bubbling stopped after 24 hours

[olie]

my primary fermentation has stopped bubbling about 24 hours after it started. It has a nice inch or so of foam on top, and was bubbling away regularly until that point. Should I be worried? Palmer's 'how to brew' seems to suggest it should take at least 48 hours...

 

[31bb3]

What is the brew ? it may have slowed down or stalled try giving the fv a gentle shake to see if the yeast wakes up i take it your fermenting at the right temperature

 

[Hawks]

I would guess the CO2 is escaping elsewhere - sounds like you have activity :thumb:

 

[jonnymorris]

Airlock activity is not a reliable means of assessing whether fermentation has finished or not. As suggested above, it's more likely that you have a leak (which in itself is not an issue). Leave it at least another week and then check the SG.

What temp is it at?

 

[olie]

it's at about 20 degrees, the yeast is S04 so comfortably within range. There's a couple of things I'm wondering if they could be the problem, although it's my first brew so could have done any number of things wrong... due to miscalculations I ended up with a very small batch of beer (2.5ish litres) in a 10 litre fermenter, is that an issue? also, because of the size of my batch I only put half a packet of yeast in, was that a mistake?

I don't think it's leaking, its a new fermenter and the lid seems to be on properly

 

[Hawks]

You shouldn't have an issue, sounds like you have a Krausen so it is fermenting - using a hydrometer is the only way to be sure if its going down. S04 can ferment out very quickly - I would think that your airlock was bubbling during the most vigorous 24 hours and now CO2 is leaking outas it has slowed down a bit - a lot of fermenters are not airtight, as said do not count on airlock activity. I would leave it for another week to 10 days and take a reading.

 

[olie]

ok, I'll leave it alone and try not to worry! thanks for all the quick and helpful responses