Newbie advice needed.....

[taylor]

I have 3 25ltr FV's on the go right now. 2 with wine kits and 1 with beer (Coopers real Ale). One of the wine kits is bubbling away nicely but the other two FV's (1 wine and 1 beer) are not. I was advised here on another post that it's possible that they are working fine and that the lack of any visual activity (bubbles through the air locks) is likely due to the lids not having a good seal and the air is escaping there rather than through the air lock. It would seem this is correct as there does appear to be some activity. So my questions are....

1. Will my wine and beer be ok?

2. How will I know when fermentation is complete (first sign would normally be activity in the airlock stopping?)

3. For future brews would a FV with a screw top be better as opposed to these buckets which 2 out of 3 don't seal well?

Thanks in advance for any advice....

Ian

 

[PD]

your beer will be fine and more likely your wine will be ok too.
air locks are a waste of time as an indicator,unless used on glass dj etc when a good seal can be obtained.
The best and only secure way of checking when fermentation is done is to use a hydrometer.

 

[taylor]

your beer will be fine and more likely your wine will be ok too.
air locks are a waste of time as an indicator,unless used on glass dj etc when a good seal can be obtained.
The best and only secure way of checking when fermentation is done is to use a hydrometer.

Excellent, thanks. Test after about 10 days? Temp is 18 degrees.

 

[joe1002]

You need a stable reading over 48 hours. Nothing wrong with taking your first reading on day 10 though :thumb:

 

[taylor]

You need a stable reading over 48 hours. Nothing wrong with taking your first reading on day 10 though :thumb:

Brilliant, I'll do that...

Cheers :