Premature cessation of bubbles.....

[AlcoMoo]

Hi all,

I have just started making my first ever brew and I already need some advice.

I am making a Sovereign Gold Stout from the HBS in Ballarat. Everything was going perfectly until today, when I noticed that the bubbles through the air lock have substantially slowed down...actually, almost stopped. I started the brew on Friday afternoon, so it has been going for about 48 hours now. But the bubbles should still be going strong shouldn't they?

I have a heater in the fermenter (came with the kit) and the thermometer is registering around the 24oC. Reading a few posts, I am wondering if this is too hot? Or is that ok for stout?

And if the bubbles stop, how do you know that it is something wrong or it has finished fermenting? By using the hydrometer? Mine started at 1035.

The bubbles haven't completely stopped by they are VERY VERY slow atm. In the previous 30 hours, it was bubbling along merrily.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. And pease bear with me, I am new to this and will probably have HEAPS of questions as I go along.

And thanks to those that set this forum up....

[TommyH]

AlcoMoo
Best bet would be to take a hydro reading. Then take another one in a couple of days and see if it is still dropping.
My guess is that it is still fermenting away nicely.
Be patient

[AlcoMoo]

I am getting the feeling that patience is a virtue in this business . A number of responses to q's like min have that same reply....!!! LOL.

So, I just take out some of the brew via the tap and stick the hydrometer in? Does it matter whether I have the brew in plastic or glass??? (to be measured??)

[blandy]

Make sure you take the airlock out before you take some beer for testing, otherwise you may suck the airlock water into the fermenter. As for measuring with the hydrometer, you should use a flask that is just a little bit longer and wider than the hydrometer, so wastage of homebrew is minimised; hopefully your hydrometer has come with a flask like this, if not, look out for a cheap one! A good idea to get an accurate reading is to take a bit out (say half a flask worth) and throw that away. this first bit will contain sediment that will make your reading less accurate. Then take a whole flask worth to make the reading.

Once this is done, don't throw your beer away, taste it. It might be warm and flat, but it can give you a good appreciation of what's happenning to your brew (did you happen to taste some before it went into the fermenter?). If it tastes bad, don't worry; I'd be surprised if it actually tastes like beer yet.

[AlcoMoo]

Aaahhh, thanks for the tip about taking out the airlock. I wouldn't have done this and it could have ended in tragedy!!!! LOL.

My hydro came in a hard plastic tube - I'll check if it is ok to put the brew into this. Yeah I did taste before it started fermenting....tasted fine..not a taste I'd had before, but definately not bad.

I was wondering how higher temps affected the fermenting process. If the brew is at 24oC, would this potentially have an affect on the overall fermenting time (ie reduce from 5 days to 3 for instance) and if so, would it have any result on the final brew? I'm wondering whether I should tun off the heater?????

Apart from the bubbling, everything else seems to be happening ok (foaming on top - about 1cm, beery smell) so I am still feeling good about this brew.

if the bubbles stop and the SG isn't at the level, do I just leave it, or do I need to do something else? The literature I got says that once the bubbles stop (in around 4-6 days) then fermenting is finished and SG should be at a certain level. But if bubbling stops before the 4 - 6 days, is it only by measuring SG that I know that it is ready for bottling??? Or is 2+ days enough time at 24oC to finish the fermentation process?

Sorry, I am such a novice at this.

[lethaldog]

Aaahhh, thanks for the tip about taking out the airlock. I wouldn't have done this and it could have ended in tragedy!!!! LOL.

My hydro came in a hard plastic tube - I'll check if it is ok to put the brew into this. Yeah I did taste before it started fermenting....tasted fine..not a taste I'd had before, but definately not bad.

I was wondering how higher temps affected the fermenting process. If the brew is at 24oC, would this potentially have an affect on the overall fermenting time (ie reduce from 5 days to 3 for instance) and if so, would it have any result on the final brew? I'm wondering whether I should tun off the heater?????

Apart from the bubbling, everything else seems to be happening ok (foaming on top - about 1cm, beery smell) so I am still feeling good about this brew.

if the bubbles stop and the SG isn't at the level, do I just leave it, or do I need to do something else? The literature I got says that once the bubbles stop (in around 4-6 days) then fermenting is finished and SG should be at a certain level. But if bubbling stops before the 4 - 6 days, is it only by measuring SG that I know that it is ready for bottling??? Or is 2+ days enough time at 24oC to finish the fermentation process?

Sorry, I am such a novice at this.

Dont be sorry we all started somewhere as far as the temp is concerned, yes higher temps speed up the process and also cause the beer to taste different, best brewing temps are, lager yeast 9-15*C
and for ale yeast about 18-24*C when you venture outside these temps you will still get a good beer as an ale yeast will ferment at 30*C but you will not get the true taste of the beer you are brewing, brewing the exact same beer at the lower end of the temp range deffinately produces a better beer, i usually try to keep my ales around 18*C and lagers at about 10*C and this works for me but some of us simply cant keep these temp ranges and they still manage to brew really good beer, i heard someone on here say they brewed a lager at 26*C and it turned out fine, the ranges are just recommended not mandatory

[blandy]

AlcoMoo,

If your hydrometer came with a plastic tube, that's the one to use.

