Airlock Bubbling

[jimi007]

Hi

I have started to brew coopers pale ale with BE2. I've kept it at a temp between 22-24 degrees.
It has been brewing for 1.5 days now

There are bubbles in the airlock and the water moves up and down very slowly.
Is this a good sign or should it be bubbling quite a bit now.

thanks

Jimi

 

[tredog]

It can vary greatly between kits etc.

I had a kit that bubbled furiously for three days and then stopped completely. Then I had a kit that bubbled very slowly for a week +

 

[pint of lager]

Hi Jimi, welcome to the site.

Don't use the airlock as a guide to fermentation. Often there is an airleak and the airlock is not bubbling, even though your yeast are doing their job.

Is there a ring of scum on the surface? Or a ring of scum on the fermenter at the beer surface?

Is there an aroma of fermenting near the fermenter?

Is there condensation on the lid?

These are all good indicators that your brew is working.

The best way to check is with a hydrometer. pour a sample into your hydrometer tube and float teh hydrometer. If the sample is nice and frothy, that is a sure sign.

 

[jimi007]

Hi Jimi, welcome to the site.

Don't use the airlock as a guide to fermentation. Often there is an airleak and the airlock is not bubbling, even though your yeast are doing their job.

Is there a ring of scum on the surface? Or a ring of scum on the fermenter at the beer surface?

Is there an aroma of fermenting near the fermenter?

Is there condensation on the lid?

These are all good indicators that your brew is working.

The best way to check is with a hydrometer. pour a sample into your hydrometer tube and float teh hydrometer. If the sample is nice and frothy, that is a sure sign.

Looks like there's a ring of scum on the fermenter and smells like it's doing it's job.
There is condensation on the lid.
My hydrometer reading was 1.012 on one day. the next day it's around 1.011. ( I forgot to check reading when pitching the yeast so hopefully this is ok)
My temp is sitting between 20 and 22 degrees and the beer in the hydrometer is a tiny bit fizzy and also frothy.
It's been about 3 days so far.

Is there anything else i should be looking out for or does it look like it's going along nicely for my first brew?

thanks for help so far

Jimi

 

[pint of lager]

Sounds like it is all going well and you can sit back and relax.

So long as the fermenter is keeping bugs and dust out, plus the brew is fermenting, don't worry about the airlock not bubbling.

The usual starting gravity for a kit brew is about 1.045, so your brew is definitely fermenting.

The fizzyness of the hydrometer sample is normal too for an actively fermenting sample. Makes it hard to get a decent reading while it is actively fermenting.

After 7-10 days, you can start doing more sg checks. When they are stable for 2-3 days, it is ready to bottle.

Your brew is fine sitting quietly in the fermenter for another week after this. It will actually help the end result by allowing more yeast to drop out of suspension. This means less yeast into the bottles and less sediment.

 

[jimi007]

Sounds like it is all going well and you can sit back and relax.

So long as the fermenter is keeping bugs and dust out, plus the brew is fermenting, don't worry about the airlock not bubbling.

The usual starting gravity for a kit brew is about 1.045, so your brew is definitely fermenting.

The fizzyness of the hydrometer sample is normal too for an actively fermenting sample. Makes it hard to get a decent reading while it is actively fermenting.

After 7-10 days, you can start doing more sg checks. When they are stable for 2-3 days, it is ready to bottle.

Your brew is fine sitting quietly in the fermenter for another week after this. It will actually help the end result by allowing more yeast to drop out of suspension. This means less yeast into the bottles and less sediment.

Just another few questions

The brew has now been going for about 6 days. I've checked the hydrometer for the past few days. It's been sitting at around 1.010.
Still a bit of fizz in hydrometer sample but less than before. temp has been at 20-21 degrees constantly.
Would this be safe to bottle if the hydrometer reads 1.010 for the next few days or should i be expecting it to drop to 1.008 or below. It's for CPA
The sample looks and smells ok.

Does the sample have to be clear of fizzyness before bottling?

 

[itguy1953]

Does the sample have to be clear of fizzyness before bottling?
[/quote]

Do not worry about the fizzyness. This is just CO2 dissolved in the beer. The colder the beer, the more CO2 is dissolved in it. The CO2 has come from the fermentation. When you add sugar or dextrose for secondary fermentation, you increase the CO2 level further. Approx 50% of the ultimate CO2 comes from the beer direct from the primary fermenter, and half from secondary fermentation.

Just make sure your FG is stable over 2-3 days, then bottle.

Barry

 

[Cocko]

Just make sure your FG is stable over 2-3 days, then bottle.

Thats all there is to it!

You can also let it sit for a while in the primary and let the yeast fall out of suspension and your beer will clear a little... but I know, I know you wanna get another brewing!!

3 days on the same SG and bottle, we don't no bottle bombs!