nmendres
Member
I'm a newbie and I'm just finishing up my 3rd 5 gallon batch (a great coffee stout).
I have a Brewer's Best 6.5 gallon plastic fermenter bucket. I've noticed that on my first batch my airlock was very active for the first 3-4 days. I was brewing a Hefeweizen. I have a temperature strip down the side of the fermenter. The bucket got warm (76 degrees) during krausen. That's probably why I saw all the airlock activity. At the start of fermentation, I could push down slightly on the lid and air bubbles would come out the airlock. Just checking to see whether the airlock was functioning. Any off flavors were probably covered by the taste of the Hefeweizen. It was great; I still have four bottles.
On my second batch, a milk chocolate stout, the airlock was less active during fermentation. I could push down on the bucket lid slightly at the start of fermentation and get bubbles out the airlock. Ferment temperature was still in the mid to low 70's at peak, but still tasted pretty good/great.
My third batch was a coffee stout. The airlock was only active for four hours after a delay of two days before fermentation started. I got concerned and decided to check SG, and it was 1.022 (OG was 1.056). My recipe FG is 1.015. I did my push test and the airlock was OK. I waited a week after start of fermentation and did another SG check, this time 1.016 (almost home). My recipe says to fermentation should take two weeks. I've racked this batch to my 6 gallon glass carboy.
I've been reading Charlie Papazian's The Complete Joy of Homebrewing like a bible. I have dog-eared pages. He discusses "open" and "closed" fermenters. Most other folks have commented on these forums that if you aren't seeing airlock activity that your fermenter must have a leak somewhere. With my plastic bucket vermenter and snap on lid, I can kind of buy that conclusion that I might have a very small leak and CO2 is getting out instead of the airlock. Charlie comments that with an "open fermenter", fermenting wort should not stay in that condition for more than a week, but should be racked to a "closed fermenter" to reduced the possibility of contamination.
I know that's a lot of info.
Ok here's my question(s). Are plastic brewing buckets with airlocks considered open fermenters if they have small air leaks? If I brew this stout again, am I at risk of getting contamination while using my bucket for a full two weeks as my recipe calls for? or shoudl I just rack it at the end of week one?
PS: I haven't had a bad brew so far, everything has come out pretty good.
I'm considering getting a 6.5 gallon carboy, and only using my 6.5 gallon bucket for recipes that call for a 1 week-ish ferment.
I have a Brewer's Best 6.5 gallon plastic fermenter bucket. I've noticed that on my first batch my airlock was very active for the first 3-4 days. I was brewing a Hefeweizen. I have a temperature strip down the side of the fermenter. The bucket got warm (76 degrees) during krausen. That's probably why I saw all the airlock activity. At the start of fermentation, I could push down slightly on the lid and air bubbles would come out the airlock. Just checking to see whether the airlock was functioning. Any off flavors were probably covered by the taste of the Hefeweizen. It was great; I still have four bottles.
On my second batch, a milk chocolate stout, the airlock was less active during fermentation. I could push down on the bucket lid slightly at the start of fermentation and get bubbles out the airlock. Ferment temperature was still in the mid to low 70's at peak, but still tasted pretty good/great.
My third batch was a coffee stout. The airlock was only active for four hours after a delay of two days before fermentation started. I got concerned and decided to check SG, and it was 1.022 (OG was 1.056). My recipe FG is 1.015. I did my push test and the airlock was OK. I waited a week after start of fermentation and did another SG check, this time 1.016 (almost home). My recipe says to fermentation should take two weeks. I've racked this batch to my 6 gallon glass carboy.
I've been reading Charlie Papazian's The Complete Joy of Homebrewing like a bible. I have dog-eared pages. He discusses "open" and "closed" fermenters. Most other folks have commented on these forums that if you aren't seeing airlock activity that your fermenter must have a leak somewhere. With my plastic bucket vermenter and snap on lid, I can kind of buy that conclusion that I might have a very small leak and CO2 is getting out instead of the airlock. Charlie comments that with an "open fermenter", fermenting wort should not stay in that condition for more than a week, but should be racked to a "closed fermenter" to reduced the possibility of contamination.
I know that's a lot of info.
Ok here's my question(s). Are plastic brewing buckets with airlocks considered open fermenters if they have small air leaks? If I brew this stout again, am I at risk of getting contamination while using my bucket for a full two weeks as my recipe calls for? or shoudl I just rack it at the end of week one?
PS: I haven't had a bad brew so far, everything has come out pretty good.
I'm considering getting a 6.5 gallon carboy, and only using my 6.5 gallon bucket for recipes that call for a 1 week-ish ferment.