No CO2, No Krausen? Old Ale Recipe

[Dinomyte]

I'm now on my 4th batch and wanted an Old Ale, similar to Old Peculiar and I made this recipe based off a OP clone I found online.

Specialty
1 lbs 0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
0 lbs 6 oz Chocolate Malt
0 lbs 6 oz Black Malt
0 lbs 4 oz Wheat, Torrified

Fermentables
3 lbs 0 oz Briess Dark DME - 60 min
1 lbs 8 oz Briess CBW Golden Light - 60 min
0 lbs 8 oz Belgian Candi Syrup - 15 min
0 lbs 4 oz Molasses - 15 min
1 lbs 0 oz Belgian Candy Sugar Dark - 0 min

Hops
1.0 oz Fuggles pellets - 5.1 AA 60 min
1.0 oz Fuggles pellets - 5.1 AA 15 min

Yeast
Wyeast Belgian Abby Ale (1214) Smack Pack

OG 1.068

Brewed it on the evening of 8/10 and everything went well. It's the first time I've used a smack pack, (everything else was dry pitch) so I just followed the directions. Smacked it before I started brewing and pitched it into 65 deg F wort 4 hours after breaking it open. The pack didn't swell as expected but the instructions said it didn't need to swell all the way so I continued on. In hindsight, I now realize I should have doubled my yeast and a starter would have helped greatly but now I know.

Woke the next morning expecting evidence of fermentation but found nothing. No bubbles that evening (I agitated the wort) and finally, no bubbles/krausen this morning either. Got a bit worried and took a gravity reading and it's now 1.050 so they're doing their job but no other evidence of it! The top of the fermenter is sealed well as far as I can tell. Guess it's just surprising me and wondering if it's common.

Is it possible have fermentation with out giving off CO2 in noticeable amounts?
When I bottle, will there be decent carbonation?

 

[mthelm85]

As long as the gravity reading is dropping, you are good to go. You probably just have some CO2 escaping from somewhere, which is fine. This won't affect carbonation in the final product at all. As long as the gravity continues to drop and reaches your expected final gravity, you know your yeast are alive and well so the beer will carb up without any problems.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

If it's fermenting, you're good to go. Co2 releasing from an airlock means nothing. You most likely have a small leak in the bucket lid or something. The beer will be fine and it'll carbonate fine as long as you add the proper amount of priming sugar at bottling time.

 

[Dinomyte]

Thanks
Hope that is the problem. Don't wan't to leave it dormant and risk infection for too long. Now I'll have to check and make sure there isn't a leak. Would be good to make sure it's sealed properly to avoid getting an infection in later batches.

 

[mewithstewpid]

did u take an OG reading or is that what was expected? Because it seems kind of high for the fermentables put it. I will put them into my calculator and see though.

 

[Germelli1]

I ahve one fermenter that ferments out without a blip in the airlock. The lid doesn't seal all the way but who cares, c02 is escaping so nothing is getting in. A lot of commercial Breweries actually ferment in open vats

 

[Dinomyte]

did u take an OG reading or is that what was expected? Because it seems kind of high for the fermentables put it. I will put them into my calculator and see though.

That was my actual OG reading using a hydrometer, calibrated a couple of weeks ago so I'm pretty sure it's fairly accurate. My expected OG was 1.060 according to hopville.com calculations here. http://hopville.com/recipe/800519/old-ale-recipes/peculiar-clone

 

[mewithstewpid]

did u take an OG reading or is that what was expected? Because it seems kind of high for the fermentables put it. I will put them into my calculator and see though.

ok i put the recipe in and got 1.048 as an OG

so 1.05 to me says it is not doing anything.

Please let me know if i made a mistake somewhere.


% LB OZ Malt or Fermentable

48% 3 0 Briess Dark DME

24% 1 8 Briess CBW Golden Light
16% 1 0 Belgian Soft Candi Sugar - Brown
8% 0 8 Belgian Dark Candi Syrup
4% 0 4 Molasses
Batch size: 5.0 gallons edit


Original Gravity
1.048 / 11.9° Plato
(1.043 to 1.050)
Final Gravity
1.012 / 3.1° Plato
(1.010 to 1.013)
Color
20° SRM / 39° EBC
(Light Brown to Medium Brown)
Late Boil Additions
Show | Hide

 

[mewithstewpid]

That was my actual OG reading using a hydrometer, calibrated a couple of weeks ago so I'm pretty sure it's fairly accurate. My expected OG was 1.060 according to hopville.com calculations here. http://hopville.com/recipe/800519/old-ale-recipes/peculiar-clone

hmmm, well then i have no idea good luck man.

 

[Dinomyte]

I ahve one fermenter that ferments out without a blip in the airlock. The lid doesn't seal all the way but who cares, c02 is escaping so nothing is getting in. A lot of commercial Breweries actually ferment in open vats

Good point. Guess I'm just being paranoid about infections. Better safe than tasting band-aids until it's gone!

 

[Germelli1]

I agree it is good to be concerned with sanitation! Just when a beer is actively fermenting you know the C02 being produced is pushing everything else out!

 

[mewithstewpid]

I agree it is good to be concerned with sanitation! Just when a beer is actively fermenting you know the C02 being produced is pushing everything else out!

but there is no krausen.

if the yeast were working, there should be a krausen.


take a gravity reading in a couple days to really determine if they are fermenting.

 

[Germelli1]

but there is no krausen.

if the yeast were working, there should be a krausen.


take a gravity reading in a couple days to really determine if they are fermenting.

Good point!

I have had a few beers that fermented with just minimal foam for krausen so the only real way to tell is if the gravity is changing!

 

[Dinomyte]

Good news is that when I got home there was krausen formed.

I stopped by Founders and had some old curmudgeon on the way home from work and contemplated what to do. Must have been the Old Ale spirit that got it moving!