Expert: Alan Ward - 12/4/2005

Question
Alan, I started a muntons am. lite brew kit thursday afternoon and decided to follow the instructions on the can. I preboiled about 4 gallons before the kit came and let it cooled. The instructions said to 1. put can of malt extract in hot water for 5 min. 2.pour contents and sug into fermenter.3.pour 1 gallon of boiling water in and stir. then fill the rest of the way with cold water,(6gallons) I did that and was too short to the top and boiled another gallon and threw it in. after some time the airlock showed activity, so I thought I was fine. It bubbled for 2 days but now its stopped. I might have put the yeast in while the wort was too hot. My question are: should i wait and see if it is done or can i assume the yeast did their job? I took a sample and it smells like beer. I've made 2 batches this year and the airlock usuallt shows activity for 10 days. Also i made it in the basement and the temp is 63 deg. should i go ahead and bottle it? thanks for your help.

Answer
I would not worry.  I have had several batches that do not bubble noticeably after 3 days.  A way to see if anything is happening is to lightly press on the top of the primary.  You should see some bubbles come up.  

Different yeast act differently.  Also temperature has a lot to do with it.  If you are doing an ale  (I am guessing that a Muntons AM is a Muntons Amber) your temp may be a little low.  You could wrap a blanket around it and if the temp stays low you could put a desk lamp pointed on it.  Most ales ferment best between 68 and 78 degrees.

You also state that you took a sample and it smells like beer.  The best way is to take another hydrometer reading.  You most likely started around 1035 to 1045.  After a 10 days it should be around 1013 or so.  This is the only way to tell if the yeast have actually done their job.  

I hope this helps.  If not please let me know and I can give you some ideas on what else you could do.

Alan