Beer Forum

okay so I just brewed my first batch. It is about 60 hours since the yeast was added and the airlock is not bubbling. The only thing I noticed was a change in the airlock level between the two chambers. For my first brew I used an ingredient kit purchased online by the grape and granary called Irish Red ale. It was basically seeping grains, light syrup malt, dry malt, pellet hops, something called irish moss and a finishing pellet hops as well. Boiled everything well , I aerated the wort mixture by pouring over a strainer into the primary fermenter and I re-hydrated the yeast in warm water first and saw some activity. The yeast is Hottingham brewing yeast (dried) 11 grams. Should I be worried and can I do anything to jump start this. I have other yeast packets but not the same brand. Oh yeah the temperature is kept @ 69-70 according the thermometer on the pail.

Welcome-

Is your primary in a bucket? A lot of time, the lid doesn't seal well and you don't realize that it's going like gangbusters.

Peek inside. Is there a krausen? If so, leave it alone. The CO2 is leaking out and that's ok because there's positive pressure keeping the bugs out.

Is there sign of a krausen ring on the side of the fermenter like this:



If it looks like that, it's already fermented. Let it age for 2 weeks then bottle it.
If it looks like when you first put the wort in, get another packet of yeast and repitch now.

HTH-

You didn't say if you were in plastic or glass...

60 hours is a long time... However - the airlock might not bubble if the lid of the pail is not fully seated. Crack the lid and see if there is any krausen. Also make sure your stopper is fully seated (also with glass).

If there is no krausen - go to your LHBS and get yourself 2 packets of the the freshest dry yeast you can. Boil a cup of water and let it cool to room temp. Pour the dry yeast into it and wait 5-10 minutes, stir and pitch. I'd go with liquid yeast and a starter next time.


Mylo

ok I peeked inside and yes there is a Krausen about an inch, it also smells great and I can hear lots of activity. I guess I am good to go? - I will just wait the 2 weeks. Thanks for the help cant wait for this first batch. The pail is a plastic Ale Pail set up. Definitely strange that I saw no activity in the airlock because the lid seems really tight. I did not stir the yeast in the wort before sealing the lid, could that have been my mistake? Should I shake it up a bit? Thanks again.

Shaking to mix the yeast into the wort is not necessary. Shaking to aerate is - (or using an aeration stone).

You'll hear a lot of things that you can do to make your beer better. Fermentation temp control, a big healty pitch of yeast into an aerated wort, and going to a full boil are the things that are going to help you the most out of the gate.

Sounds like your bucket or airlock is not sealing properly.


Mylo

No need to mess with it at all. Everything is working just like it is supposed to. Those buckets are notoriously hard to seal tight. Fortunately it isn't necessary. Find someone to give you some homebrew and relax. Also it is now time to start planning your next brew so you can start it as soon as your fermenter is free. You don't want to run out of one batch before the next one is ready to drink. If you do that, you will run into the problems involved with trying to rush a beer to completion.

Congratulations of your first beer! You are now on a downhill spiral into this addictive hobby!

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

yes I am ready to stop worrying, have a homebrew and start planning my next beer. In fact I am thinking of going to the local brewshop tomorrow to get another primary fermenter to start on the next batch! I'm thinking of doing something with a little vanilla spice next time around.

Keep us posted on your first brew!

I re-hydrated the yeast in warm water first

One thing to keep in mind (it caught my eye because I did the same thing on my first brew)... make sure you are using sanitized water. Boil it and cool it before adding it to the dry yeast. Also make sure the container you are rehydrating in is sanitized.

It's not a huge concern, but you don't want to risk any chance of contamination.