Need some help on first all grain brew

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erikhamnquist

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I have just brewed my first all grain brew. I used two kettles and used a batch sparge method. Everything went pretty well and I was happy with the all grain experience. My problem is now the beer is fermenting in a glass carboy with a air trap, and i see little to no yeast activity. It sits flat and rarely do i see bubbles come through the air trap. It has been fermenting for only a day. The beer is a pale ale and is fermenting at around 68 deg.

I kind of freaking out and want to add more yeast but I'm thinking it might be contaminated. I did use sanitizer on everything.

I need advise and would appreciate any tips on what I should do

Thank you
 
You should do nothing but wait for another day or so. Just relax.

What temp did you pitch the yeast at?
 
I used a white labs California ale yeast WLP001 starter. I added it to the beer after siphoning it in to the carboy at a temp of 72 deg. I took the starter out five hours before use, it was at around 74 deg.

I read that sometimes left over sanitizer can kill yeast in the carboy. I had spryer the car boy down before putting the yeast in.
 
I've never had a problem pitching into a recently sanitized carboy. My carboys usually have a bunch of sanitizer bubbles left in them before I add the wort. Did you aerate the wort before pitching? Usually shaking your carboy vigorously for 5 mins will do the trick. What was the "use by" date on the yeast? Lastly, WLP001 ferments best at 68 - 73 degrees, so try to keep it in that range during fermentation.
 
Nah don't worry. It'll be fine. Sanitizer won't kill the yeast.

Go out and have a beer. WHen you wake up tomorrow eveyrhting will be humming along nicely.
 
Thanks for all the good feed back.

I didn't aerate as much as I should have. I'm going to purchase a long ass spoon to aerate the next batch better.

I own a craft beer bar for a number of years and am just now getting into home brewing. I'm thinking about getting a brew pub license and start serving some house brew. I have 16 taps and a cask line. I was originally gonna force carbonate the kegs, but now I'm thinking about just doing cask instead. It would be less equipment and with a small kitchen that's important. I have one pin cask keg that hold about 3.5 gal. Do I just prime it with sugar and wait to pop it. Or is there more to kegging cask ales?
 
I was under the impression that cask beers were not carbonated. If you want to carbonate in a keg the easiest and fastest way is to force carb. You can use priming sugar though.
 
It looks good. There is a yeasty top layer forming and the air lock is bubbling. And the color of the liquid is much more foggy. Right now it looks very yeasty and thick. It's funny now I'm hoping its not to yeasty.
 

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