primary fermentation question

[heftyporker]

Hi everyone
I've got my first brew on the go - did it on Saturday (im the one who cut his thumb open on the tin, if you saw that post!)
Anyway, it seems to be have been fermenting OK, the lid soon bulged up, the air lock bubbled a couple of times and the brew bubbled up and left messy brown stuff around the edges - so clearly it was fermenting.
Now the airlock has not built up any pressure for a day - i'm loathed to open up the fermenter until Im ready to transfer the brew cause I don't want to infect it - I wasn't planning on using the hydrometer again until i transferred the brew over.
Is my brew ready? Should carbon dioxide still be released if it was still fermenting? Should I give it all a bit of a mix, or is now the time I should transfer it to the keg? And what happens if I leave it to the weekend (cause I'm too much of a lazy **** to do it mid-week)?
Cheers everyone!

 

[keith1664]

The lids on FV's aren't always airtight so a lack of bubbles in the airlock doesn't necessarily mean it's finished.
I'm with you on not opening the lid until you're ready to move the brew, I lost a couple of brews through messing about with them when I started out. I now chuck the yeast in, put on the lid and then leave them for around 3 weeks before kegging / bottling, personally I don't bother with the whole transfer to secondary thing.
Anyway, even if it has stopped fermenting don't you want to leave it a while for the yeast to "clean up" and drop out...or do you like really rich wind?
Remember, it's not a race.

 

[heftyporker]

Anyway, even if it has stopped fermenting don't you want to leave it a while for the yeast to "clean up" and drop out...or do you like really rich wind?
Remember, it's not a race.

Haha! Everyone likes the smell of their own wind! - rich scented or not! :whistle:

 

[bomberns127]

is there still water in the airlock? if not make sure there is, do you have a hydrometer to check the final gravity?
as for leaving it till the weekend no problem,if you only started it this sat i doubt if its finished fermenting just yet but the hydrometer will let you know, once its fermented out you can leave it for a while it does it no harm at all as long as the lid is on, if it is finished fermenting syphon it to another fv if you have one( it helps clearing)for another 5 days before bottling

 

[heftyporker]

Yeah there's still water in the airlock - and it's still under pressure - just not moved for a day. I think I will leave it until sunday if it doesn't make any difference - the plastic lid is still bulging so i suppose all that carbon dioxide will look after it.
I have a hydrometer but as I'm going to leave it till Sunday I will wait til then to check it.
I wish I had a glass fermenter - would be much more interesting to see what was going on!!

 

[luckyeddie]

It's more than likely that you (or rather the yeasties CO2 farts) have broken the seal. What I normally do if I'm using a bucket as a FV (that only happens now if I've got 4 or more brews on the go) is loads and loads of parcel tape locking the lid down - and plenty of vaseline around the airlock.

Either way, there's no problem in leaving it another 2 or 3 days to be sure to be sure.

 

[bomberns127]

parcel tape seems a bit extreme, i have brewed kits for 4-5 years and have only just started using an airlock in the last year , maybe i should be called lucky because i never once had a brew go off, mind you i am a bit anal when it comes to making everything sterile, and when 1st ferment was done i bottled straight away, now i rack off to another fv before bottling and/or kegging, all thanks to airlocks, they do give you peace of mind when it comes to protecting your beer before bottling

 

[luckyeddie]

It's just a habit I got into after dictating brewing techniques to the missus last year when I was quite disabled (I've since had a hip replacement which has fixed things a treat). I'd basically sit in a chair and tell her what to do, bless her.

Well, she ripped the lid off a Young's bucket-style FV (the type with the really tight lid that you have to inch down all the way around) and it would never seal again, even with a liberal application of vaseline. Parcel tape fixed it.

I like my yeasties to be musical. I sometimes have as many as 3 FVs and 2 carboys bubbling away - it's like an aquatic orchestra.

Incidentally, I'm lucky that way too. I've been brewing for more than 35 years and never had a really duff batch (a few 'iffy' ones in the early days, but that's Tom Caxton for you. In the 1970's it always tasted a bit on the rough and ready side).

 

[bomberns127]

to get the wife to do the brewing under instruction? you are more than lucky! my wife and daughter both don't like the smell of the mash tun and when the boiler is going it seems like i live on my own, peace reigns when i'm brewing, this sunday is sorted for a brew so quiet in my house! lol