The stage in the brewing process where yeast is pitched into the wort and the bulk of the sugars are converted to alcohol, transforming the wort into beer. Contrasts with secondary fermentation, bottle fermentation (bottle conditioning) and aging.

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164 views

Would placing the fermenter tank in a tub of water be a good way to handle hot environments?

Summers where I live typically have 80F nights and it can easily pick up to 95 degrees during the day. I have a plastic trash can (which I bought for this purpose) that I have filled up with water. ...
2
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2answers
79 views

First batch with Muntons Pilsner kit, will it take longer than instructed?

I'm quite new to homebrewing (in fact, I only finished batch #2 last week) but looking to test out a few new types of drink. I'm planning on starting a batch of Pilsner in a few weeks, for this I ...
3
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3answers
106 views

How long can I leave my Ginger Beer (kit) in the primary?

Another fact finding question: How long can I - theoretically - leave my Ginger Beer brew in the primary (a 5 gallon glass carboy) before bottling? The instructions suggest 8 days, hovever it's ...
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1answer
98 views

Low gravity reading after one week

My first home brew batch has been in the primary fermentation for one week and the gravity reading has dropped from 1055 to 1008. Is it going down too quickly? 4 kg pale ale malt 0,5 kg crystal malt ...
4
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3answers
927 views

My cider stopped fermenting until I swished it around in the bucket a bunch, then continued. Is that normal?

My malted cider had been brewing after about a week in my plastic brewing bucket to the point where the little 'hat' thing in my airlock fell onto the 'neck' (no internal pressure). I opened it up ...
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2answers
167 views

no air lock activity after 3 days

First time brewer,I brewed a ipa extract kit.There is no airlock activity after 3 days.I had an og reading of 1.060, I took another reading today of 1.020.I want to ravk into a secondary should i do ...
1
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1answer
166 views

First Brew: Yellow Mold - Transfer to Carboy - Slowing of Fermentation

I brewed a batch of Pale (first solo brew) and after pitching yeast (6 hours), noticed yellow clusters of what I think was mold. I thought I had an infection, so I siphoned off, and collected ...
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2answers
188 views

Dry hopping at the end of fermentation?

First of all I know being impatient is not the way to approach brewing, but I would like to sneak my last batch (as well as the ones I had planned) into a PRO-AM comp in two weeks. I have an session ...
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1answer
118 views

Adding coffee without secondary

There are several questions about adding coffee, but the best results always seem to result from adding the coffee at secondary fermentation. I simply don't have a second vessel so this is not an ...
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2answers
1k views

Primary fermentation is still bubbling after 2 weeks. What are the consequences?

This is my second batch in a row where I've seen primary go for over two weeks. From my understanding, primary fermentation for an ale shouldn't take more than a couple of days (4-5 at most I ...
2
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2answers
167 views

Lead in primary fermentation

So, my floating thermometer broke while cooling off my wort and I didn't realize it until about an hour after I had pitched the yeast and fermentation had definitely already started. At first I ...
0
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1answer
148 views

Troubleshooting a stuck fermentation with Ringwood Ale

I'm brewing an IPA using Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) and it seems stuck. I'm brewing 19L (5G) with an OG of 1.052 and pitched two (smacked) smackpacks of 1187 straight into the primary bucket. I used ...
2
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4answers
2k views

Is a normal plastic fermenting bucket with a plain lid (no kind of tap) OK to ferment in without the beer becoming contaminated?

It is my understanding that if one is fermenting (primary) with a bucket with a plain lid on it that it is necessary to leave a small gap (i.e. to leave the lid open a bit) Is this an adequate ...
3
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1answer
289 views

Honey/Ginger Brew With Champagne Yeast

I got it in my head last weekend that I needed to homebrew again (it's been more than 10 years!), and so I boiled 4lbs of honey, 2lbs of ginger, 1lb of dark brown sugar and 1.5lbs of raisins (since ...
3
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3answers
247 views

Overly Active Fermentation

I've got an Imperial IPA that I'm worried has something wrong. OG 1.080, 5gal batch, 6.5gal fermentation bucket, Used a healthy starter, Room temp 70f Primary kicked up within five hours or so and ...
2
votes
4answers
736 views

Airlock gasket on primary fermenter fell in when reinserting airlock

I was checking the gravity on my fermenting beer and took the top off my bucket to do so. When reattaching the airlock, the black rubber gasket on the bucket fell in. I tried to fish it out with a ...
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5answers
2k views

No bubbles in the airlock - should I still bottle the brew?

I'm attempting my first brew using a kit with all the provided ingredients (it's a lager). My brew is still in the big tub and has been there for about 2 weeks now. Initial SG was 1.040 and it's now ...
5
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3answers
663 views

Krausen During Primary

I'm wondering what other peoples' experiences are with krausen at the start of fermentation. I've had some beers that have bubbled along happily without producing huge amounts of foam, and others ...