Sorry if this is a dumb question but I just brewed my first batch of Caribou Slobber the other day and have a question about the fermentation process. After I pitched the yeast and set it in a dark closet I came back 8 hours later to find it bubbling like crazy and coming out of the airlock. I swapped out the airlock to a blow-off hose and set it in the water. Another day after that I went back to the airlock setup and it was bubbling every minute or so. I just checked it today and nothing is happening. It is 4 days after I brewed and all seems calm. There is no froth on top of the beer but it is stuck all over the sides of the jug. Is this normal or do I need to add more yeast?
This is normal. The airlock activity is not really a good indication of fermentation. Most time your airlock activity will slow down or even stop after a few days, but it may not be completely done fermenting. Let it go for 2-3 weeks in primary, then bottle it.
If you have a hydrometer, check the gravity now and for a couple of days to follow. Once the gravity remains steady for a couple of days, it’s done and ready to bottle.
Welcome to the hobby!! Enjoy and impress!!
Namaste!!!
1 gallon batches are typically fermented in 1 gallon jugs, which doesn’t make any sense as there will always be a blow off to deal with. Consider getting a 2 gallon bucket or something similar. Good news though, although yeast will heat up your beer during fermentation, it is unlikely that it increased all that much in a 1 gallon batch. Higher temps lead to off flavors. You should be relatively safe at that temp, although trying to lower it a few degrees wouldn’t hurt either, especially if you note off flavors.
