Fermentation is happening in a fractional recipe.

[Lehmann]

Hi, This is my first batch, yes I am a beginner making beer! I bought at The Range shop the MYO Beer Stout (Irish Stout - Beer - Instructions - How To).

I am having some doughts it the fermentation is really happening once the airlock is stopped.

I put my bucket in my cupboard, the temperature there is from 19 to 22 deg. I don't believe will get 25oC never!

This kit is for 30-liter bucket, however, I wouldn't have space for the huge bucket (and I don't need 40 bottles at once), thus I bought a 5 liters bucket (it came with an airlock bubbler) and so I fractionated the recipe.

I make all the calculations to have the same proportion of the ingredients and amount of beer will be producing....... So I am doing 1/6.7 of the original recipe, so the yeast is just 2g (almost a dessert spoon).

The bucket I bought ( Search: 1 result found for "Fermentation Vessel - 5 Litre Bucket with Grommet & Airlock" ) has airlock, which I am really sure is not leaking, once I touch the bucket lid the water moves at the airlock, its amazing sensible.

I can't see any bubble from the fermentation in the airlock, I am not sure if: fermentation takes a while to start, the room is too cold, the 2g of yeast is not enough, I might have measured the 2g wrong once my scale was not happy with a so small number.

I don't want to lose all the work, can I add more yeast? would destroy the beer taste? It has been in the vessel for only 20h so far.

I have a digital laser thermometer and looks like the temperature in the vessel is 0.5oC hotter than in the surroundings. I believe it's the only good news I have.

This week I will be receiving a hydrometer and a wine thief a ( Stevenson-Reeves Triple Scale Hydrometer for Wine & Beer with Plastic Measuring Cylinder ), should I use it?

All thoughts will be really more than important to me. I really don't want to give up on doing my own beer.

Prost

Lehmann

 

[hellfleet]

Hi Lehmann,

Probably not much use at this point but personally I wouldn't have fractioned the yeast out as you can never be sure about the viability. I'd have probably picked up a few more packets for later brews.

That said, it'll probably be ok. It might take the yeast a bit longer to get going. 20h isn't that long, hopefully you have some activity now.
Depending on how well your bucket and air lock really seals you might not see the same amount of "bubble action" as you would expect from a larger brew.
If your bucket is a little translucent see if you can see a layer of "something" forming.
The temperature is unlikely to be an issue I think.

Elliot

 

[Leon103]

Just leave it a bit longer. I would be more worried on how you are storing the unused LME.