Fermenting too slow...?

[cyanide]

Hi, it's been some 36 hours since I made my beer, added the yeast and sealed it up, except for the airlock.

I've only seen activity in the airlock once. When I smell the top of the airlock, I can tell something's going on... it has the smell of fermentation.

According to my kit it is supposed to only take 4-6 days. There's about an inch to two inches between the lid and the liquid. Should I be at all worried?

I was expecting the airlock to be very bubbly by now with smells of my beer fermenting filling the air.

What all should I be noticing? I really have no idea.
Oh, and I will be testing it with a hydrometer after 6 days. So at least I'll know if it is done...

[paul84043]

What kind of a container are you using?
Is there any foam on your beer?

Plastic buckets are notorious for leaking and not showing signs of fermentation in the airlock.
The foam is your indicator that things are moving along.
Those two reasons alone are what make a glass carboy so neat for both the beginner and the advanced brewer. They seal beautifully, and you can see everything that's happening inside..

6 days is a decent amount of time to wait to take a reading, the bulk of your fermentation should be done by then.

[S.F.B.]

What style of beer is it?

What kind of yeast did you use?

I have had batches of beer take up to 36 hours to show a lot of action in the air lock. Especially when I was using dry yeast. As Paul said, the fact that there is a layer of foam on top is a sign that you have activity. Take your gravity reading, as you planned, and go from there.

Let us know how things turn out.

[dynomax]

Yes, ncie that you should mention foam. Because i am doing a batch of Coopers Pilsner right now. And there is no foam. Like usually i have foam covering a lot of the surface. the thing is cooking like mad, and hte airlock is showing great signs (bubbling like once/second)

the HG droppde from 1.040 to 1.020 in 36 hours. This is great. the brew temp is 23 degrees celcius

I just dont see the foam?!

[paul84043]

Sorry, I should have specified that you will see tons of foam with an ale, but little or none at all with a lager yeast. (A pilsner uses a lager yeast doesn't it?)
I did a calif. Common, it foamed up for the first two days then fell to nothing, but continued to bubble out the airlock for another week...

My bad, your gravity will tell the real tale! Sounds like you're doing the right thing.

[shughes600]

I don't hink you'll get much odor from a fermenting beer, unless you open it up.

[paul84043]

I will typically have a yeasty smell that comes through the airlock, I have over time come to associate that smell with beer....

[cyanide]

Well, it seems everything went ok!

I opened up my fermenter today and took a smell, it was so strong with alcohol I had to turn away. Certainly a good sign!

Not only that, but the sides of the bucket were covered with yeast, about 2 inches up, so I must have gotten some great bubbling.

I got a hydrometer and it's about .002 below the required gravity, so it looks like a success. I saw some bubbles rising from the liquid, wasn't sure if that was from having moved the bucket and putting the hydrometer in, so I'll check back later... won't bottle until I'm sure it's totally done fermenting.

[paul84043]

When you move it, be careful to get as little of the "Stuff" on the sides of the fermenter, back into the beer as possible, it's very bitter and nasty.

So what was your gravity reading? How long has this batch been going?

[cyanide]

looks like 1.006, the kit says 1.008 is the requirement.

The kit says to bottle it after 4-6 days. I made the batch on Sunday, so this is day 4.

[paul84043]

Wow, that's fast...but 1.008 is a fantastic gravity. I'd wait another couple days and take another reading to compare it to.
You'll be fine either way.

[dynomax]

Actually, most of the lager and pilsner kits around here come with Ale yeasts. Just because of the brewing temps. Ales brew at hotter temps than lagers. I think this is why most mfgs include an ale yeast. all this time i havent really been making lagers!!!!

oh well.

[beertester]

As the agent for Coopers homebrewing products in North America, I can speak with some authority on the subject of the yeast used in the Coopers beer kits. The Brewmasters Selection Series of kits, which includes the Nut Brown Ale, the IPA, the Wheat Beer and the Pilsener, have stylistically appropriate strains of dried yeast. The Pilsener kit does in fact have a dried lager yeast and should be fermented at lower temperatures and aged for a longer period. The IPA and the Nut Brown Ale use an English Ale yeast. The Wheat Beer uses a Weizen yeast.

The traditional Coopers beer kits, which include the Lager, Draught, Real Ale, Bitter, Classic Dark, and Stout all include the same ale yeast strain which is similar to the yeast strain that Coopers uses in the production of their bottle conditioned ales.