I pitched a yeast starter that I made which had a o.g. of 1.026 24hrs ago into a 5 gal. batch of IPA with an O.G. of 1.072 and I don't see any signs of fermentation 24 hours later. Should I be freakin' out right now? What should I do?
Pitched yeast 24 hrs ago but no sign of fermentation
- Thread starter castillo
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First, you should panic. Then you should do something to get your heart rate up and make you edgy. I suggest STRONG coffee...and don't go for any of that decaf crap here! Finally, if you feel the need to cry do it. It can only help. Am I right?
Alternatively, you can RDWHAHB and check it again at 36 hours and see how it's doing. Do something to calm your nerves in the meantime. Personally, I enjoy building small paper houses and setting them on fire with a lighter. Really helps to take the edge off!
Alternatively, you can RDWHAHB and check it again at 36 hours and see how it's doing. Do something to calm your nerves in the meantime. Personally, I enjoy building small paper houses and setting them on fire with a lighter. Really helps to take the edge off!
Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew! 
castillo
Well-Known Member
How big of a problem is it if I under-pitched? Because I read that a yeast starter should have a gravity of at least 1.040 so the yeast has plenty fermentables to multiply. I made a 2L starter with one cup of DME and got a gravity reading of 1.026 should I have used more DME?
strat_thru_marshall
Well-Known Member
go to beginners section. read stickys. drink many beers and don't touch that carboy for three weeks.
arturo7
Well-Known Member
Damn shooter, the very next post? Seriously?
COLObrewer
Well-Known Member
You are freaking out, step away from the beer, it will take a while, RDWHAHB for another week. Actually, it is probably fermenting now and you don't know it . . . . Someone said once you could take a hydrometer reading to check this . . . . I wouldn't worry about that either for another week.
castillo
Well-Known Member
ok, It's just that my last two batches which I pitched yeast starters into fermentation started pretty quickly, one batch was spitting yeast krausen through the blow-off hose within 14 hours. So I kind of was expecting the same thing with this batch.
There is nothing "typical" in brewing...every fermentation is different, and should not be used to compare one with another...you can't do that.
No two fermentations are ever exactly the same.
When we are dealing with living creatures, there is a wild card factor in play..Just like with other animals, including humans...No two behave the same.
You can split a batch in half put them in 2 identical carboys, and pitch equal amounts of yeast from the same starter...and have them act completely differently...for some reason on a subatomic level...think about it...yeasties are small...1 degree difference in temp to us, could be a 50 degree difference to them...one fermenter can be a couple degrees warmer because it's closer to a vent all the way across the room and the yeasties take off...
Someone, Grinder I think posted a pic once of 2 carboys touching each other, and one one of the carboys the krausen had formed only on the side that touched the other carboy...probably reacting to the heat of the first fermentation....but it was like symbiotic or something...
With living micro-organisms there is always a wildcard factor in play...and yet the yeast rarely lets us down. So it is best just to rdwhahb and trust that they know to what they are doing.
Don't assume the worst with the yeast, realize that they've been making beer since long before our great great great grandfather copped his first buzz from a 40 of mickey's out back of the highschool, so they are the experts.
Yeasts are like teenagers, swmbos, and humans in general, they have their own individual way of doing things.
Most importantly... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/fermentation-can-take-24-72-hrs-show-visible-signs-43635/, and by visible signs we don't necessarily mean a bubbling airlock.
It IS a sticky at the top of the beginners forum for a reason, afterall.
Wait 72 hours and take a hydro reading.. And you'll find that you worried and got cheated out of the RDWHAHB hazing experience for nothing.
No two fermentations are ever exactly the same.
When we are dealing with living creatures, there is a wild card factor in play..Just like with other animals, including humans...No two behave the same.
You can split a batch in half put them in 2 identical carboys, and pitch equal amounts of yeast from the same starter...and have them act completely differently...for some reason on a subatomic level...think about it...yeasties are small...1 degree difference in temp to us, could be a 50 degree difference to them...one fermenter can be a couple degrees warmer because it's closer to a vent all the way across the room and the yeasties take off...
Someone, Grinder I think posted a pic once of 2 carboys touching each other, and one one of the carboys the krausen had formed only on the side that touched the other carboy...probably reacting to the heat of the first fermentation....but it was like symbiotic or something...
With living micro-organisms there is always a wildcard factor in play...and yet the yeast rarely lets us down. So it is best just to rdwhahb and trust that they know to what they are doing.
Don't assume the worst with the yeast, realize that they've been making beer since long before our great great great grandfather copped his first buzz from a 40 of mickey's out back of the highschool, so they are the experts.
Yeasts are like teenagers, swmbos, and humans in general, they have their own individual way of doing things.
Most importantly... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/fermentation-can-take-24-72-hrs-show-visible-signs-43635/, and by visible signs we don't necessarily mean a bubbling airlock.
