need help?

[grady]

Hi there, i'v set my first batch of beer for fermentation just last friday and it start work out at day after, but looks like there is nothing happening now bucket was full of pressure and bubbles came out from air lock, but my wife has press the lid and all pressure just gone through the air lock and never build up again and the lid stud soft
i wonder is that a problem, becouse no more bubbles coming out atall
may someone could help please
thanks

 

[RobWalker]

First thing to know is bubbles arn't a sure fire sign of fermentation...you need a hydrometer to measure your gravity to see where it is.

That said, most normal beer takes about 4 days to fully ferment because it's full of proteins that cause fermentation to take place very quickly in relation to cider/wine etc.

What are you doing with it next? Straight to bottles, going to secondary, kegging? I suggest letting it clear out as much as possible now, then syphoning off to your beers next stage :)

 

[klaus]

The bucket lid is probably leaky - but that's not a problem. I don't use an airlock, just cover the bucket with the lid. On day two and tree there will quite a bit of activity on the surface (foam) and then it will quieten down. Leave it for a minimum of 10 days, check the gravity then and compare to the recommended on the instructions. Patience - Once I am happy the ferment has started I don't look at it again for a few days, because I know it's working....

 

[grady]

well, looks like it's good news, thanks lads for replays
there gonna be another question?
i do have hidrometer
but how to check that? shell i open a bucket after 10 days or so, or just poor some sample beer into the jar through the tap below?

 

[RobWalker]

if you have a tap on your fermenter that's ideal really. fill the test tube thingy up to 100ml and plop your hydrometer in and it'll tell you the sugar content of the liquid. it's roughly going to be between 1.010 and 1.015 for a finished beer, but you need to take it again a few days later and if you get the same reading, then it'll be finished.

if you wanted to know the percentage of your beer, you'd need to have taken the original gravity, which was the sugar content before you started fermenting.

 

[Moley]

Don't return the test sample to the fermenter, drink it.

This means that you only have to wash your hydrometer and trial jar, and don't have to worry about disinfecting everything.

With practice and experience you will be able to draw off and drink a sample for quality control purposes without all that tedious mucking about with hydrometers :drink:

 

[grady]

that's a good bit of info lads,
cheers
Grady