Fermentation slowed

[BrewingRob]

I have read about homebrewing for about a decade, but I finally got the guts to start. My first beer is a blonde ale. Now, I know I'm a noob, but I'm concerned about this batch.

I picked up this ale at a local microbrewery. First of all, the directions failed to mention "Add DME and boil." Thankfully, I noticed after throwing in the first round of hops. Anyway, after this mistake, it made me leery of the following directions.

I was instructed to fill with cold water to 5 1/2 gallons. Seemed like a little too much, but I was following the directions.

The brew was started on an evening. I am on the 5th day, but the fermentation slowed on the evening of day 3. Today, if the airlock is bubbling, I can't notice it.

Also, it is very cold here. I have struggled to keep the fermentor at 70. Later, I discovered that cold isn't all that bad, and it's now resting at 63-66.

Is this normal or a blonde ale, being a lighter beer? Should I risk contamination at this point by opening it up for a reading? The OG was 1.035 (if I read it right). Seems very low.

What should I do?

 

[Bheher]

Just let it go! Sounds like its on track, might be a little low in alcohol percentage but nothing you can do about that now. I am sure it will turn out fine!

 

[RM-MN]

Let it continue. Just because it isn't bubbling doesn't mean it isn't working. In fact, let it continue for another 2 weeks if you can wait that long. It takes some time for the yeast to finish the job it started and your beer will turn out better for it.

I don't know how the other kit instructions but having brewed with kits from Midwest and Brewers Best, the instructions from Brewers Best are the easier to understand and follow.

With 5 1/2 half gallons in the fermenter, you will have sufficient to fill 48 to 50 bottles after you sort out the yeast cake at the bottom of the fermenter and what will be left when you bottle. I like having at least 2 cases + instead of not quite.

 

[RugenBrau]

Search some of Revvys post about fermentation. That should put your mind to rest. Leave it alone!!!! yeast are good house keepers and don't need your help. You'll be fine

 

[CaptChet]

I am also very new to HB but I might be able to add a bit of help here. I agree with everyone else concerning the fermentation. Let it go, be patient. As for the OG. This just happened to me and here is what I researched and the experienced guys here told me.

#1 - I assume this was all extract. So if you followed direction exactly there is really no way to miss the OG. It should be really close to what the kit said.
#2 - Unless you really agitated the wort, what prob happened was the heavier gravity wort was closer to the bottom and your reading was from the lighter gravity portion of the batch. (this was my situation). The fermentation process will mix it up for you.
#3 - When you take your samples after fermentation starts, wait at least a week or two. Again be patient. But when you do, just sanitize your thief or turkey baster inside and out and the stopper and I even spray a little star san in the carboy opening.

In the end, if you followed the directions, which sounds like you did, you are right on track!

Good Luck & Merry Christmas!

 

[BrewingRob]

Thanks! It's good to have some reassurance on the first batch in a bucket.

As far as aeration goes: I picked up the bucket and shook it. A lot. Is this enough? I let my thumb off the vent in between shaking.

Are there any tricks to testing the wort with a bucket? Is there a thief that will fit through the vent on top?

I have a carboy that could be used as a secondary fermenter. Should I use this, or should I let it go in the bucket until the 24th? I started on the 10th.

Bottling on Christmas... (maybe -- everything I have read says, "7 to 10 days," but many of you are saying, "2 weeks." Just let it sit?)

 

[ChrisS68]

Its not uncommon for visible signs to diminish in a few days; that doesn't necessarily mean fermentation is complete. Forget about 7-10 days, two weeks is a better rule of thumb (minimum) for primary. While I'm a proponent of secondaries, they're not absolutely necessary, and if time is of the essence, you're better off leaving it in primary rather than transferring to secondary prematurely. If you really want to bottle around Christmas, leave the beer alone until around then, check your gravity - if you're so inclined - then bottle.

 

[BrewingRob]

Well, despite the good advice, I have a brew-buddy who has been walking me through this first batch over the phone. I am a slave to his will. He recommended that I should rack it to a secondary last night. Since he is my primary contact, I listened. I practiced on my test batch first, making sure I knew how to use the equipment properly.

Verdict? I discovered that I was probably reading the hydrometer incorrectly when I first started using it. Maybe it was the nerves, but my common sense was shot. I did not realize that scale was by twos. Duh!

This made the OG of the big batch 1.038 or 1.039. This is far from the 1.051 from the kit's instructions, but considering my lapse of common sense, it's entirely possible that I misread this reading. The FG, as of last night, was 1.006. Seems toasty to me! It tasted like beer. Warm, flat beer, but hey, I liked it. I'm a fan of true-English ales (there was a fantastic pub that served up great ale back in grad. school). So, warm, less carbonated beer doesn't offend my senses too much (No offense, Britts! I'm on your side!). I'm letting it sit in the secondary, and I'll bottle it sometime between Christmas and Epiphany.

My test batch? Awesome. Truly awesome. While setting aside the big batch to ferment, I made another, smaller brew using my initial hydrometer sample as a start. This was the experiment. The OG was 1.058. The FG, as of last night, was just below 1.006. I used a combination of Red Star baking yeast and Nottingham, amber DME until it "looked right," a good dose of honey, and Brewer's Gold hop pellets at appropriate intervals. The total boil was 40 minutes. Before taking the hydrometer reading, I dry hopped it with Brewer's Gold 'tea' in the secondary gallon jug fermenter. As of last night, the hydrometer sample tasted great! I'll keep you posted.

Why Red Star? I was just curious. Before getting all of the brewing equipment and deciding to try and learn how to do it all the right way, I was making wine with Red Star. It always turned out pretty good, much to the surprise of my brew-buddy. It's always a little dry, but the fermentation is always fast and hard. Next time, I'm going to do a true test and just use Red Star. For Science! :rockin: