So I just finished the initial part of my first batch and I have a few questions. I ran into some complications towards the end that have me worried.

Here's the equipment i used:
http://www.crosby-baker.com/TrueBrew.htm (true brew maestro)

First off, when I went to plug the airlock into the top of the fermenter, the rubber grommet popped out and landed in the brew (the lid, grommet included had been snaitized), so i wrapped teflon tape around the airlock. I got a pretty good seal with the teflon tape, but I'm still worried.

Second, my house is pretty warm. We live in Ga, and right now we aren't running the ac or the heat. It's one of those in-between times of year. What happens if the ambient temp gets above the recommended temp for ale fermentation?

thirdly and finally, what happens if the wort wasnt' cool enough when i added the yeast? I'm talking a matter of maybe 2 or 3 degrees, not hot or cold. And when should I start to see some bubbles in my airlock?

1. For the first part, we've dropped the grommet in too, it sucks, but it's not the end of the world, really want you want is to keep stuff out so the good news is that you're ok on that end.

2. How warm is warm? If you ferment too hot you'll get some weird flavors.

3. This is sort of like the 2nd part. if it's 2-3 degrees then nothing bad will hapen. What temp did you ferment at? It can vary how long before you see bubbles but after about 12 hours you should see something. if you're unsure you can crack the lid and see but give it a little time.

What kind of beer are you brewing? What kind of yeast did you use?

1. Excellent.

2. Warmish...I'd say on average around 75...I turn on the air if it gets any hotter than that inside.

3. Last I checked the temp strip on the outside of the fermenter was at about 77F.

I decided to try a porter for my first go round. Not sure on the type of yeast or types of grain. I just told the guy at the shop what I wanted to make and he gave me ingredients. I've been meaning to call him and ask him the specifics on the grain, but keep forgetting.

Thanks for the speedy reply!!

OK...

1) Grommet - Non-issue, don't worry. Not something to aim for, but not a biggie, especially if you sanitized it.

2) Warm ambient temperature. You're probably fermenting a little warm. You'll get a few esthers (fruity notes) from the yeast. You may also get a few higher alcohols. No big deal, you're not that over recommended temperature. If you find out what yeast, let us know. That'll help us tell you how much it'll matter.

3) Same as 2. Pitching hot will actually help fermentation get started faster (don't try to do this, though, as it will have the above mentioned affects and, if you pitch too hot, will kill yeast). You usually want to aim for 70 depending on the yeast.

One thing about brewing, keep good notes. That way you can replicate again if you like it, or you can tweak things. That means know the grain, both type and amount, hops and yeast. Yeast gives the beer a huge amount of its character.

Sounds like you got a good first batch underway, though! Let us know how it turns out.

At the risk of sounding like a total noob, I opened the fermenter up to take a look at what was going on since i'm still not seeing very many bubbles. The top of the brew is covered in this really thick foam, but again, not so much happening in the airlock. Is that what's supposed to be happening?

If I remember, I'll give the brewshop a call tomorrow to find out about the yeast and the grain. Thanks again for your replies!!

glimmer1 wrote:
At the risk of sounding like a total noob, I opened the fermenter up to take a look at what was going on since i'm still not seeing very many bubbles. The top of the brew is covered in this really thick foam, but again, not so much happening in the airlock. Is that what's supposed to be happening?

If I remember, I'll give the brewshop a call tomorrow to find out about the yeast and the grain. Thanks again for your replies!!

You've got fermentation! That foam is called krausen, and it's very active yeast and CO2. There are several reason you may not see bubbling yet:

1) Pressure may not have built up enough to cause bubbling.
2) The seal of the lid may not be airtight, so air is escaping elsewhere.
3) The airlock may be clogged.

If it's 3, then you need to be a little careful, since the top could blow off. Probably it's just 1 or 2, though.

But, yeah, congrats! You have fermentation in your beer.

THAT is fantastic news!!!

Now my next question, related to the previous problems, is how, since my airlock still isn't bubbling, do I know when primary fermentation is complete and I can bottle?

I'm so sorry for not researching more, but thank you guys soooo much for being so helpful!!

glimmer1 wrote:
Now my next question, related to the previous problems, is how, since my airlock still isn't bubbling, do I know when primary fermentation is complete and I can bottle?

I'm so sorry for not researching more, but thank you guys soooo much for being so helpful!!

Don't worry about it, it's what we're here for!

From looking at the kit description, you have a hydrometer. If not, go buy one.

Do you have a target final gravity?

The only way to truly tell that fermentation is done is to take a gravity reading. When it's stable for 3 days, fermentation is most likely done. If it's really high, you probably have a stuck fermentation... but we can talk about that more later. If you're near your target final gravity, and it stays there for a few days, fermentation is done. Bubbling is not an accurate measure of when fermentation is done.

Just remember to sanitize anything that will touch the beer when you take your reading!

I'm shooting for somewhere between 1.008 and 1.012. does that sound about right? I"m gonna check it later on today. I'll let ya know where we are

glimmer1 wrote:
I'm shooting for somewhere between 1.008 and 1.012. does that sound about right? I"m gonna check it later on today. I'll let ya know where we are

Sounds like a good FG to me.

So my SpG has been 1.010 for two days. I'm gonna bottle later on this afternoon.

I tasted it when I did the last spg and, damn dude, that's about as good as flat beer can taste. I'm super stoked.

thank you so much Jeff for your help!!

held steady for two days? Bottle! haha. Good luck, hope it tastes as good cold and carbonated as it does warm and flat! (actually, I hope it tastes better, haha) Enjoy. Glad we could help here at DrinkCraftBeer!