[freemasonjason]

Hello everybody!
I'm new to both homebrewing and the AHA forum, so I apologize if this has been talked about a million times.  (I tried to see if I could search the forum for a similar problem instead of reposting)
I started my second batch of beer, which was a kit from Brewers Best(American Amber) and followed all the instructions and after 12 hours in the fermenter, the airlock started bubbling as it should! But only 2 days later, it completely stopped.  The instructions and books I have read usually say that it should take a week for my brew to ferment.

Any ideas on what could be up?  Thanks for all the help, and I look forward to being a part of this community!
-Jason

[morticaixavier]

Do you have a hydrometer? if so take a reading. You can't trust what the airlock is doing as an indication of what's going on. It could indeed be that it is done. but the best way to make sure is to take two or more hydrometer readings a few days a part. If the gravity does not change than it is probably done.

[euge]

Bucket or carboy? And depending- it's not unheard of for a fermentation to rip through and be mostly done in a couple days. Bubbles are a poor indicator.

[dzlater]

And if you check with hydrometer and it's done, (meaning you are at your desired finish gravity) you should still leave it alone for at least a week. The yeast are still in there working.
It could also be if your temperature dropped the yeast got cold and lazy.

[denny]

Jason, what temperature is your fermenter at?

[andylovesburritos]

I've had this problem before too, turns out that enough water (or Vodka in my case) had evaporated in the airlock that the bubbles could escape freely. i don't use Vodka anymore...

[richardt]

I'll second that. I usually have to top up after a few days.  cheap vodka is cheap insurance, IMO.
 
CO2 gas will exit the fermenter via the path of least resistance. 

So, if you have a lid that doesn't seal airtight, you may have gas escaping through the lid and bucket rather than through the fermenter. 

I have two fermentation buckets with lids and one bucket gets a nice airtight seal (so the 3-piece airlock really bubbles along), and the other bucket does not (and the airlock doesn't seem to do nearly as much).

[freemasonjason]

Hey guys!  Sorry for the late reply.
I took hydrometer readings over the next couple of days, and it was indeed fermenting... regardless of the lack of bubbles in the airlock.  Within a couple of days it had reached its FG and I bottled it up.  Thanks for the imput.
-Jason

[denny]

Jason, next time around, give it a bit more time.  Just reaching FG is only one of the things you need to take into account before bottling.

[rossmartin24]

I know this has already been resolved, but another thing to watch out for with the Brewer's Best kits is the lid that comes with the fermenter.  When you put the lid on the first time, it seals very well.  Then if you tear the plastic seal off when you open it up, it never seals well again.  My second batch never bubbled, despite that fact that it fermented nicely.  (I think I might have been a bit lucky that that batch didn't get contaminated.)  I'm not sure if you can take the lid off without tearing that seal or not, but I went ahead and bought a different lid that doesn't have one of those seals... the bubbling is one of my favorite parts!

[Hokerer]

My second batch never bubbled, despite that fact that it fermented nicely.  (I think I might have been a bit lucky that that batch didn't get contaminated.) 

Really nothing to worry about with it not bubbling.  As long as the lid fits reasonably well, there's pretty much no risk of contamination.

[majorvices]

... the bubbling is one of my favorite parts!

You get over that eventually. 

[Mark G]

... the bubbling is one of my favorite parts!

You get over that eventually. 

Yep, as soon as you starting drinking them...

[maxieboy]

... the bubbling is one of my favorite parts!

You get over that eventually. 

True. Now, watching the swirling blizzard in a carboy seems to never get old! 11 yrs., 300+ batches in(I quit counting). Kinda like watching a fire...

[NashvilleStoner]

Greetings everyone, new member here and have a question/comment regarding no bubbling in the airlock after 2 days. I agree that some gassing could be escaping through a leaky seal, however Iv'e also had this occur in a glass carboy sealed pretty tight. My question is, could residual sanitizer kill enough of the yeast so it doesn't reach it's maximum fermentation? My company manufacturers acid, PAA, iodophors, and chlorine dioxide sanitizers for food and beverage plants. Since I got into home brewing last year, I am careful to not over use the acid sanitizer due to it's residual effect while the PAA and chlorine dioxide(not typically used for home brewing) breakdown fairly quickly. Just a thought...