Well, 2 weeks ago I started brewing an IPA from a kit I got from Christmas. I really enjoyed the process. So much so, that I have been researching the home brewing process and I've already ordered the supplies to make my next beer! I am a little worried that my first attempt might not be successful. I'm sure a lot of first timers say that What has me worried is that after I setup my blow off tube, my beer did not ferment properly. It bubbled pretty heavy the first day but settled after that. On the 3rd day when I replaced the blow off tube with the airlock I noticed the tube had clogged with sediment. Everything I have read indicates that I should have seen bubbling for 2-3 days. After adding the airlock I had very light bubbling but it subsided by the 6th day. Now that I'm about to bottle is there any way to determine if this is going to be a good batch?
BA has a most awesome archive of posts with questions just like yours. I just used BA's most awesome SEARCH function and discovered dozens of posts from noobrewers who were also fixated on their bubble rates and discovered to my shock and homebrew horror...in most cases...bubble rates don't make no nevermind nor do they have any affect on whether a batch will be good or not so good or a drain pour. HTH.
Nothing in your post is any reason to worry (except the clog but since it didn't explode you're all good) Besides, the first batch is always good. That's a rule isn't it?
When I ferment, I use a sanitized beer thief to take a sample from my fermenter and then I drop that into a graduated cylinder with my hydrometer. This allows me to put the lid back on the fermenter and take the gravity reading easily. But the real plus is that after I read the gravity, I have a small sample of beer which I can taste. Yes, it is flat at that point, but tasting this sample gives me an idea how the batch is going to come out.
Sounds like it your yeast took care of business very quickly. Do as LRRP said and take a taste sample. I think you did a great job, and I think it's gonna taste great! How long are you going to wait to try the bottles?
Im sure you are fine, I have had a couple batches that have finished the fermenting process in around 4-6 days. I was worried at the time but the beer turned out great. Just be diligent about taking your readings and writing every little thing down during the WHOLE brew process. Maybe there was something that you did that caused the fermentation to finish quickly. Try the batch again after you have a few more under your belt and compare the two. Only thing I might recommend is to sit on some of your bottles for at least a month or so. Each time ive brewed an IPA, it seems that the bottles that are a month or two old are the best. Good Luck! You unfortunately just sucked yourself into the black hole of home brew addicts!
Yes, a lot of first timers do say that. In fact, in one form or another, it's probably the most common question that gets posted on this forum: basically, "is the bubbling I observed normal?" The standard answer is that bubbling doesn't tell you much, and you need to take a hydrometer reading to determine where you are in your fermentation. Best thing to do with that first batch, IMO, is to take a reading after about 10 days, take another reading three days later, and if it hasn't changed, go ahead and bottle. If it has changed, take another reading after a few more days, and wait till the gravity points hold steady for three days. In your specific case, it sounds like you had a very vigorous fermentation--hence the gunk in the airlock--that probably is close to finished already. This may have been because you fermented at a relatively high temperature: about 65-68F is ideal for most ales, but most first-timers don't have their temperature control down yet, so it's common to have fermentations that take off like a rocket and finish up within a couple days. I don't know that this is what happened, but if that's the case, there are various flaws that *might* result, depending on the temperature, the yeast strain, and other factors. But don't worry about that. Almost all first batches have at least some flaws, and almost all first-time brewers love them anyway. Good luck!
OP: do you have a fermometer strip on your fermenter? If not I would highly recommend that you buy one so that you can monitor the fermentation temperature. The ambient temperature is not the important temperature; it is the temperature of the fermentation itself that really matter. The fermentation process generates heat (an exothermic process). As @MLucky mentioned, if the fermentation temperature is too hot then off flavors may be produced. It is important to maintain the fermentation temperature within the recommended fermentation temperature range for the yeast strain being used. Cheers!
Just don't open that fermenter for any reason until at least two weeks have passed. If you are hyperventilating, get a paper bag and breath into it. Also, what Jack said.
Thank you everyone for all the comforting posts! I bottled yesterday and took a sample and it tasted like an IPA! I'm looking forward to cracking open that 1st bottle in a few weeks Today, I will stat my second batch. I will be brewing a Belgian blonde.
What temp did you pitch your yeast, and what temp did you ferment at? Im asking because this is an easy spot new brewers screw up batches of beer, and would likely cause a very quick fermenation
I chilled the wort down to 70 degrees fahrenheit in an ice bath. Transfered it over to the carboy using a strainer and a funnel. Pitched the yeast and shook it to aerate it.
try to cool down another 5F (min) 10F (preferred) before pitching, this will reduce fusels, and all sorts of other bad stuff Reason being, if you started at 70F, your temp jumped up quite a bit after the yeast got going (5-10F) so its likely that it got a bit too warm. Next beer, cool it down more (pitching cool is always the better choice) and keep it in a tub of water to dampen the temp swing from the yeast when they ramp up, a wet towel over the top of the carboy or bucket also helps. Being your in Texas this will be absolute necessary, and when summer comes you might have to invest in a fridge to maintain proper temps (I lived in Phx for 15yrs - a fridge was a requirement)
Must have fridge or freezer with Johnson controller. This was the very first thing I bought when I moved here. Now I have two of them. It's worth the investment. Look for sales (I got a brand new one for $170 that fits two five gallon batches, albeit one is an eight gal bucket and one a 6.5 gal bucket) or find a used one (my other one is used and fits one ten gallon sized batch, which is actually a 14 gallon fermentation bucket). And yes, cooling BELOW 70, do that, aim for 60-65.
I will almost certainly need some type of accessory fridge here in central Florida. Just had my first brew day with my new Northern brewer kit and within 24 hours had to resort to the hose and bucket air lock with starsan due to exuberant yeast response. Brew day the high was 86 degrees.......going to have to employ the tips here next time. And hope for the best for this brown ale!
For those of you living in warmer climates (e.g., Florida, Texas) and you have some modest building skills (you know how to use a saw, caulking gun, etc.) you may want to build a Son of Fermentation Chiller (SOFC) to maintain fermentation temperatures. The SOFC is an ‘invention’ of Ken Schwartz and the plans can be found here:http://home.roadrunner.com/~brewbeer/chiller/chiller.PDF There are also some useful videos on YouTube for the SOFC. Cheers!
