So first brew day has come and gone and I wake up and instantly go to check the fermenter...is the anyway to know within the first day that things went well with the brewing process? Or on the other side of things, if it didn't go well? Thanks for the information!!
Initial signs of failure/success?
- Thread starter rydia131
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Is your airlock bubbling? If not check the lid for tightness you might have a leak. That really dosent tell if its going good or not, beer is pretty hardy though so you kinda just have to wait it out. You'll get used to it once you've brewed a few more batches.
5oBrewing said:
Nah, no bubbling. I guess I kinda expected to see that first thing this morning because from my limited understanding I thought that since I used dry yeast that it would activate fairly quickly. I'll check the lid again before I leave for work.
SteveM
Well-Known Member
If you haven't already, don't open it. The best thing you can do as a brewer is create the conditions that the yeast need to make your beer. Every time you open the lid, especially early in the process, you create an opportunity for infection. If you've done your job right, your airlock will be bubbling away shortly.
It can take up to 72 hours to see signs of fermentation. Pitching the yeast dry,it'll have to re-hydrate first. Then it'll go through the reproductive phase to get enough cells to visually start fermenting. It might get going by the time you get home from work.
SoonerDoc
Well-Known Member
I turn out all the lights and put a flashlight face down on top of the primary bucket. You can see if krausen has formed or not through the sides of the bucket.
Cool. Well i havent opened it so im at least good on that front! I did rehydrate the yeast before pitching it. I just wasn't sure when activity would start.
On a side note...how bad is it if i didn't use sanitized water or vodka in my airlock? When reading the instructions through midwest they just said to add water...
On a side note...how bad is it if i didn't use sanitized water or vodka in my airlock? When reading the instructions through midwest they just said to add water...
It's not bad at all as long as none of the water gets sucked back into your bucket. However, it's possible for it to get sucked back in due to pressure changes and if you move the bucket around. It's safer to use vodka or some sanitizer in there just in case. It's not too late to pop up it off and add in a "safer" solution.
Remove the airlock's center piece before removing the airlock. That'll prevent any suck back while removing it. I use cheap grocery store vodka in mine. But starsan solution is ok in a pinch. But when it starts bubbling,the starsan will foam up & out the holes in the airlock cap. That's why I use cheap vodka in mine.
Just pull off the airlock. I don't think any will get sucked into the airlock by pulling it off. It usually happens to me when I try to pull off or put on the lid with the air lock attached. So for future note...if you take off or put on the lid, remove the airlock first.
If some water gets in, you're still almost guaranteed to be fine. After reading some of the crazy things on here where people "messed up" and it turns out fine, a little unsanitized water getting into the beer isn't anything. Pop it off, fill it up with some sanitizer or vodka and then try to forget about it. The first one is also the most nerve racking and hardest to wait for.
