Hey All.
I brewed my first batch on 6/17/2013. I followed the NB American Wheat instructions to a T. I purchased my essentials kit with the extract kit within the past two weeks.
Anyways, 48 hours after, no action through the airlock.
72 hours… same, a little worried.
96 hours… same, cracked open top of bucket and saw that there was a “foamy mass” on top…and still worried.
Any advice would be helpful. The bucket sits in the basement where it is dark and a 64-66 degrees.
dub.
The “foamy mass” is the krausen. You have fermentation going on. Take a hydrometer reading and you will verify this.
Sometime the pails don’t seal well enough to make the air lock bubble. No big deal.
[quote=“Nighthawk”]The “foamy mass” is the krausen. You have fermentation going on. Take a hydrometer reading and you will verify this.
Sometime the pails don’t seal well enough to make the air lock bubble. No big deal.[/quote]
+1
Take a gravity reading and give it time.
Awesome, thanks for the replies everyone. Not experiencing the whole process from boil to bottle and just watching Youtube videos, I just wasn’t sure if it was ok.
I’ll take a hydrometer reading and post the results. Thanks again!
dub.
I agree - sounds like you did not have a strong enough seal for the air lock and the gas was exiting from somewhere else
should be fine BUT to be safe push that lid down super well.
It is possible to buy airlock that the bottom is sealed shut, has happened to me a couple times, gas is escaping elsewhere. You have Krausen so your fine just let it go
Don’t judge your fermentation by the airlock activity. I’ve had plenty of brews where there was little or no airlock activity, and the beer fermented out just fine. The “foamy mass” pretty much shows that your beer is fermenting.
Take a gravity reading after a week or two has passed. If it is still very high, pitch more yeast.
This morning I checked my first brew after about 36 hours of starting fermentation and I didn’t see much of a krausen. There was a small amount of foam in the middle but the edges were clean and starting to look clearer.
I had a blow out within the first 12 hours of fermentation and have since gone back to the airlock after using a blow off setup. Originally when going back to the airlock there was a lot of airlock action and I could see bubbles happening in the brew. Now there is no airlock action and I can’t see any bubbles.
Like I read on this thread, I shouldn’t judge on airlock activity but now how will I know when my brew is ready for bottling? :?:
I’ve been trying to keep it as cool as possible in my dark closet but it is 90 degrees out here in San Luis Obispo, Calif. so it might be bad timing to try making my first brew. (the closet feels a lot closer to 70 maybe 75 though.)
FYI this is my first time and it’s the 1 gallon small batch starter kit with the white house honey ale.
Thanks!
:cheers:
[quote=“sammysam”]This morning I checked my first brew after about 36 hours of starting fermentation and I didn’t see much of a krausen. There was a small amount of foam in the middle but the edges were clean and starting to look clearer.
I had a blow out within the first 12 hours of fermentation and have since gone back to the airlock after using a blow off setup. Originally when going back to the airlock there was a lot of airlock action and I could see bubbles happening in the brew. Now there is no airlock action and I can’t see any bubbles.
Like I read on this thread, I shouldn’t judge on airlock activity but now how will I know when my brew is ready for bottling? :?:
I’ve been trying to keep it as cool as possible in my dark closet but it is 90 degrees out here in San Luis Obispo, Calif. so it might be bad timing to try making my first brew. (the closet feels a lot closer to 70 maybe 75 though.)
FYI this is my first time and it’s the 1 gallon small batch starter kit with the white house honey ale.
Thanks!
:cheers: [/quote]
Give it 3 weeks then bottle
[quote=“560sdl”][quote=“sammysam”]This morning I checked my first brew after about 36 hours of starting fermentation and I didn’t see much of a krausen. There was a small amount of foam in the middle but the edges were clean and starting to look clearer.
I had a blow out within the first 12 hours of fermentation and have since gone back to the airlock after using a blow off setup. Originally when going back to the airlock there was a lot of airlock action and I could see bubbles happening in the brew. Now there is no airlock action and I can’t see any bubbles.
Like I read on this thread, I shouldn’t judge on airlock activity but now how will I know when my brew is ready for bottling? :?:
I’ve been trying to keep it as cool as possible in my dark closet but it is 90 degrees out here in San Luis Obispo, Calif. so it might be bad timing to try making my first brew. (the closet feels a lot closer to 70 maybe 75 though.)
FYI this is my first time and it’s the 1 gallon small batch starter kit with the white house honey ale.
Thanks!
:cheers: [/quote]
Give it 3 weeks then bottle[/quote]
Feel free to start a new thread. Keeps things on track. 
For the best beer, keep fermentation temps in the mid 60’s. See my signature line for ideas on keeping things cool with minimal gear.
Your beer is likely done. But there are byproduct of fermentation that the yeast “clean up” later. So like 560sdl said, leave it sit for 3 weeks. Then bottle.
Im in a similar situation as the OP. my bucket arrived and was mis-shaped, so i know i’m not getting a tight seal. after 72 hrs, i have seen the water levels change a bit in the airlock, but no bubbling. i was cautioned about being careful not to backwash the water from the airlock when cracking the lid. how do i avoid this? is this actually much of a concern?
you dont…use vodka, star san, or something like that don’t use water
you dont…use vodka, star san, or something like that don’t use water[/quote]
Due to the high foam factor of star san in an active air-lock, I tend to mix the starsan solution I make to sanitize everything with a little more water when in the airlock so it doesn’t all bubble out.
I’ve been brewing since April, and have had several brews that didn’t appear to cause any action with the bubbler airlocks, but they still turned out GREAT. I recommend going with a 3 piece airlock just because it tends to give a little more indication that something is happening inside because the “floater” will keep floating.
