Fermentation stopped?

It's certainly not impossible that it's done. What temp is it at? Higher temps make fermentation go faster, although if it gets too high you'll experience some off flavors.

-------->Denny

It's about 24 degrees (should be between 20-25). However, I did have it open for about half a minute, tasted it, and now, an hour later it's bubbling away again. Did the air help it? Should it be opened every now and then so that the yeast gets air? I'm new at this :-)

Well, to start with, that's a LOT warmer than I'd recommend fermenting for best results. Your 24C translates to my 75F...in general, you want to keep temps below 70F(21C) and better at 65-67F (18-19C). You'll make better tasting beer and get fewer headache inducing fusel alcohols. Also, it sounds like you're fermenting in a bucket. It's not at all uncommon to not get a tight seal on the lid, allowing CO2 to leak out around the edges instead of going through your airlock...it's not a problem in any way other than the perception that nothing is happening! Most likely, when you replaced the lid, you got a better seal and that's why you're seeing bubbles now. What was the OG? Take a hydrometer reading and see what it is now. That's the only sure way to tell what's going on.

-------->Denny

Don't have a cooler place so it'll have to do for now. The lid hadn't been touched since it worked last, but that might have been the problem. So the fermenting process doesn't need air? I actually don't have a hydrometer and didn't take the first reading. I'm gonna get one, but this first batch will become something of a mystery ;-) Should the beer be mixed or something before it's bottled? Or is it always a good mixture? I wouldn't want to have some bottles with watery beer and some with very strong beer.

Thanks for your help!

ack, no unless you want sediment and yeast to be thoroughly mixed through your beer. The alcohol doesn't float on top or sink to the bottom, it forms a homogenous-solution, unlike say oil and water where they would seperate, so the alcohol should be consistent throughout your brew.

Are you racking to a carboy for secondary fermentation or just going to bottle from the primary? Ssecondary fermentation is not necessary but is generally recomended for better clarity, longer shelflife and a more mature tasting beer. Either way you are going to have to add priming sugar before you bottle so it's carbonated (unless you are doing a keg with forced carbonation) and i think it's generally recomneded you transfer to another santized container before adding the priming sugar so that when you mix it in you are not stiring up sediment. Generally this would be from your carboy after secondary fermentaton into your sanitised primary fermentor with the priming sugar solution.

hope this helps, and if i've made any errs i'm sure someone will correct me soon enough :)

happy brewing

Not once it's started. It's a good idea to aerate your wort by shaking or stirring (or something) when you first pitch your yeast, though. The yeast uses the O2 in the wort to synthesize sterols that it uses to build cell walls for yeast growth. Once fermentation has started, though, you want to avoid aerating the wort. It will give it a "wet carboard" or sherry-like taste if you do. But opening the fermenter for a few minutes certainly won't hurt...it won't help, but it won't hurt!

The action of fermentation will do all the mixing you need...you'll be fine. I highly recommend you get a hydrometer and learn to use it, though. They're cheap, easy to use, and can give you a lot of information about what's going on in your beer.

---------->Denny

BTW, if you haven't seen it already, check out

-------->Denny

Ok. Thanks a lot for the info! The site (howtobrew.com) looks great, thanks for the tip!

I'm gonna bottle it directly from the primary (and add sugar in the process). This is my first batch, if I'll do more I'll think about buying better equipment (so that I can do secondary fermentation, etc). Thanks for the help.

I thought the wet cardboard/sherry flavours were due to HSA - so I thought I just read somewhere.

Life begins at 49 - 49 twaddle, that is.

Depends strongly on temp. and yeast strain also. I usually ferment my ales at around 70 deg. F (due mostly to the fact that I can't control the temp and that is the temp in the house) and after a couple of days, most of the action has ceased. I leave them in the primary for a total of 5-7 days and then put in a secondary for another couple of weeks or so, depending on how the beer is clearing. Very little fermentation goes on in the secondary; I could put it in the secondary earlier but I like to have a bit more of the solids drop out of it in the primary so I leave it there for a week.

I would wait a good week before attempting to bottle if I was not going to use a secondary fermentation. If the fermentation got off to a good start and the temp was kept above 60 deg., chances are overwhelmingly in favor of no problems. Just let it go.