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First larger batch - airlock activity?

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rodlonq

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Jul 31, 2017
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My first batch over one gallon is looking good.

26.5 L batch in a white plastic beer fermenter
7.8 kg raw honey + a few dozen tiny black ants I didn't know were in the honey.
SG at 34C was 1.086 with correction indicates 1.090 at 20C
10g ICV OKAY yeast + 12.5g Goferm Protect - rehydrated and pitched at 32C

Nutrient planned to TOSNA 2.0
degas/aeration + 5.7g Fermaid O disolved in a cup of must at 24 hrs

My intention is to rack into 5 L glass demijohns and backsweeten each to various levels to find what my better half and I like best.

As above, it looks good but having no experience I would like to ask how much activity should I see at the airlock. 36 hours after pitching and at 26C I am counting around 40 BPM. Is this high, low or about right? Thanks.
 

Squatchy

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No one who knows about making mead count bubbles. They really don't tell you any information that is usable. Go buy a hydrometer if you want to know what's going on. Bubbles mean nothing.
 

rodlonq

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Jul 31, 2017
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No one who knows about making mead count bubbles. They really don't tell you any information that is usable. Go buy a hydrometer if you want to know what's going on. Bubbles mean nothing.

Please note I stated the temperature corrected OG was 1.090, so I thought it clear I have a hydrometer. I will measure the gravity this evening when I do the second nutrient addition but I don't know how to interpret that information either.

Sorry, I had hoped it was a reasonable question. I know when I add a pack of turbo yeast to 26 litres of water that has 10 kg of dextrose dissolved in it, the airlock sounds like a tiny outboard motor from day 2 to about day 6, the bubbling is almost a continuous stream.

[video]https://www.facebook.com/100008252321549/videos/vb.100008252321549/2033633163588408/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab[/video]
 
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Farmboyc

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Please note I stated the temperature corrected SG was 1.090, so I thought it clear I have a hydrometer. I will measure the gravity this evening when I do the second nutrient addition but I don't know how to interpret that information either.

Sorry, I had hoped it was a reasonable question. I know when I add a pack of turbo yeast to 26 litres of water that has 10 kg of dextrose dissolved in it, the airlock sounds like a tiny outboard motor from day 2 to about day 6, the bubbling is almost a continuous stream.

[video]https://www.facebook.com/100008252321549/videos/vb.100008252321549/2033633163588408/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab[/video]
mead-calculator/


http://gotmead.com/blog/the-mead-calculator/

Here is a handy calculator. Basically as long as the SG is decreasing you are fermenting. 10 - 30 points a day in the early going is fairly common.

I personally would be a little concerned about fermenting at 26 C. Seems a little warm and could lead to production of fusel alcohol and some harsh flavours.

Your yeast has a MAX temp tolerance of 30 C and I usually find ferments are cleaner when done on the lower end of the temp range. However, I have never used this particular yeast.

Sent from my SM-A520W using Tapatalk
 
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rodlonq

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26C is cool for this part of the world (Far North Queensland, Downunder), that is in my air-conditioned man cave / office. I will let it continue at that and hope for the best.

As a side issue, can someone tell me if the video link works for them, I have never posted one before. Thanks.
 
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Squatchy

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Please note I stated the temperature corrected OG was 1.090, so I thought it clear I have a hydrometer. I will measure the gravity this evening when I do the second nutrient addition but I don't know how to interpret that information either.

Sorry, I had hoped it was a reasonable question. I know when I add a pack of turbo yeast to 26 litres of water that has 10 kg of dextrose dissolved in it, the airlock sounds like a tiny outboard motor from day 2 to about day 6, the bubbling is almost a continuous stream.

[video]https://www.facebook.com/100008252321549/videos/vb.100008252321549/2033633163588408/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab[/video]

I hear ya. But you still don't have anything you can count on. Right? You don't know what your gravity is. So you don't know if it's 1/3 of the way done. Or tapped out or stalled or dry. Thse things are only known with a gravity reading. You can add salt and the mucleation points will cause lots of bubbles. But it doesn't tell you other than gas is leaving the vessel. Not tryinjt to be an ass. Just saying. Even temps, food source will make CcO 2 escape.
 

rodlonq

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Jul 31, 2017
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Roger that Squatchy, I am getting the point now, and I don't want to be a smart-ass either. I fully understand how measurements are the only sure way to know what is going on. They are very useful so long as you know how to interpret them correctly. I have a wine refractometer, a honey refractometer and a pH tester on the way so I can record everything (= as much as I can afford for now). I also have a stack of books and bookmarks I have been trying to digest, with some success I hope.

In my OP, I was hoping to hear anecdotal evidence comparing my cited 40 BPM (at 36 hours after pitching), against the rate witnessed by experienced people watching healthy fermentations. For example, if I had said it was only 2 BPM I would have expected someone to say "that sounds low, your ferment may be stalling". Alternatively if I said it was 120 BPM I may expect someone to say something like "that is way higher than expected, you are pulling our chain right?". The airlock activity appears to be totally unreliable so I will disregard it in the future.

I will measure the SG each night while feeding and record. In the long run I will develop a feel for how things are going and won't need to embarrass myself by asking dumb questions ;-).

I liken it (i.e. anecdotal evidence) to a muscle car enthusiast using his ears, noticing the timing may be a bit retarded or the fuel/air mixture too lean. It is interesting that these type of observations are also being displaced by technology and now they just hook the ECM up to a scope and tune away without even listening.
 

Squatchy

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I used to plot my fermentations on a graph when I first started out to see a common bell curve. That way I might see something during an active ferment that would give me a heads up.

Right here on Gotmead live podcast, I did a podcast teaching step by step on how to employ modern science to make the best meads we know how with current knowledge. It starts at 9/5/17 You might look into that.
 

mannye

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Aside from the mead bubbling in whatever way it wants to regardless of what’s really going on inside the fermenter, you would still have to make sure that every mating surface was completely airtight and the only escape is through the airlock. Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about that because the only real way to know is using measurements.




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