Hi all,
I've just started my second batch of homebrew. The first batch was a standard Coopers Lager from the tin but for this batch I was keen to experiment and wanted a weisbeer for the coming summer. There doesn't seem to be a "pre-packaged" weisbeer mix so I bought 3kg of 50/50 wheat/barley malt syrup and boiled it for about 30 minutes with Hersbrucker hops (which was recommended by my local brew shop) and then some more of the same hops for the last 5 minutes of the boil. My first batch had pre-hopped syrup so this is the first time I've had to perform this step. I didn't have a muslin bag handy so I threw the hops in loose - from what I've read the hops won't affect the fermentation so it's not a big deal. Anyone have an opinion on this? I poured the mixture into my fermenter and topped it off with spring water, and after some vigorous stirring I pitched the yeast. What's worrying me is that there is no C02 coming out the airlock. For my first batch there was quite a lot of activity during this period and now I'm two days into the fermentation with no action. According to some sites I've looked at this may be due to a poor seal between the lid and the fermenter although I've checked and the seal seems fine. There is a froth at the top of the wort and I've been measuring the specific gravity which has dropped from an initial of 1040 to 1020, so something's obviously happening. I'm just surprised by the radically different behaviour from my first batch.
Would anyone be able to shed some light on this behaviour?
Thanks,
Michael