Help!!

Porternz · 11-12-2009, 10:10 AM

Hey Team

I put down a lager on Saturday and placed it in our heated cabnet which has allways worked fine, however it only works with the help of electricity which i managed to leave switched off for the last two days... there is now no activity being shown in the airlock. I have switched the heat pad on now but still no change...?
Is there a way to reactivate the yeast..... Some advice would be much appreiciated.

Cheers Dan

ZehBaron · 11-12-2009, 10:20 AM

What's the temperature in this cabinet? I've never heard of anyone needing to ferment a lager on a heat pad

.

Porternz · 11-12-2009, 10:26 AM

Temp is about 21deg celsius in cabinet.... Im in New Zealand and the temp here is not consistent enough not to have pad on... hence we need to use an insulated cabinet.

**Revvy** · 11-12-2009, 10:27 AM

Get out of the habit of thinking the airlock is anything other than a vent to release excess co2 and you will be much happier. Your beer will ferment whether or not the airlock bubbles. If it's not bubbling it either doesn't need to release any EXCESS co2, or it's getting out from the bung...either way is fine....If co2 is getting out, then nothing is getting in.

The only way to truly know what is going on in your fermenter is with your hydrometer. Like I said here in my blog, which I encourage you to read, Think evaluation before action you sure as HELL wouldn't want a doctor to start cutting on you unless he used the proper diagnostic instuments like x-rays first, right? You wouldn't want him to just take a look in your eyes briefly and say "I'm cutting into your chest first thing in the morning." You would want them to use the right diagnostic tools before the slice and dice, right? You'd cry malpractice, I would hope, if they didn't say they were sending you for an MRI and other things before going in....

The thin is with a lager, you often don't see much airlock activity, since you are (or should be) fermenting in the cold, co2, like any gas contracts in the cold, so it may not NEED to vent off...in the cold it usually just sits heavily on the beer.

Since you are brerwing a LAGER, turn off the heat....the temp range of lager yeasts is, depending on which type can range from the mid 20's to the low 60's...and if you go higher than the range of the yeast, you will produce off flavors. You should be lagering in a fridge, or other cold area.

So turn off the heater and walk away from the beer for a few more days, more than likely everything was and is fine...if not on Sunday you can take a hydrometer reading to confirm it, but until then just relax, yeast is hardier than most folks think it is....

And remember fermentation is not always "dynamic," just because you don't SEE anything happening, doesn't mean that anything's wrong, and also doesn't mean that the yeast are still not working dilligantly away, doing what they've been doing for over 4,000 years..

Bubbling is a superficial sign...I have 9 fermenters, have been breweing for years and my fermenters only bubble 50% of the time...and I've never problem fermentation.

That's why I stress this so much...it is NOT a reliable way to understanding your beer...and people have tossed out batches just because their airlock didn't bubble. It's not a calibrate instrument, it's cheap ass plastic in a rubber grommet or stopper.

Porternz · 11-12-2009, 10:32 AM

Cheers for the advice Revvy.

Dan

**Revvy** · 11-12-2009, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porternz

Cheers for the advice Revvy.

Dan

No problem. We get "my airlock isn't bubbling" question every day...too many people equate lack of it bubbling with something being wrong, when in reality there are many reasons why it doesn't bubble, and none of them are a problem.

like I said that's like looking at a patients eyes and declaring he needs a heart transplant...Bubbling is a superficial sign...I have 9 fermenters, have been breweing for years and my fermenters only bubble 50% of the time...and I've never problem fermentation.

That's why I stress this so much...it is NOT a reliable way to understanding your beer...and people have tossed out batches just because their airlock didn't bubble. It's not a calibrate instrument, it's cheap ass plastic in a rubber grommet or stopper.

And many brewers don't even use them anymore...just a piece of plexiglass on a bucket or tinfoil on the carboy, to let the excess co2 out and keep stuff in...So if that's the case, that people brew without them OR they often don't bubble, then how can that be a reliable tool to tell you what's going on?

My biggest concern is your fermentation temp...if you are brewing a lager, you need to have your fermenter cooler

Netflyer · 11-12-2009, 11:52 AM

Quote:

...and people have tossed out batches just because their airlock didn't bubble.

The Horrors!!

WIP · 11-12-2009, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revvy

Get out of the habit of thinking the airlock is anything other than a vent to release excess co2 and you will be much happier. Your beer will ferment whether or not the airlock bubbles. If it's not bubbling it either doesn't need to release any EXCESS co2, or it's getting out from the bung...either way is fine....If co2 is getting out, then nothing is getting in.

The only way to truly know what is going on in your fermenter is with your hydrometer. Like I said here in my blog, which I encourage you to read, Think evaluation before action you sure as HELL wouldn't want a doctor to start cutting on you unless he used the proper diagnostic instuments like x-rays first, right? You wouldn't want him to just take a look in your eyes briefly and say "I'm cutting into your chest first thing in the morning." You would want them to use the right diagnostic tools before the slice and dice, right? You'd cry malpractice, I would hope, if they didn't say they were sending you for an MRI and other things before going in....

The thin is with a lager, you often don't see much airlock activity, since you are (or should be) fermenting in the cold, co2, like any gas contracts in the cold, so it may not NEED to vent off...in the cold it usually just sits heavily on the beer.

Since you are brerwing a LAGER, turn off the heat....the temp range of lager yeasts is, depending on which type can range from the mid 20's to the low 60's...and if you go higher than the range of the yeast, you will produce off flavors. You should be lagering in a fridge, or other cold area.

So turn off the heater and walk away from the beer for a few more days, more than likely everything was and is fine...if not on Sunday you can take a hydrometer reading to confirm it, but until then just relax, yeast is hardier than most folks think it is....

And remember fermentation is not always "dynamic," just because you don't SEE anything happening, doesn't mean that anything's wrong, and also doesn't mean that the yeast are still not working dilligantly away, doing what they've been doing for over 4,000 years..

Bubbling is a superficial sign...I have 9 fermenters, have been breweing for years and my fermenters only bubble 50% of the time...and I've never problem fermentation.

That's why I stress this so much...it is NOT a reliable way to understanding your beer...and people have tossed out batches just because their airlock didn't bubble. It's not a calibrate instrument, it's cheap ass plastic in a rubber grommet or stopper.

You should keep a copy of this on the desktop of your comp. (if you dont already). It is a lot to type. lol

**AnOldUR** · 11-12-2009, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porternz

Some advice would be much appreiciated . . .

If the wort temperature slowly dropped after you pitched, pressure from fermentation may have been offset by the contracting effect of cooling. As Revy said, a hydrometer reading is the only way to know if this happened. Stabilize the temperature within the working range of your yeast and give it some time. In the case that the yeast has gone dormant from too low a temperature, give it a gentle swirl once you reach the proper range.