airlock

[stoner0208]

Hello Everyone
Im new to brewing beer and just wanted to ask a few questions
My brew has been fermenting for 48 hours and the airlock is not bubbling
i was told that it should be now is this correct
The temp is a steady 24 degrees
and when i lighty push the lid the water in the airlock move up and down and then goes back to the same position
should i be worried about the airlock or is this ok

 

[bobsbeer]

Welcome : You will have a leak somewhere. As long as it is fermenting all is well. Bucket lids don't seal very well, so rely on your hydrometer to judge when it's finished.

 

[winelight]

Also while 24 is OK, it is a bit on the high side, if you can reduce somehow to between 18-20 that's much better. I know the Coopers kits say 24 but it is too much really.

 

[pounsfos]

open the lid, if you see bubbles or a krausen (foam on top) then it's fermenting, let it be for 3-5 days and go from there :)

 

[nobyipa]

thats the sign of a leak if you push down on the lid and you cannot keep the bubbler at a constant height


24c much too hot get it down to 20 19c

if it bothers you listen for air leaking when putting pressure on your lid

nowt to worry about though check your FG after 5 to 7 days and when the reading is the same over 2 days its finished [1.010 ish]
a lot of people don't have bubblers and leave the lid ajar a bit

 

[paulywalks]

I've spoken to several people (including brewdog via their blog on the website) about using airlocks in primary fermentation. It is always beneficial to keep things air tight when possible, but during primary fermentation in homebrewing it's not essential. I dont use an air lock in my primary fermenter and find my beer always ferments well. I do however always use an airlock if I rack to a secondary for dry hopping as once fermentation is over this is when oxidisation infections can occur.

 

[MashBag]

Agreed. I never use air locks on beer at all - never had a problem. Let's not forget yeast needs air as well!!

 

[rpt]

Agreed. I never use air locks on beer at all - never had a problem. Let's not forget yeast needs air as well!!

Except fermentation is anerobic - they use oxygen to reproduce but don't need it to ferment (IIRC).

 

[MashBag]

Agreed. I never use air locks on beer at all - never had a problem. Let's not forget yeast needs air as well!!

Except fermentation is anerobic - they use oxygen to reproduce but don't need it to ferment (IIRC).

Yes and no. There is evidence that oxygen is used all the way through fermentation, agreed more, initially for reproduction. I cannot recall the exact bit from the course now. Reproduction continues after the initial burst of activity and something else - I will try and find it. However it is impossible to oxidize a wort or must under fermentation.

 

[stoner0208]

Hello all, me again i guess i am going to be pestering all of you some more
I went home last night and pressed the lid and the levels in the airlock moved and if i kept a steady presure the level would stay there and when i release the pressure it went back to where it was
I also listened and could not hear any air escaping from the fermenting bucket when i press the lid
Its day 3 now and still no bubbling from the airlock but there is a ring of brew all the way round the fermenting bucket
I just want to get it right so i can enjoy some home brew
Thanks Everyone

 

[rpt]

If there is a krausen ring then it shows fermentation has started. The best way to know if something is happening is to use a hydrometer. I usually see no signs of activity for a day or two and then a ring appears. When I take the gravity I can see that the little yeasties have been busy.

 

[stoner0208]

wot about the bubbles in the airlock ????

 

[rpt]

wot about the bubbles in the airlock ????

What about them?

 

[stoner0208]

And also ive got the coopers carbonation drops but it says

375ml bottle 1 drop
750ml bottle 2 drops
but the problem i have is that i have got 500ml bottles so do i put 1 or 2 drops

 

[stoner0208]

There isnt any lol

 

[rpt]

Airlocks are not a good guide as the CO2 can easily find other ways out of the FV. You might find that the really active phase of fermentation happened when you weren't looking so there isn't much gas coming out anyway. But the yeast is still busy. Have you got a hydrometer?

 

[stoner0208]

yes i have any advice on using this ??
i did take a reading before i put the lid on and it was about 1040
but to tell the truth dont really no what i am doing lol

 

[stoner0208]

AND SHOULD I OPEN THE LID AND GIVE IT A STIR OR IS THA REAL BAD TO DO

 

[oldbloke]

And also ive got the coopers carbonation drops but it says

375ml bottle 1 drop
750ml bottle 2 drops
but the problem i have is that i have got 500ml bottles so do i put 1 or 2 drops

Don't use any, use sugar. About half a teaspoon.

 

[rpt]

I wouldn't stir the wort unless you are sure that fermenation has stuck. Unless your FV has a tap the best way to use the hydrometer is to use a sterilised turkey baster (widely available for about a quid) to get a sample into your trial jar. You need to almost fill the jar and then carefully push the hydrometer into the jar so that wort begins to overflow. You can then blow all the foam off the top of the liquid. Then give the hydrometer a spin and wait for it to stop and find its level. You can now see where the level of the liquid is on the hydrometer. You should ideally take the reading at the correct part of the meniscus (you will see that the surface of the liquid isn't flat but curves up to the hydrometer) but as long as you are consistent it doesn't really matter. Confusingly, some hydrometers should be read at the top of the meniscus and some at the bottom. You also need take the reading at the correct temperature - usually 20C on modern hydrometers. There is a forum calculator for correcting the reading for different temperatures. If you don't have a trial jar then you can put the hydrometer directly in the FV but it won't be so easy to read. Don't forget to sterilise it first.