So this is the first time I am fermenting in a bucket, and I have a couple questions.
First off, the airlock isn’t bubbling. Its obvious that tis fermenting cause theres lots of good krausen in the bucket from a quick peek I took. It seems that there may be a sealing issue. Should I be worried with that? Oxidation or infection? if so, is there a way to get it sealed up properly? if I push on the top of the bucket, theres definitely bubbles that come out of the airlock, so it would seem to me that given enough pressure, it will bubble.
secondly, I haven’t used dry hope before but im doin 1 oz Amarillo and one oz centennial. I should wait for ferm to subside and just toss the pellets in right? Some have talked about racking it into a carboy and dry hopping there, to get rid of any interaction between the yeast and the hops, but common sense tells me that either way there will be some interation there since the yeast will still be in the beer… Thoughts?
1st - “relax have a homebrew” and give it some time.
2nd after the primary slows down considerably. If you’re going by SG I’d say anything over 60% attn
I quit using a fermentation lock on buckets because the bucket never seals very well anyway. I just push down about 3/4 of the lid to snap in place and leave the last bit for gas to escape. Usually go 2 weeks with the English ale yeasts I use to be sure to get rid of diacetyl, and never had a problem with oxidation.
I use 7 gallon buckets from American plastics so I don’t have to worry about krausen overflow, and replace them when they look old to me. (yup, a really scientifical measure by golly!)
99.9% sure it is just a seal issue on the lid. Sometimes the rubber seal in the lid moves a little and it doesn’t create an airtight seal. This is usually fixed by carefully pulling out the seal and putting it back in place.
That’s what I am assuming. Im honestly not over concerned, but I didn’t know if anyone had any experience with getting them to seal better. ill give this a try.
I do not dry hop on the yeast. I’m moving to dry hopping in the keg. Easier to purge, transfer, all that jazz. Being new, I would transfer your beer being carful not to splash, and dry hop. I would put your hops in a bag w some dental floss to hang out/remove from your bucket. I used to always put my fermenter where I didn’t have to move it before transfer to my bottling bucket. I also don’t dry hop in the carboy. Until you get used to dealing with dry hop matter, bag them. You’ll thank me later.
As far as airlock in a bucket, I pay zero attention to it. Depending on your yeast, that Krausen could be there 2 weeks from now. Take a gravity sample to make sure it is finished.
Plastic buckets don’t usually seal properly but it doesn’t matter - many beers are traditionally fermented open. But do leave the lid on to stop dust getting in and carrying fungi and bacteria with it. Also helps to keep insects, slugs etc out.
How do you deal with all the hop matter when you dry hop in the keg? I’d love to eliminate an extra transfer, but I use pellet hops and I’m concerned about all the hop bits clogging the dip tube and poppet.
that’s weird to me… might just do it now.