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dos the fermentation process really need foam?

cjbeattie

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Hey guys,

Just very new to brewing, on only my second batch at the moment my first brew was Geordie mild which came out ok and had a nice taste for a cheap kit..

Until I get good at it I’m only going to stick to the cheap kits…

Anyways my second brew has been fermenting first stage for 4 days now and I’m a wee bit worried there is not hardly any foam at all on the top of the brewing barrel.. When I did the Geordie mild there was an substantial amount of foam, with this new brew which is a ‘young’s harvest pilsner kit’ there doesn’t seem to be any at all, you can see the odd bubble rising up though and after taking a reading on the hydrometer in 4 days it has dropped from 40 to 10 so I assume fermentation is happening..

I just wondered do different kits/beer create a different type of fermentation and hence some foam no foam? And if there is no foam dos it matter? As long as the hydrometer shows the gravity reading has dropped?

Sorry for the noob questions guys still learning here

Thanks

Craig
:D
 
cjbeattie said:
I just wondered do different kits/beer create a different type of fermentation and hence some foam no foam? And if there is no foam dos it matter? As long as the hydrometer shows the gravity reading has dropped?

Yes, different beers will show some different fermentation characteristics. A lot of it depends on how much yeast you use, how healthy the yeast is and what temperature you're using. As long as the gravity is dropping, you're fine. The last gravity you mentioned seems to be about what you should expect. It might be time to lager the beer.

Sorry for the noob questions guys still learning here

Nearly 30 years brewing and I still learn. If a brewer isn't learning, they're lying.
 
thanks BeerSmith Grandmaster for your post...

was worried i had posted the question in the wrong section

had a great big phewwwwwwww when i read it so thanks for easing the tension...

I agree from starting from scratch there is alot to learn with brewing and there is alot more elements to it than just putting it in a barrel and waiting

take care

:)
 
Until I get good at it I’m only going to stick to the cheap kits…

Cheap kits often come with cheap yeast, and you don't know how long it's been sitting around. If you're going to use kits, and they come with their own yeast, I'd suggest tossing it and getting a fresh pack of something equivalent to what the kit came with. It's only a few bucks extra, and it's worth it.

As long as the hydrometer shows the gravity reading has dropped?

That's what matters. It could have foamed up while you were sleeping and/or at work. I've had batches do the majority of the fermentation in just a day or two, while others dragged on for a week or more.  The yeast doesn't follow any schedule but its own.

Sorry for the noob questions guys still learning here

We were all noobs once.  ;)
 
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