First Batch Panic

I'm try to RDWHAHB but it's not easy.

I brewed up my first batch Sunday evening using a 'Brown Ale' ingredient kit that i received as a gift. I pretty much followed the directions that came with the kit verbatim. Now 48 hrs later I have had almost no activity in the airlock.

After reading around the forum I can tell you what I didn't do right.

- didn't have a starter
- I might have pitched the yeast at to high a temp (80F??)
- I didn't know to aerate the wort before pitching the yeast
- I live in south Louisiana so it might be a little hot (room temp is about 73F, but I have the fermenter in a cool tub of water to try and offset that. I'm not sure how to get the temp inside the fermenter.)

Now I guess I need to figure out where I should go from here? Thanks ahead of time for the advice!

Recipe/Yeast/Process used?

80 is not high enough to kill the yeast.

welcome to the forum.
80 degrees will not kill your yeast
dry yeast doesn't really need a starter (hopefully it was within its best before date)
if you didn't do a full boil, the top up water will provide enough oxygen for the yeast.
make sure your fermenter lid has a good seal - press on the lid slightly- it should cause a bubble in the air lock(you did put water in the airlock?)
with no activity after 48 hours i would pitch a fresh pack of yeast
let us know how it goes

rod said:

welcome to the forum.
80 degrees will not kill your yeast
dry yeast doesn't really need a starter (hopefully it was within its best before date)
if you didn't do a full boil, the top up water will provide enough oxygen for the yeast.
make sure your fermenter lid has a good seal - press on the lid slightly- it should cause a bubble in the air lock(you did put water in the airlock?)
with no activity after 48 hours i would pitch a fresh pack of yeast
let us know how it goes

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thanks for the welcome and the quick response.

I didn't do a full boil. The recipe called for boiling 1.5 gallons and then cooling it and pouring it into the remaining 3.5 gallons.

yeast was a dry pack that came with the kit.... "'Munson's; Active Brewing Yeast" it does appear to be within the best before date.

if I simply touch the lid of the fermenter I get bubbles in the airlock, just none bubbling up on their own.

Should I wait another 48 hours, it's already been about 50hrs, or pitch another packet now?

If you press on the lid and you're getting bubbles in the airlock, then you've got decent CO2 in there. I've had batches where I've fermented in a 6.5 gallon bucket and the airlock never bubbled that quickly but it still turned out fine.

You don't make starters with dry yeast, they're already ready to go with a viable amount of cells (for the most part).

I live in Texas and do the same with the water tub.. I can keep it about 68 with the house at 74-75

LSUGrad00 said:

I'm try to RDWHAHB but it's not easy.

Click to expand...

What does RDWHAHB mean? "Relax D? W? Have A Home Brew"

Good luck on your batch.

Regards,
Alan W

Relax Don't Worry Have A Home Brew

I would say give it another 24 hours.
You don't usually need a starter with dry yeast but it is a good idea to rehydrate it.
Adding 3.5 gal of top up water will provide some O2 but it is still better to aerate before pitching.
Warm fermentation temps should actually help the fermentation time, the only problem is that it might result in some off flavors from the yeast (think Belgian or Hefeweizen flavors or hot alcohol flavors).
I had a batch that took 3 days to start but it ended up great.
Muntons brewing yeast is a decent yeast but is not usually considered a top notch yeast. Safale S-04 or US-05 and Danstar Nottingham yeast are better rated yeast for dry packs. In addition the Safale and Danstar yeasts come in a larger package with more yeast which should help to get you started faster.

Craig

got home yesterday from work and the airlock was cranking!

this afternoon there are some crazy odors coming out of the airlock but I'm firmly on the RDWHAHB bandwagon.

Thanks for all the advice

Don't worry about the odors, that's normal. The hard part is waiting to drink it now

When i first started brewing and was using alot of dry yeasts (safale 56) i would get complete fermentation over night and not once in my first two brews did i see any airlock activity.

No kidding, complete fermentation done in less than 10 hours. Perhaps this is what is happening to you.

At any rate

RDWHAHB!

If you still need a way to monitor the temperature inside the fermenter, you can get a "fermometer" from your LHBS. Or, if you don't have a LHBS nearby, get a "stick-on" thermometer from your local pet store (designed for aquariums and terrariums). Just make sure it goes from at least 60 degrees to 80 degrees. (You'll be able to tell naturally if it's hotter or colder than that and the temps are off the scale.)

GIusedtoBe said:

What does RDWHAHB mean? "Relax D? W? Have A Home Brew"

Good luck on your batch.

Regards,
Alan W

Click to expand...

Clearly you haven't read Papazian's book then. You need to pick up a copy!