Question on re-aerating

I have a pale ale I am working on, first time using dry yeast, I re hydrated it and pitched it into vigously aerated wort yesterday evening. It looked like it started to go a few hours later (just barley started to bubble) but I had to move it to another room overnight and in the morning its now not active at all....

Is it safe to re-aerate?

Thanks

I'd leave it. What temperture is the room you have it in now?
Colder tempertures could cause the yeast to slow down just when you need it to ramp up a little. It is known as yeast shock.

It's possible that the beer is already done, or at least finishing up. I've had some fermentations with dry yeast finish in less than 24 hours, although it's not that common. I'd check the SG before doing anything at all. You don't want to aerate once fermentation as begun. Try to keep the temperature in the mid-60s and you should be fine.

Aeration is to assist the reproduction of the yeast before they start to ferment. If it started fermenting, then it's done with that stage. If it hasn't started fermenting yet, then it's still reproducing and if you aerated it then nothing is necessary except for time. Make sure it's not too cold and leave it be. It'll get going.

When I checked it this morning it was at 60F... temp range of the yeast is from 59-74 though so I wasnt sure what was going on... I will leave it for now (have it in a 70F room wrapped in a blanket trying to get it going again

By "not active at all" are you referring to airlock activity? That's never an accurate indication of fermentation. It is a vent to release excess co2..not a fermentation gauge...more than likely the mere act of moving your fermenter voided out any excess co2, NOT that there is anything wrong with your actual fermentation.

Your beer will ferment whether or not the airlock bubbles. If it's not bubbling it usually just means that doesn't need to release any EXCESS co2. Fermentation is not always "dynamic," just because you don't SEE anything happening, doesn't mean that anything's wrong, and also doesn't mean that the yeast are still not working dilligantly away, doing what they've been doing for over 4,000 years..


Now to your question of adding more oxygen...It is NOT needed, nor is it a good idea....once fermentation begins oxygen is BAD for beer.....In high gravity beers there is some discussion of adding more oxygen within the first 12 hours..but that is for HUUUGE beers like barley wine...But not a pale ale. You will do more harm than good.

Besides there is some talk on yeast websites that Dry needs very little oxygen to begin with since O2 is needed for reproduction, and there are already plenty of yeast cells to begin with.

Just relax, there is nothing wrong with your beer. Fermentations just don't STOP after they have started...They slow down when they need to, but really everythig is fine...

Just relax, and walk away for at least a week..everything is fine. Your beer is fine, you just have noobitus, the tendency to worry incessantly about your beer, when in reality it is much stronger than most new brewers give it credit.

^ LOL! I like the pic OK will get it back up to 65F or so and leave it be

I am at least used to seeing the beer churn like crazy during fermentation and this beer is so clear I can see all the way through the carboy and there is NO action whatsoever, not used to that at this point, usually my blow off tube is full of goo and fermentation is obviously going...

pirate252 said:

^ LOL! I like the pic OK will get it back up to 65F or so and leave it be

I am at least used to seeing the beer churn like crazy during fermentation and this beer is so clear I can see all the way through the carboy and there is NO action whatsoever, not used to that at this point, usually my blow off tube is full of goo and fermentation is obviously going...

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If it's a carboy then more than likely yooper's right and fermentation has wound down......you can ALWAYS take a hydrometer reading to know for sure...In fact I advocate taking a grav reading BEFORE even posting a question on here....because if you take a grav reading before trying to fix something, you may find out that nothing is wrong.....

The only way to truly know what is going on in your fermenter is with your hydrometer. Like I said here in my blog, which I encourage you to read, Think evaluation before action you sure as HELL wouldn't want a doctor to start cutting on you unless he used the proper diagnostic instuments like x-rays first, right? You wouldn't want him to just take a look in your eyes briefly and say "I'm cutting into your chest first thing in the morning." You would want them to use the right diagnostic tools before the slice and dice, right? You'd cry malpractice, I would hope, if they didn't say they were sending you for an MRI and other things before going in....

Thinking about adding more oxygen, without first takign a grav reading is tantamount to the doctor doing the same thing to you....proposing a "cure" without really knowing what the problem is.

I wouldn't let it go further than 65f ambient. Once it starts to get moving the real temperture of the beer will be 3 to 5f higher than ambient.
With the good aeration, you'll likely get active fermentation by tomorrow.

BTW it wasn't Nottingham yeast ( see recall thread on Nottingham ) was it?

Oxygen is primarily needed by the yeasts during their reproductive phase which in a healthy, correctly pitched and aerated wort usually occurs in the 6-12 hour range. I have read that for very high gravity beers it is acceptable to do a second o2 injection inside the 12 hour window as long as visible active fermentation is not already occuring, but you should not add oxygen after this point. So I would say no to more oxygen in your situation.

Sounds like you are doing the right things. Get the temperature up, check the specific gravity, and if it still has work to do maybe give the fermentor a light swirl to get the yeast back up in solution.

No it was this yeast:
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_21_77_157_402&products_id=10191

And thanks for the great advise Revvy I will go take one now actually

O, just went back to take a sample and its starting to churn, no bubbles still but starting to churn slowly now, will let it go and be alone thanks all!!

Safale us-05 is one of the most reliable dry yeasts around. I use it for probably 90% of my brews and have never had a problem. Everything will be fine.

Yeah, I have one fermenting at 60f ambient with an actual 64f beer temperture right now. I love that yeast.

Revvy said:

Safale us-05 is one of the most reliable dry yeasts around. I use it for probably 90% of my brews and have never had a problem. Everything will be fine.

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On the other 10%, Revvy gets really adventurous and uses US-04!

ChshreCat said:

On the other 10%, Revvy gets really adventurous and uses US-04!

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LOL...actually I just used 04 for the first time that I recall....or at least in the last 3 years. I just did a single malt DOUBLE hop beer....Marris otter with cascade and centennial.

I do use other yeasts...wit, saison, pacman, 1338....but just not a lot, since most of my beers are clean ales.