Drunken question about muh Block Party Ale

[hungoveraviator]

This is my first rodeo and the directions say 1-2 weeks after the initial process. Can I open the ****ing thing and see if it is fermenting? Will that be bad? I have no idea what I'm doing http://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/images/smilies/drunk.gif

 

[Donmega]

Best way to be safe is to take hydrometer readings, If they haven't moved after 48 hrs then you should be safe to bottle, personally I used to ignore instructions on kit brews when I started out and would leave the brew in primary fermentation for at least 3 weeks.. It lets the yeast clean up after themselves.. Have patience if you can, but it's hard with ur first brews [emoji481]

 

[RM-MN]

Sure you can open it up. That's how you find out what happened. Look at the sides of the fermenter just above the beer. Any brown gunk stuck there indicates that it fermented. Bunches of mold on the top of the beer says that you forgot to add the yeast and the wort spoiled.

Smell the fermenter. Does it smell like beer? (hint: just take a small sniff, if it fermented the gas above the liquid will be CO2 and it will burn your nose). If it smells like beer, you win. If it smells putrid, you failed and get to throw it out, scrub out the fermenter as pennance, and brew again.

 

[bransona]

Just be careful. You don't want to infect or oxygenate your brew. I regularly pop the lids on fermenters that aren't bubbling. Most recently I brewed an ipa with us-05. Ended up with one of those turtle-shell-esque krausens so it never bubbled once but fermented completely

 

[hungoveraviator]

So far, I see not much on the top of it and no mold or anything of the like. I'm at the 1 week mark. Do I need to be worried? Through the cap on the bucket, it did make bubbles for the first few days. I know I probably sound completely retarded, but whatever

 

[bransona]

Those are reasonable questions! It sounds like you're fine and should bottle in another week or so

 

[RM-MN]

So far, I see not much on the top of it and no mold or anything of the like. I'm at the 1 week mark. Do I need to be worried? Through the cap on the bucket, it did make bubbles for the first few days. I know I probably sound completely retarded, but whatever

It should only bubble for a couple days so you are fine if it bubbled then. Your beer should be fine. Here's a short article about how yeast go through making your beer. It might ease your mind. http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

 

[hungoveraviator]

It should only bubble for a couple days so you are fine if it bubbled then. Your beer should be fine. Here's a short article about how yeast go through making your beer. It might ease your mind. http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

Thanks, that helped!