Fat Tire Amber Ale (clone) - 5 Days of Fermenting

Nothing too exciting..  The new air lock has stayed on top of the carboy and fermentation seems to be slowing down now.  The air lock is blowing out a bubble every 10 seconds.  I did notice some sediment sticking on the side of the fermenter.  I am guessing it is just the yeast moving and sticking in the carboy?  Hopefully it disappears over the weekend.

 

Fat Tire Amber Ale (Clone) - 4 Days of Fermenting & Replacing Air Lock

As expected when I got home yesterday, the air lock was still full of bubbles and foam.

I stopped at Home Sweet Homebrew during lunch and picked up a new stopper, 3-piece air lock, blow-off tube, and a carboy handle (the carboy handle was added to the purchase because I needed to have a 15$ minimum to use my credit card, oh well!).

I decided to put the 3-piece airlock on top of the carboy instead of the blow-off hose and tin foil. I've read both the blow-off hose and tin foil are good for the beginning stages of fermentation when the yeast is very active. After the fermentation seems to slow down, it is best to put an air lock on the carboy. Being it has been 4 days of fermenting now, and the activity has died down (about 1 bubble every 5 seconds), I went with the air lock.

Before replacing the air lock, I sterilized a piece of tin foil, the rubber stopper and the 3-piece air lock.

I took off the old air lock and put the piece of sterilized tin foil on top of the carboy to keep out any bugs that might try to get in. During this time, I assembled the new 3-piece air lock and filled it with water (about half way up).

I cleaned around the carboy mouth with a sterilized paper towel and put the new air lock on. I also assembled and attached the handy-dandy carboy handle (how sexy).

Everything is back to normal. I checked this morning before I left work, and the air lock is still bubbling about 1 bubble every 5 seconds. It is also clean and foam-free! Tonight I will drink like a fish so I have enough bottles to fill the Weiss in on Sunday.

Bottle Cleaning - Label Clearing Process

I figured I would also show the setup I had going for clearing the labels off bottles. I filled up the right side of the sink with soap and hot water. I put about 12 bottles into the sink and let them sit for about 45 minutes. Most of the labels slid off with no issues* (the Yards IPA's however did not come off easily, possible conspiracy??). After peeling off the labels, I took a razor blade to the bottles to scrape off the remaining glue.

This process worked like a charm for taking the labels off the bottles.

Fat Tire Amber Ale (Clone) - 3 Days of Fermenting

DANGER WILL ROBINSON! I got home from work yesterday and checked on the fermenter and I seen a giant foamy mess in the air lock.

This is not the first time I have had this happen. The first brew we made had the stopper and air lock completely blown off the carboy. Thankfully this time, the air lock has kept itself in the carboy. I did my best to clean around the air lock to prevent any type of infection. I decided to leave the air lock on for the night. I took the cap off the top of the air lock as the small holes were all clogged up (seen below).

I read several posts yesterday about clogged air locks. Most of the posts said to throw away the air locks as they are pretty much useless during primary fermentation. As for the one I have, the S-shaped air lock, experts say it is impossible to clean out properly once clogged.

The best method I read that is used for primary fermentation is to wrap aluminum foil around the top of the carboy, or use a blow-off hose for the first few days. Once fermentation seems to die down, then put a air lock on the carboy (I can see why...). I will be doing one or the other with the next batch (maybe even tonight).

The good thing... this happens all the time, and it does not ruin the batch. This happened because we have a very active fermentation and very active yeast. There is so much CO2 coming out of the carboy, that there is no chance of any contaminates entering the carboy. Since fermentation should be nearing its end, I think it will be ok leaving the air lock on top, as long as it does not clog more.

Fat Tire Amber Ale (Clone) - 48 Hours of Fermenting

The beer is agressively fermenting now. The krausen (foam head) on the top layer of the beer is much more foamier than it was 24 hours ago. The airlock is bubbling about 1 bubble every 2 seconds. The color of the beer seems to be somewhat clearer, but it is still dark in color. However, the smell coming from the airlock is FANTASTIC! I think I felt buzzed just taking a whiff!

I also noticed the Weizenbier in the background was also blowing out a bubble or two after 10 days of fermenting. Bottling of the Weiszbier will be this Sunday. Pictures will be posted.

Fat Tire Amber Ale (Clone) - 24 Hours of Fermenting

The sediment has fallen to the bottom of the carboy and the color has become much darker than expected. The airlock is bubbling about 1-2 bubbles every 10 seconds. Also, krausen (foam head) has began to form on top of the beer.

Fat Tire Amber Ale (Clone) - 1 Hour After Boil

Below are some pictures of the wort in the carboy 1 hour after boiling. (Notice the German Weiszbeir in the background! - Pictures to be added later)

Like I previously mentioned, I am a little unsure of the color. Looking at a picture of the Fat Tire Amber Ale, it looked a little more red in color. Ours seems to be somewhat chocolate brown. I will keep posting pictures during the ferment. The temperature of the basement is about 65 degrees which is perfect for primary fermentation.

What the beer color should turn out as... we shall see!