As for bubbling and SG, I had a similar issue with my first homebrew (Brewcraft Munich Lager). The manual said it should stop fermenting after about a week if the temps were right (I was sure they were), but it was still bubbling after ten.

Lesson learned: Bubbling can indicate fermentation, and fast bubbling almost certainly does, but it can also occurr just with dissolved carbon dioxide diffusing into the headspace of the fermenter. Also, a lack of bubbling does not always mean that fermentation has stopped, as there may be a leak around the airlock. The only way to be sure that fermentation has stopped is if you get two SG readings the same over about 24 hours.

Welcome to homebrewing!

[AlcoMoo]

Thanks for all that!

Just on the temp thing, some of you have mentioned various temps for ales and lagers.....what about stouts? Or is this just a dark version of one of them?

And another question just to prove my complete ignorance on the subject ;
what is the difference between lager and ale?? Generally speaking.

[blandy]

Short answer:

Ales use top-fermenting yeasts at high (18-24*C) temps
Lagers use botton-fermenting yeasts at colder (9-15*C)

long answer: search the forum, someone else has probably answered it better than me.

Stouts use ale yeast.

[melbourne man]

Is 16 degrees alright for SAFlager S-23 yeast and how can I drop the temperature of the fermenter?

[lethaldog]

Saflager range i think is between 10-20*C but its better to keep it low, ideal is between 10and 12

[morgs]

Dont be in a hurry to bottle. Even if your brew is finished it aint going to matter if you leave it for a few more days.

[AlcoMoo]

I took a hydro measure last night to check it was decreasing (it is), but in doing so, I had to turn the tap in order to get the nozzle pointing down. Now I have a leak from around the seal of the tap that I cannot stop. It is not a big leak, but over 12 hours or so, I have lost maybe 1cm out of the fermenter. The less I turn the whole tap, the more it leaks; the more I turn it, the more it leaks. I can't win!!!!

ARGHHHHHHHHHH

I have gone trhough 2 tea towels. I should have just lef the bloody thing alone!! But I did need to check at some stage with the hydro so.....

Sheesh.

[Noodles]

Welcome to homebrewing AlcoMoo. I too am a new homebrewer, i've just bottled my 4th brew. So as a fellow newbie i'll do a fortune reading of your future for you:

I can guarantee the following:

1. While your first brew is fermenting you'll worry like crazy thinking something is wrong (well that's not a future prediction as it has already happened.

2. Once your first brew is bottled, despite all advice given on this forum, you'll open a bottle after approximately 10-12 days in the bottle.

3. This bottle that you open after 10-12 days will taste pretty ordinary.

4. You'll wonder what all these people on the forum are raving about. Homebrew just isn't that good.

5. You'll open your second somewhere between 18-24 days.

6. You'll be amazed at the improvement of your beer.

7. You'll then drink your brew happily over the next two weeks, thinking to yourself why didn't I start homebrewing earlier.

8. After about 5 weeks in the bottle you'll notice your beer has improved significantly again.

9. You'll kick yourself for drinking so many bottles during the 3-5 wek period.

10. You pack the 7 or 8 remaining bottles from your first brew away, pledging to not drink any more until they are at least 3 months old.

[AlcoMoo]

Ha ha ha ha ha...

My DH already is chaffing at the bit to try the brew and it's not even in the bottles yet. He looks lovingly at the fermenter every time he passes through the laundry!!

[AlcoMoo]

Ok, you're all probably gunna get a laugh at my expense.

I have finally stopped the leaking from the tap....I didn't have it turned in tight enough . I stopped being so girly and gave it a really good turn (hope I didn't do anything to the thread!). And the bubbles are back in the airlock!

Mind you, I lost about 1cm out of the tank which I am guessing equates to about 1 litre or so . That will just have to be my gift to the beer gods!

[Boonie]

Ok, you're all probably gunna get a laugh at my expense.

I have finally stopped the leaking from the tap....I didn't have it turned in tight enough . I stopped being so girly and gave it a really good turn (hope I didn't do anything to the thread!). And the bubbles are back in the airlock!

Mind you, I lost about 1cm out of the tank which I am guessing equates to about 1 litre or so . That will just have to be my gift to the beer gods!

I just had a tear in my eye....1 litre of beer!

[Shagger]

I have finally stopped the leaking from the tap....I didn't have it turned in tight enough . I stopped being so girly and gave it a really good turn (hope I didn't do anything to the thread!).

I turned my tap too tight a few months ago and cracked the thread!
That rooted my fermenter! It was my first one (about 8 years old).

[cleverpig]

Hi,

Was wondering if anyone else had tried the Sovereign Gold range? I've been thinking of putting down a Sovereign Gold Lager for my 11th brew, just a simple one with saflager yeast and 1kg LDM.

[AlcoMoo]

Well I am brewing a Sovereign Gold Stout right now, but as this is my very first brew, I can't give any feedback. But as far as how it tastes when I've checked hydro....well, it tastes like it should so far .