No fermentation activity

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mattd017

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I just brewed a batch of beer (an ESB), and although I'm not new, it's only my 8th batch. I used BeerSmith 2.0 to craft the recipe, it was partial mash, and I used Wyeast Northwest Ale (1332) to ferment it. I siphoned it into my carboy 24 hours ago and there is no activity at all. I pitched after starting the yeast 4 hours earlier into 80 degree wort. I have it in a bucket with frozen water bottles to keep it between 63-70 degrees. The yeast package was slightly swollen, but nowhere near as swollen as any other time I've let it sit for 4 hours. It wasn't old, the date said manufactured May 20, 2012. Should I pitch more yeast? Has anyone else had a problem with a slow start with this yeast? The OG was 1.054 (.002 lower than I was shooting for), and I used Wyeast nutrients as well.
Thanks,
Matt
 
mattd017 said:
I just brewed a batch of beer (an ESB), and although I'm not new, it's only my 8th batch. I used BeerSmith 2.0 to craft the recipe, it was partial mash, and I used Wyeast Northwest Ale (1332) to ferment it. I siphoned it into my carboy 24 hours ago and there is no activity at all. I pitched after starting the yeast 4 hours earlier into 80 degree wort. I have it in a bucket with frozen water bottles to keep it between 63-70 degrees. The yeast package was slightly swollen, but nowhere near as swollen as any other time I've let it sit for 4 hours. It wasn't old, the date said manufactured May 20, 2012. Should I pitch more yeast? Has anyone else had a problem with a slow start with this yeast? The OG was 1.054 (.002 lower than I was shooting for), and I used Wyeast nutrients as well.
Thanks,
Matt
Click to expand...


I'm not sure if this would be a major factor re: fermentation starting time, (I'm new to HB as well) but did you aerate at all?
 
It sounds like you pitched the yeast 24 hours ago. Then, you have at least another day before you should start worrying. Every book and piece of advice I've heard says that fermentation can lag as much as 72 hours after pitching. Give it a few days. Then, if it doesn't start up, you can worry about it.
 
Did u make starter? wait 72 hours then try taking hydrometer reading. If the gravity is dropping your good. If it hasn't changed pitch more yeast. I had a blonde ale show no bubbles in the airlock for two weeks of fermentation but the gravity dropped down to 1.007 and the beer turned out great. So I wouldn't sweat it.
 
Update:
After 60 hours (2.5 days) I made a yeast starter with WLP002 (they didn't have the same yeast at the LHBS and this is an ESB after all) and pitched it after there was no activity (determined by gravity readings) roughly 3.25 days (18 hours after starting the yeast). It started!
It's gravity is still slowly dropping (reading every 48 hrs). With WLP002's flocculation being so high, I'm probably not going to rack it. But when I bottle it in about a week, should I rouse some of the yeast? Or will there be enough suspended to carbonate the bottles? I've never used a yeast with this high flocculation, so I have no clue.
Thanks!
 
mattd017 said:
But when I bottle it in about a week, should I rouse some of the yeast? Or will there be enough suspended to carbonate the bottles?
Click to expand...

I've always had enough yeast suspended to carbonate my bottles, even after cold crashing or when using high flocculating yeast. Unless you're filtering the yeast out, you can't help but have enough.
 

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