It IS a sticky at the top of the beginners forum for a reason, afterall.
Wait 72 hours and take a hydro reading.. And you'll find that you worried and got cheated out of the RDWHAHB hazing experience for nothing.
Wait 72 hours and take a hydro reading.. And you'll find that you worried and got cheated out of the RDWHAHB hazing experience for nothing.
Okay, okay, my mistake, I really thought it was only SWMBO!!
Is this destined to haunt me the rest of my days?!?!?
iparks81
Well-Known Member
very powerful creatures, that hae the ability to posess and corupt male minds
i sometimes get too lazy to even make a starter (when using dry yeast, and since that is about all i use, well then...), so that really isn't too small of a starter
ArcaneXor
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Where do you get your information from? Whatever it is, abandon it. It's incorrect. A starter should in most cases be less 1.040. Between 1.030 and 1.040 to be precise. You don't want to poison the yeast with excess ethanol if you want it to perform well in your wort.
Also, weigh your DME. Volumetric measurement is useless for powers.
re-pitch
robertbartsch
Well-Known Member
Nottingham yeast?
Brew-boy
Well-Known Member
How long was your yeast in the starter before you pitched? How big was the starter? and how much yeast did you put into the starter would be helpful to know.
Take a hydrometer reading. If it hasn't changed after 36 hours, consider repitching. Waiting longer than that is asking for problems one way or another. Some misguided individuals will recommend waiting 72 hours, but don't do that. If your fermentation takes that long to start, it will not be a healthy fermentation, and you will get all kinds of off-flavors from the yeast as a result. You need to give those guys ideal conditions if you want the make the best beer you can. Some people take the approach that fermentation is mysterious and impossible to understand but it really isn't. Sacccharomyces Cerevisiae is a predictable species, and if they are behaving like they aren't happy, it's because they aren't happy.
castillo
Well-Known Member
The yeast was in the starter for two days then overnight in the fridge. It was a 2L starter. I used one vial of white Labs California ale yeast WLP051. But I when got home today around 6:30ish the batch was fermenting. So I feel better now. I just took a reading and it has dropped to 1.058 from 1.072. So I'm happy
Good stuff.
Sounds like your starter should have been good, so the long lag may have had to do with conditions in the wort. Did you aerate well before pitching? Did you add yeast nutrient (really only necessary for extract sometimes but it never hurts)?
It's good it started fermenting, but you may have some higher levels of esters than usual and it might not attenuate as far as it would have otherwise. I'm sure it will still be drinkable though and it might not even make a noticeable difference. In general though, a short lag is desirable, so if you didn't aerate and use nutrient, that might help prevent a long lag in the future.
Sounds like your starter should have been good, so the long lag may have had to do with conditions in the wort. Did you aerate well before pitching? Did you add yeast nutrient (really only necessary for extract sometimes but it never hurts)?
It's good it started fermenting, but you may have some higher levels of esters than usual and it might not attenuate as far as it would have otherwise. I'm sure it will still be drinkable though and it might not even make a noticeable difference. In general though, a short lag is desirable, so if you didn't aerate and use nutrient, that might help prevent a long lag in the future.
Esters are a group of organic compounds that yeast happen to produce as byproducts. In beer, they lend a fruitiness at moderate levels but can become solventlike if they are too high. There are many kinds and they put off a broad spectrum of flavors but are generally perceived as fruity. Examples are ethyl acetate (pearlike at low concentrations but nail polish at higher), ethyl caproate (like red apples), and isoamyl acetate (banana - lots of this in hefes which gives them that flavor).
All ale yeasts produce them, and lager yeasts do as well but at much lower levels. This is part of why lager yeasts ferment so clean. Belgian yeasts produce a lot more, which is what gives most Belgian ales their fruity yeast character.
For most yeasts, there is a correlation between ester production and wort conditions such as nutrient content, oxygen levels, temperature, and yeast density (pitching rate). Low oxygen, low nutrients, high temperature, and low pitching rates will tend to produce more esters. If you end up tasting this beer and wish it was a little cleaner, you could try adding nutrients (a nitrogen source) in the future. If it turns out just how you want it, then great!
All ale yeasts produce them, and lager yeasts do as well but at much lower levels. This is part of why lager yeasts ferment so clean. Belgian yeasts produce a lot more, which is what gives most Belgian ales their fruity yeast character.
For most yeasts, there is a correlation between ester production and wort conditions such as nutrient content, oxygen levels, temperature, and yeast density (pitching rate). Low oxygen, low nutrients, high temperature, and low pitching rates will tend to produce more esters. If you end up tasting this beer and wish it was a little cleaner, you could try adding nutrients (a nitrogen source) in the future. If it turns out just how you want it, then great!
nottingham is a good choice. pitch a pack onto it, and see what happens
Hold up here...Revvy posted but there's still unanswered questions???
*checks outside for flying piggies*
*checks outside for flying piggies*
