Newby fermentation worries

[Sloseph]

Morning all

I started my 1st home brew on Sunday, it was a tom Caxton real ale kit

All seemed to go well, i had sanitised everything added hot and cold water to the wort got lots of foam when I added the cold water and gave it a good hearty stir, added my yeast which started to make a kind of crackling sound

So I popped the lid on and strapped the warming belt round it and let it get on with its Job

I had a quick peak on Monday night and there were big bubbles formed on top but no foam to be seen

I checked last night and there was nothing, no foam or bubbles or anything to suggest something was happening

I don't have a hydrometer so i don't know the gravity

Has the fermentation failed or am I being eager?

 

[Archtronics]

I would expect a few bubbles, what temperature have you got it at?

 

[Simonr]

Hi there,

Good choice - I rate the Tom Caxton kits very highly amongst the 'one-can' kits. I've got some very good results.

You don't mention adding any sugar to the brew - you did do that didn't you?

If you followed the instructions and boiled the right amount of water (think it's around 3.5L) and then topped up with cold then you won't have killed the yeast when you added it.

One way of checking the fermentation if you don't have a hydrometer is to fit an airlock in the lid of your plastic fermenter (this is the way I monitor the activity of my brew) - drill a hole in the lid, fit a rubber bung with a hole in the middle then stick an airlock in and fill it with some alcoholic spirit - if it's bubbling then it's working...

Cheers.

 

[happyhoppytaff]

dont panic.

give it a week and then check the gravity. i'm sure you will find it is working as it should. give it another stir and then leave it a few more days before checking again. dont think about bottling it before 10days have passed.

dont use that horrible brew belt. just use time.

 

[Sloseph]

well i hope you are all sat down for this news as im sure you will be shocked to your core

everything seems to be find and i was being impatient, there now appears to be a thin veil for what i can describe as foam, I'm assuming this is the start of the yeast topping i have heard so much about

thanks for your advice, i certainly plan to invest in a hydrometer and airlock for the next batch

out of interest what is bad about the warming belt?

 

[Green Ninja]

Hi Sloseph,

If used correctly they are very good.

Just read the instructions. I've got 2 and wouldn't be without them in the winter months.

If you use them in a very cold room put the heat belt towards the bottom of the FV.

If in a room say around 16 degrees put the belt more or less in the middle of the FV.

Good luck with the brew.

Terry.


ps: They are also useful to kick off the secondary fermentation on pressure barrels.

 

[Wendy1971]

sometimes the start of fermentation can take 2 or 3 days :thumb:

 

[Edd]

Glad to hear it :clap:

Brewing belts I suppose are horses for courses, but much like Green Ninja I have one and would not be without it.

I use mine in along with a timer to control how much heat the belts gives to the brew.

I always put by belt at the bottom of the brew as I believe convection currents could cause a wort to be warm above the belt and cool below the belt.

However people do control the temperature by moving the belt up and down the FV.

Get great results using mine.

 

[Hollow Legs]

Yeah, I use my brewbelt with a thermostab (aquarium thermostat), set it at 20degreesC and put the sensor on the outside of the FV in a plastic pocket full of water I made sealing it with bathroom sealant, it keeps a steady 20degreesC.

I get great results :thumb:

 

[Sloseph]

im back again with more concerns

i don't know if my brew ever fermented

here is a picture of what it currently looks like, do you think its ready for bottling

now i know idealy you would need the gravity or at least an idea of what's going on with the airlock but i can't supply such information

i notice the scum round the edge but i think that might be from when i originally did the wort, there was a lot of froth at that point but im not sure if that's what has caused the substance round the barrel

i have had a look at it most days and it doesn't seem to have produced much more than what you can see here

any advice?

 

[Phil_MG]

I'm a newbie too. From what I've seen and read that has certainly been fermenting. The black gritty stuff around the top is the leftovers from the starting of the fermentation process, when the yeast is working on the oxygen in the brew before it gets to work on the sugars. Whether its done or not is only something that be determined by checking the gravity. I've picked up a hydrometer for £3.25 today so it's a worthy bit of kit.

 

[mickthetrick]

if i was you i would put the lid back on and forget about it for another week. i leave all mine in the fermenter for 14 days now as it gives the yeast a chance to do its job.
next brew you get on make sure you purchase a hydrometer. then you know whats going on with ya brew. :thumb:

 

[eggman]

+1 to that Mick. As you've got no way of knowing the sg i would leave it another week too just to be on the safe side as you're bottling, it's def fermented because of the crud around the top :thumb:

 

[Sloseph]

thanks guys :) will leave it till next weekend to bottle

good to know its actually fermented

a hydrometer and airlock are defiantly on the shopping list for next time