I stoppered the bottle, and put it in the closet of the bedroom. I left it alone for several days, periodically peering in. The stopper has a hole through the center, and a strange s-shaped glass tube with a chamber containing about an ounce of water sticks through. This is called an airlock, like on a space ship. It allows air to flow but keeps a small amount of a disinfectant solution between the bottle world and the outside world.
Inside the bottle, the scene resembles the bottom of the ocean. Tiny globs of yeast float about and rise and fall. There seems to be a current of yeast swirling in the liquid, which is a dark brown, caramel-like color. The bottom of the bottle has a thick sediment, and the top of the liquid has a thick foam. It is just amazing. Gas bubbles burst through the airlock, about every three to five seconds, making a gurgling sound.
On the first day, the gas bubbles came slowly, but on the second day they were extremely active. At night, I can hear the gasses bubbling through the airlock. On the third day they hadn't slowed, but by the evening of the fourth day, they were slowing noticably. This Friday evening, I expect to remove the bulk of the liquid from the bottle, into a smaller bottle. It will settle in there for about another week. Then, it will be time to put it in bottles. The bottles will sit for two or three weeks before I try to drink them.
I decided to start another batch right away. The first batch is an amber ale, the next will be a brown ale. Since I have to clean everything up after the transfer process, I decided to go ahead and see if I can solo the second batch. As of now, the brew in the closet seems to be progressing nicely, so I'll leave it at that, and add more as time goes by.
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