Pittched Wyeast... No action 36 hrs later.

I brewed an AHS Belgium Wheat, pitched Wyeast Belgium Wheat 3942. I brewed everything per instructions. Brew is not making any signs of yeast working 36 hrs later. What should I do? I smacked the pack, but it didn't inflate like past packs have. It did inflate a little. I read through the forums and you all say to pitch anyways. Any help will be greatly appreciated... Thanks.

Did you make a starter?

Darwin18 said:

Did you make a starter?

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No starter, I never have with "small" brews. OG was 1.058... Never had Wyeast not work.

Do you remember what the date was on the pack?

TrainSafe said:

Do you remember what the date was on the pack?

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Yes, it was May 29 of this year, still well within the 6 mnth rule. Or is that pushing it? AHS is in Texas, I'm in MI, I ordered the cold pack, but it was not cold when I got it.

I just put a 5 gallon batch together two weeks ago, pitched the same kind of yeast and took about two days to see any signs. Same scenario as you, pack didn't swell like any of my previous packs. However, almost two weeks later I am seeing tons of action. A little late but idk what to do since I've never had this happen myself.

I've read that this yeast likes a little warmer temps. I brought it upstairs to a 70 degree room. Good idea or bad idea? My basement is consistently 66 degrees.

May 29th is pretty old. The viability of that smack pack was probably around 30 to 40% at that point. You might consider pitching some more yeast IMHO. What are you brewing in, a bucket or glass? Sometimes the bucket seals can be bad so the CO2 is actually leaking out the sides...

Bringing up the temp might help too as long as it's within it acceptable fermentation range

Hopper5000 said:

May 29th is pretty old. The viability of that smack pack was probably around 30 to 40% at that point. You might consider pitching some more yeast IMHO. What are you brewing in, a bucket or glass? Sometimes the bucket seals can be bad so the CO2 is actually leaking out the sides...

Bringing up the temp might help too as long as it's within it acceptable fermentation range

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Brewing in a brand new bucket, lid seems tight. How late is too late to pitch more yeast? I would have to order it.

I did peek under the lid to see if there was any action.... NONE

Do you have a local store that you could pick up some more yeast? That might be the better route vs. ordering it online and waiting the 3-4 days for arrival.

Of course, Murphy's law says that during the time it takes you to arrive home with a fresh smack pack in hand, the old yeasties will begin partying like it's 1999.

Have you checked the gravity?

pdxal said:

Have you checked the gravity?

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Haven't checked it, I will pull a sample tonight...

I'm with the "warm it up a bit" group.

gumpbrew said:

Yes, it was May 29 of this year, still well within the 6 mnth rule. Or is that pushing it? AHS is in Texas, I'm in MI, I ordered the cold pack, but it was not cold when I got it.

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That's a really old packet of yeast...probably should have gone with a fresher packet.

According to Mr. Malty (http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html) you probably severely under pitched. For an OG of 1.058 and a production date of May 29, you would have needed 21.2 vials or packets without a starter. That's probably why you're not seeing any activity at the moment.

You may want to stop by your LHBS and pickup a couple packets of dry yeast, hydrate them (if needed), and inoculate your wort to get things moving forward. Under pitching definitely has an affect on the quality of your beer - some styles like some Belgians actually aim for this but most styles do not benefit. Your beer will likely ferment given enough time, but the quality will likely not be there.

If you do use liquid yeast for other beers, I would really recommend making a yeast starter. It makes a lot of difference and takes very little effort. Yes, the packet says it has all the cells needed to make beer, but it doesn't say that number is sufficient to make good quality beer.

You could but and repitch the yeast but a week of lag time with not that much yeast in there is quite a while for other friends to show up in your brew. However, if it tastes ok and the gravity hasn't dropped I would go ahead with it anyways. Just make sure to drink it fast once it's bottled and done.

I have had a couple of bad experiences with these "smackables". Seems an easy way to pitch, but not worth the stress of worrying why its not bubbling. Best to invest the time and make a starter.

Just adding 2 cents to the discussion.

gumpbrew said:

No starter, I never have with "small" brews. OG was 1.058... Never had Wyeast not work.

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A starter is a good idea for any beer over 1.040 for best results. Especially if the yeast is dated more than a week ago. That said, 36 hours isn't that long given your conditions. Be patient.

Moved it to warmer spot, woke up this morning and we have fermentation. Now, the big question.... Will it finish???

Nice, good to hear. It will hopefully finish, might have some nice esters since the yeast will have to try harder to ferment.