[war2112]

Hello all,

Man, I am excited. I bought a kit about a week ago (one of the 5 gallon jobs) and boiled my wort yesterday. This is for a pale ale and came with the crushed grains for steeping before adding the DME. Also, 4 varieties of hops added at different times during the boil. Centennial, Simcoe, Warrior and Cascade hops.

Anyway, My airlock on the fermenting bucket is going like gangbusters! Maybe too much as it has shot just a small amount of sanitizer right out the top. I think it's ok though. There seems to be plenty of liquid left in the double bubble airlock. Definitely fermenting good.

I tried this years ago and darn near made it. Problem was, I was a little poorer then and could not afford the stainless steel pot so I boiled the wort in pure steel. Yeah, I know and I even knew then that was going to be a problem. I brewed a Sam Adams copy and all was good except for picking up that steel in the taste.

Now I did a partial boil in stainless and made sure all was sanitized. I don;t have a wort chiller but I was able to get it cooled down in about 2 hours using ice bath.

Sorry of this post belongs somewhere else but it seemed a good place since it was called yeast and fermentation.

[flars]

Hopefully not to active.  Are you tracking the temperature of the beer so it doesn't get to warm for the yeast you are using?

[war2112]

Hey, flars, thanks for the reply.

I am tracking the temp. I have the temp gauge taped to the outside of the primary and it is a consistent 68 degrees F. I am supposed to be between 64-72 degrees so I hope that is ok.

The yeast is the Nottingham yeast dry packet. I did reconstitute in 86 degree water per the instructions so I hope all is well. Yeah, does seem a bit active but the first 18 hours were dead silent. Then it picked up considerably. Seems to be in a steady bubbling state now, just percolating a a constant cadence.

Thanks!

[jmitchell3]

Sounds like you have it covered. Remember sanitation when it comes to bottling!  Dont sweat the airlock. Just refill it if it gets too low.


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[euge]

The airlock really isn't necessary during your primary fermentation. As long as the bucket is in a secure place- no kids or pets messing with it- laying the lid on the bucket without snapping it down is sufficient.

There'll be more than enough positive co2 pressure to keep any thing out and once the bulk of fermentation is done (3-4 days) the lock can be installed and the lid snapped down.

Congrats on the first batch! Will taste great!

[flars]

The airlock really isn't necessary during your primary fermentation. As long as the bucket is in a secure place- no kids or pets messing with it- laying the lid on the bucket without snapping it down is sufficient.

There'll be more than enough positive co2 pressure to keep any thing out and once the bulk of fermentation is done (3-4 days) the lock can be installed and the lid snapped down.

Congrats on the first batch! Will taste great!

Is this the best advice for a new brewer?  Perhaps recommend a blow off assembly during the initial fermentation, then changing to an airlock.

[euge]

Yes.

Buckets are more likely to blow their lid across the room and a blow-off tube won't prevent that 100%. Same for the airlock. If it comes down to a burping lid it's really no big deal. Seriously. It doesn't need to be hermetically sealed.

All personal preference of course.

[flars]

Yes.

Buckets are more likely to blow their lid across the room and a blow-off tube won't prevent that 100%. Same for the airlock. If it comes down to a burping lid it's really no big deal. Seriously. It doesn't need to be hermetically sealed.

All personal preference of course.

Only if the fermentation bucket or carboy is to small for the volume of the wort.

[euge]

Yes.

Buckets are more likely to blow their lid across the room and a blow-off tube won't prevent that 100%. Same for the airlock. If it comes down to a burping lid it's really no big deal. Seriously. It doesn't need to be hermetically sealed.

All personal preference of course.

Only if the fermentation bucket or carboy is to small for the volume of the wort.

I agree. My preference is to leave some headroom for the yeast to work. If the krausen hits the lid no problem. If it (the yeast) crawls out of the bucket then I can take action and use a buss-tub or something to catch the mess. At least it wouldn't geyser or splatter or generally be a disaster.

That being said I'm using 7.9 gallon bucket fermenters, which are pretty standard IME.

[MJK]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[war2112]

All,

Thanks so much for the input! I appreciate it. Yeah, was a little worried about the lid blowing off and spewing krausen out since the bucket is in the closet next to my dress clothes.

No more bubbling in the airlock now. Been 54 hours since pitching yeast. Had very vigorous fermentation but now very quiet. There is still positive pressure in the airlock from the bucket. Liquid is pushed a little higher on the outlet side but very quiet. Temp did climb to 74 degrees F before coming back down to 68 F. I assume that is heat due to fermentation.

I'm a little worried though. Did my batch stall or is it just the yr=east trying to scavenge what they can and that is the reason for the reduced activity ion the airlock?

Thanks a bunch all. Great to have helpful people !

[euge]

Sounds like fermentation!

Can't go on forever. The edible sugars are almost gone and the alcohol level is almost stable.

Beer!

[bierview]

The airlock really isn't necessary during your primary fermentation. As long as the bucket is in a secure place- no kids or pets messing with it- laying the lid on the bucket without snapping it down is sufficient.

There'll be more than enough positive co2 pressure to keep any thing out and once the bulk of fermentation is done (3-4 days) the lock can be installed and the lid snapped down.

Congrats on the first batch! Will taste great!

Is this the best advice for a new brewer?  Perhaps recommend a blow off assembly during the initial fermentation, then changing to an airlock.

Yep.  I always use a blow off tube for primary because I use glass carboy's.  Never brewed in a bucket.