I created a wort on Thursday. It took a day to start bubbling and it has been bubbling ever since - now 8 days. A bubble in the air lock every 12 seconds or so. Is this normal?
- posted
19 years ago
I created a wort on Thursday. It took a day to start bubbling and it has been bubbling ever since - now 8 days. A bubble in the air lock every 12 seconds or so. Is this normal?
It can be with a high malt concentration, high or rising temperatures, enzymes added to promote complete fermentation, poor initial aeration or mixing, low yeast activity at the start, etc.
Long fermentation could be from the slow start -
Are you using a blow off technique for the primary fermentation?.
You're probably fine.... although depending on your sanitation technique, there is a slight possibility that it is contaminated. Assuming you've used a plastic bucket, when the fermentation slows down to around one bubble per minute, open it up and check it out. Of course, if you have a glass carboy, you can look in from the outside. Either way, do you see any clumps of fuzzy white stuff or anything unusual like that? It happened to me once. But I'd give it a few more days..... I'm guessing it's probably just fine, just got off to a slow start. If you didn't use a starter, next time use one, and be sure to aerate the wort very well when pitching the yeast to give the yeast enough oxygen to get started.
No idea what the blow off method is.
I've just got a coopers plastic fermentation container with a clear lid. When I look inside, it is just a mass of tan coloured bubbles - at bit like a milk shake - smells like roast bananas. Last week the bubbles got so high they were comming out of the air lock.
I cleaned the air lock out with clean fresh water and put it back. Fortunately they have subsided a bit. Probably about 2-3cms thick now. A bubble every 5 seconds now.
I used a wyeast smack pack. That took about 24 hours to expand so maybe it is just slow acting yeast.
That's what blow off is all about . . . bubbles out the airlock. Not really for plastic; works better in glass. The neck of the carboy funnels the stuff floating on top out of the carboy during the early stages of fermentation (hops and grain particles etc.) Makes for a better tasting "cleaner/clearer" brew. You will lose 1-3 bottles of wort (the downside)
The blow off apparatus is just a plastic tube going from the carboy stopper down into a gallon jug holding 1" of water (the airlock during blow off). When the blow off stage is finished (usually 24 hours from the start of blow off, which is usually 5-8 hours after the yeast is pitched) the tube is taken out and cleaned and a stopper with a regular airlock is put in place.
On the theory that strong alcohol kills yeast - I've been filling my bubbler air locks with whiskey.
24 hours is what I usually see with the wyeast liquids.
MERCY ! Your LHBS must have some OLD smak paks, mine are ready to pitch in 5 hours and ferment 4 hours after pitching, of course I'm doing ales, so my higher temps (73F) encourage yeasts activity
Your bananna odor is a symptom of a fermentation event that occurs in Ales where the temp is in the high 70's...Any time the temp stays above
75 for a length of time, you'll get that odor (the textbooks say..I havent observed it personally).If you can get your fermenter into a swamp and lower it below 75, frequently the intermediaries making that odor will be metabolized by the yeast and a good secondary and long period in the bottle will serve you well to restoring the correct flavors
Yodar
Well it is still going strong (11 days and counting). Bubble every 8 seconds. No sign of an infection (no white floaties or movement).
The temperature of my wort has been between 20 and 24 degrees. I have a stick on thermometer.
I think the mass of bubbles is subsiding.
I would estimate that there is about 1.5cm of white dead yeast cells at the bottom.
My "brewing for dummies" book suggest that if it keeps of going for 3 weeks, it could be an infection.
When it slows down, I may try to do a secondary.
Gawd! Tiny, I hope your temperature isnt CENTIGRADE ! 22 degrees centigrade is ABOUT 80F FAR too hot ! If it's fahrenheit, your beer is FROZEN !
Yodar
T> Well it is still going strong (11 days and counting). Bubble every 8
Actually, 22 C is 71.6 F... not too bad, but could stand to be a bit cooler. Might I suggest wrapping a moist towel around the fermenter, and perhaps blowing a fan on it? Unless the relative humidity is 100%, this should keep your fermentation a few degrees cooler, and cooler temperatures will reduce that (dare I say) nasty banana aroma. Although for this batch, it is probably already too late. But at least for next time, consider keeping your fermentation less than 21-22 C if possible. The wet towel method is just one easy way to do it.
It is in the bath tub at the moment.
It has almost stopped bubbling with almost no froth on top now.
I'll probably bottle it on Saturday.
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