the air lock first. (A flash light held to the opposite side of the bucket can also show if a krausen is present. Just like candling an egg.)
Plan on leaving your beer in the primary for a while. A beer is usually done fermenting when the krausen drops and the yeast and sediment drop out clearing the beer. This is hard to see with a bucket. I use glass carboys so it is easy to see when this happens. With out a hydrometer to test specific gravity extra time will be your safety net. Bottling before fermentation is complete will result in over carbonation, and possible exploding bottles.
There is nothing gained by getting a beer out of the fermentor as quickly as possible. There is a lot going on in there, especially near the end of the fermentation when the yeast are slowly finishing the last of the fermentables. Only after fermentation is completed can the beer begin to clear and be ready for bottling.
[quote=“flars”]I’m never in a rush to bottle a beer. My beers will be in the primary fermentor, don’t use a secondary vessel, for at least 21 days. I have a Belgian tripel in primary now. I will primary this one about six weeks.
I’m guessing your primary fermentor is a bucket. Often the bucket lids don’t seal well. The CO2 produced by the fermentation will escape around the rim, rather than being pushed through the air lock. It would not hurt to pull the air lock and look for krausen formation indicating a progressing fermentation. Sanitize the area of the air lock first. (A flash light held to the opposite side of the bucket can also show if a krausen is present. Just like candling an egg.)
Plan on leaving your beer in the primary for a while. A beer is usually done fermenting when the krausen drops and the yeast and sediment drop out clearing the beer. This is hard to see with a bucket. I use glass carboys so it is easy to see when this happens. With out a hydrometer to test specific gravity extra time will be your safety net. Bottling before fermentation is complete will result in over carbonation, and possible exploding bottles.
There is nothing gained by getting a beer out of the fermentor as quickly as possible. There is a lot going on in there, especially near the end of the fermentation when the yeast are slowly finishing the last of the fermentables. Only after fermentation is completed can the beer begin to clear and be ready for bottling.[/quote]
+1 to all the above.
The best way I can say it is, when the krausen falls and it looks like there is no longer any activity, and the beer changes from being very cloudy to being much more clear, and if you taste it, it tastes like beer and not sweet, then fermentation is done or almost done. At that point if you wait an EXTRA 3 or 4 days, or even a whole week, as insurance, then it should be safe to bottle. You certainly do not want to bottle too early, lest you have gushers or dangerous bombs – seriously!
Welcome to the hobby, I hope you enjoy your first batch!!
First, thank you for the quick, and complete responses! I appreciate it!
I have a glass 1 gallon container, so I will definitely do the flashlight test. I only have a three piece airlock, which could be letting the gas escape. My room temperature is around 72. Is that too high?
The instructions of the starter brewing kit says 2 weeks, do you think it would be “safe” to leave it past that?
Perfectly safe to wait for even 2 months if you wanted to, but if it’s done fermenting then you’d just be wasting time and possible freshness. But when in doubt, yeah, sure, it’s safe to wait longer.
[quote=“Juanderous”]First, thank you for the quick, and complete responses! I appreciate it!
I have a glass 1 gallon container, so I will definitely do the flashlight test. I only have a three piece airlock, which could be letting the gas escape. My room temperature is around 72. Is that too high?
The instructions of the starter brewing kit says 2 weeks, do you think it would be “safe” to leave it past that?
I am still questioning the time period. Haha.[/quote]
No arguments with flars and Dave’s posts. With glass, you don’t need to use a flashlight, just look.
Just curious, you said no foam or airlock activity on the fourth day. Did you have any activity? As in, are you sure fermentation even started?
I like to keep my temps low to mid 60s. You are safe leaving past the suggested 2 weeks.
