WYeast 2124 Bohemian lager not fermenting 5 days

I pitched 2124 Bohemian lager on Sunday. It has been in my fridge @ ~ 50* for 5 days and so far no signs of fermentation.

Is this normal?
If it doesn't ferment soon should I pitch another one?

Thanks

Take soem hydro readings to make sure, airlock activity doesnt mean anything

We need details like did you use a starter and at what temp did you pitch at? Are you using a carboy or bucket. If its a bucket, open it and look for a krausen...

Thanks guys. I changed the airlock this morning and it started bubbling a little bit later.
I think something was wrong with the airlock....

Because you are fermenting at lower temperatures even lager yeast act slower than ale yeast in the 60's.

Also cold liquid can absorb more CO2 in solution so it takes longer and more CO2 to become saturated and start bubbling out.

So with lagers airlock activity is even more unrelaiable.

Rudeboy

I agree I had an Oktoberfest that I never seen any airlock activity and I was worried. It was a bit out of style because of the gravity of 1.066 a week later I checked it and it was 1.03 so I know it is working just very slow.

So I thought the airlock was bubbling but it didn't last long at all. Since then, I've taken the gravity reading a few times and it is still the same as the og reading. It has been 8/9 days and no fermenting at a controlled 50*. This was the first time that I smacked it immediately before I pitched it so I'm guessing something went wrong there because I have never had a problem with WYeast in the past.

So, the question is this: can I just pitch another 2124 or are there adverse effects to doing this? Also, is it going to hurt me any that it hasn't started fermenting at this point?

Thanks in advance....

boothbrew said:

So I thought the airlock was bubbling but it didn't last long at all. Since then, I've taken the gravity reading a few times and it is still the same as the og reading. It has been 8/9 days and no fermenting at a controlled 50*. This was the first time that I smacked it immediately before I pitched it so I'm guessing something went wrong there because I have never had a problem with WYeast in the past.

So, the question is this: can I just pitch another 2124 or are there adverse effects to doing this? Also, is it going to hurt me any that it hasn't started fermenting at this point?

Thanks in advance....

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8-9 days without fermentation is long time. I would make a starter of the yeast this time, and pitch plenty of yeast. One smack pack of yeast just isn't enough for a lager. Hopefully, since it's been at 50 degrees, it should not be infected with other wild yeast/bacteria and should be ok.

I don't know if this makes any difference or not but it tasted and smelled fine....?

I brewed my first lager 12 days ago and I have a similar problem (I also used 1 smackpack Wyeast 2124). My OG was 1.052 and after 12 days it still hasn't changed. I have it in my kegerator which is set to 48F (too cold?). I activated the smackpack about 8 hours before pitching. When it came to pitching my yeast I'm not sure why I did this but I think I read to do it somewhere: I pitched the yeast when the wort was at 70F, I left it there for an hour or two, checked it and the air lock seemed to be bubbling so I put it in my fridge.
Oh ya, I also did not aerate this beer at all.
What do I do???

Brickwalker said:

I brewed my first lager 12 days ago and I have a similar problem (I also used 1 smackpack Wyeast 2124). My OG was 1.052 and after 12 days it still hasn't changed. I have it in my kegerator which is set to 48F (too cold?). I activated the smackpack about 8 hours before pitching. When it came to pitching my yeast I'm not sure why I did this but I think I read to do it somewhere: I pitched the yeast when the wort was at 70F, I left it there for an hour or two, checked it and the air lock seemed to be bubbling so I put it in my fridge.
Oh ya, I also did not aerate this beer at all.
What do I do???

Click to expand...

You sound new at this but I'll try to help. First off, no need to resurrect an old thread for a general question about pitching. Unfortunately, you basically did everything wrong starting fermentation.
8 hrs isn't long enough. 1 pack isn't enough (for lagers, absolutely must do a starter). Pitching warm isn't generally advised. For lagers, you really need good aeration. Considering your process, a no-start isn't at all surprising. After 12 days, you have a serious risk of a write-off but its impossible to say.

I'd recommend doing some forum searches on each of these topics, improving your process, and aiming for better results next time.

P.s. questions like this go in the Fermentation subforum