First Homebrew, few questions regarding fermentation

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Peterthefreshman, Apr 25, 2016.

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  1. Peterthefreshman

    Peterthefreshman Initiate (0) Nov 4, 2015 Massachusetts

    Hello all,

    I am very new to the forums and this is my first post. I'm underway in the process of my first homebrew , A Delirious Imperial IPA from MonsterBrew. The initial brew went pretty well but the airlock stopped bubbling around day 5 or 6 which I read is fine in some cases. It is day 10 so I wanted to take a peek inside the fermenter. There are still a few bubbles tracing up from the bottom of the bucket, does that mean the yeast is still working? the alch read 5% and it is supposed to be 7.4% abv. I plan on doing a secondary fermentation in a carboy , should I let it ferment another week in the primary?
     
  2. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    How do you know your abv is only 5%?
    What was your beginning/original hydrometer reading (OG) and your final/finishing gravity (FG)?
     
  3. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Welcome to the BA site and to the Homebrewing forum, Peter. We're here to try to help you out when you are stuck, but the more that you can tell us about your recipe, then we'll have a better chance to help figure out the next step. Can you post the recipe (or an online link), and especially tell us which yeast that you used and how much of it that you pitched and what the wort temp was? What is the ambient temp where your fermentor is located? All-grain or extract? Batch size?

    A secondary fermentor is not needed for your brew, so just leave it in the primary until we make some decisions here.
     
    Jos3h2r likes this.
  4. Peterthefreshman

    Peterthefreshman Initiate (0) Nov 4, 2015 Massachusetts

    Thanks.

    I did not get to take a gravity reading beforehand. To be honest it wasn't reading accurate anyways as I don't have sample tube. Ànyways ...the brew is 5 gal batch, liquid malt extract and dry malt, grain, i used a pack of dry brewers yeast. Ambient temp is 67 degrees. I chilled the wart till 88 degrees before adding the yeast....I'm going to move the fermenter bucket to a warmer area in the house , AC may have effected it. Appreciate the help.
     
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  5. Peterthefreshman

    Peterthefreshman Initiate (0) Nov 4, 2015 Massachusetts

    http://www.monsterbrew.com/Prod_DeliriousDoubleIPA-Extract.cfm#tab1
     
  6. daem3384

    daem3384 Zealot (691) Nov 24, 2015 California

    So, i have a couple of questions, so bear with me. Did you rehydrate your dry yeast before pitching? Just throwing dry yeast into the wort can kill up to 75% of your viable cells and really make it hard for fermentation to finish. Second, you didn't chill your wort long enough. Most yeast will work best (meaning with the fewest undesirable byproducts) in the mid to low 60's, and pitching that hot might have also killed off some of your yeast. Finally, just because there isn't a massive Krausen from a rolling fermentation doesn't mean that your brew isn't still going. It hasn't really been going that long, so relax, have a beer. Also, invest in a test tube and hydrometer. Consistent final gravity readings are really the only way that you'll know when your yeast has finished turning your sugar water into beer.
     
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  7. scottakelly

    scottakelly Maven (1,487) May 9, 2007 Ohio

    I'm still curious why you think you have 5% abv but never took an original gravity reading? Are you telling me that the hydrometer is currently reading 5% abv? If that's the case your beer is either still fermenting or has a stuck fermentation since that is a FG somewhere around 1.037. At this point I would leave it alone and check the gravity again in 3 days or so.
     
  8. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    You cannot tell the ABV from a single hydrometer reading. And you are looking at the wrong scale. Google up "beer hydrometer" for lots of videos on how to use it.
     
  9. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    The link does not list the brewing instructions, and the specs for this recipe does not say what the expected original gravity should be, so unless your printed instructions suggest the OG, you won't be able to calculate what your ABV is for this beer. But even if you have the specs for the OG, you're going to need to use your hydrometer to calculate the final gravity. You should also use your hydrometer for determining when the fermentation is done before you bottle this beer. Did your hydrometer come in a clear plastic tube to use as a tester?

    It sounds like you did not have a healthy yeast pitch, so your fermentation is likely to be extended for that reason. Also, this is a fairly high alcohol beer, and those usually also take longer. Regardless that you're not getting bubbles in the airlock, I'd say that your beer is still fermenting, and you need to leave it along for another week, at least. (Plastic buckets are known to have faulty seals around the lid, so your CO2 is likely finding its way out via somewhere other than the airlock.) If your ambient temp where the fermentor is located is 67, that's okay, but if you want to move it to a place a few degrees warmer, that's okay too. It likely will speed things a little bit, but patience is needed here and you likely will have an acceptable beer regardless of the warm temp of the yeast pitch.
     
  10. Peterthefreshman

    Peterthefreshman Initiate (0) Nov 4, 2015 Massachusetts

    Thank you everybody for the help. All your advice was quite helpful. I just bottled all 5 gallons , we'll see how she tastes in about two weeks!
     
  11. Peterthefreshman

    Peterthefreshman Initiate (0) Nov 4, 2015 Massachusetts

    thanks for all the help!!!
     
    PapaGoose03 likes this.
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