Fermentation can take 24 to 72 hrs to show visible signs.

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
pwnshop said:
Hey guys,

I did a batch yesterday and Im worried I may have messed up pitching the yeast!

This was my first time doing a 5 gallon batch and rehydrating dry yeast (US-05). I cooled my wort to around 65 degrees. while it was cooling i brought 110ml of water to a boil and cooled it to around 80 degrees.

This is where I think i started to screw up. First i put the water into a sanitized glass and poured the yeast in. the yeast just sat on top so stupid me i stirred it with a spoon (sanitized) and the yeast clumped up and stuck to the spoon. i tried to get as much off the spoon and back in the glass as i could but some ended up getting washed down the drain. Anyhoo, after that i swirled it in the glass and it seemed to mix up ok..

I then racked my wort to my fermenter (a bucket) and shook it around a bit to aerate. Then I poured the yeast in and closed it up. I didn't shake it or stir it again after pouring the yeast in.

I think that maybe none of those things were wrong, but I'm not sure...

Now the thing I think I totally screwed up - I put my fermenter into a swamp cooler. its also my first time using one. the water from my tap is about 50 degrees. So the wort was probably 65ish in the bucket and its sitting in water thats around 50 degrees. when I woke up this morning the water was about 55 degrees.. I am now at work and Im thinking that this is probably too cold for fermentation to start? I cant do anything about it until after work at 6pm (its 11am now).

Am i going to kill off the yeast? can i correct this? should i go buy more yeast?

thanks and sorry for being a noob. cheers
Click to expand...

Dude, I think you're fine. It's likely warmed into the 60s by now and the yeast will slowly rouse themselves. You'll likely have airlock activity by the time you get home

you don't need to re-aerate after pitching the yeast BTW
 
ok thats what i was hoping to hear! if it is too cold for fermentation to begin will bringing the temperature up to around 62 - 65 wake the yeast up? or will i have to repitch (i.e the yeast is dead)? would there be any appreciable off flavours in the case where the yeast is dormant and gets woken up by an increase in temp?

thanks!
 
The yeast are fine. Cold doesn't kill yeast until you get down to actual freezing temperatures (i.e., < 32° F). Heat is much more of a threat to them. That said, 55° F is a little chilly for them (unless you're using Nottingham), so you'll get better results if you warm that fermenter up a little bit, at least until it gets started and begins generating a bit of its own heat. Under no circumstances let it get above 70° F. Ideally, hold the temp in the low 60's.
 
Dude said:
Great sticky, because it is a popular question.

I will say though, let's not advocate that thinking fermentation starting in more than 12 hours is a good thing. It isn't. Any longer than 12 hours and you are looking for trouble--infections, sub-par beer and quite frankly it is a bad brewing practice.

Let's stress this thread on doing starters, aerating and oxygenating, and fundamental brewing practices! ;)
Click to expand...
This is my experience. For some reason two of my last three batches never started fermenting after three days. I re-pitched yeast in both, but they ended up with a noticeable off flavor.
 
I've done about 10 batches already and the longest I've waited was 18 hrs. All my activity has been through the roof, bubbling non stop for days usually about 6 hours later. I pitched danstar Nottingham dry 3 1/2 days ago and nothing. No bubbles, no krausen, Just sitting wort. I panicked and bought some us-05 online and should be here in about three days. If I don't see anything or take a gravity measurement and still nothing, can I pitch the US-05 in hopes to save this batch?
 
Since I work, I'm not monitoring my beer on an hourly bases. I used SafAle 05. Is it possible that fermentation started and completed within an eight hour stretch? If no apparent activity by tomorrow, I'll take a gravity reading to see what's up. I'm assuming I should take out the air lock so that the sanitizing solution isn't drawn into the beer.
 
wolfej50 said:
Since I work, I'm not monitoring my beer on an hourly bases. I used SafAle 05. Is it possible that fermentation started and completed within an eight hour stretch? If no apparent activity by tomorrow, I'll take a gravity reading to see what's up. I'm assuming I should take out the air lock so that the sanitizing solution isn't drawn into the beer.
Click to expand...

No, fermentation does not finish in 8 hours even on the smallest scales.

Edit: If you're using a bucket then the gas/co2 may just be escaping from between the lid and bucket.
 
Thanks, stpug. Yes, I am using a bucket. The lid has a rubber seal, but it's possible I haven't sealed the lid fully. (First time I've used this bucket as a fermenter with its lid). Gravity reading should be the test.
 
If your yeast was fresh, I probably wouldn't touch the fermenter for a week. My first batch with dry yeast took nearly three full days to show airlock activity.
 
I had that happen my first batch or so with Cooper's ale yeast pitched dry. Wound up with no bubbles & only a touch of krausen. But it did indeed ferment out. Another example of patience being key...:mug:
But when I rehydrated that same yeast, (7g packet) it performed about the same as US-05 in the larger packet. You gotta watch the temps for the particular yeast being used as well as a healthy pitch.
 
I had the same fears as most of the other noobs on this forum. Boy am I glad that all my fears are the same!
I am out of town now and will move my batch to secondary when I get home on Saturday (today is Wednesday).

THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all the guidance and expert direction. I am sure that my first attempt is going to be wonderful!
 
elktaker said:
I had the same fears as most of the other noobs on this forum. Boy am I glad that all my fears are the same!
I am out of town now and will move my batch to secondary when I get home on Saturday (today is Wednesday).

THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all the guidance and expert direction. I am sure that my first attempt is going to be wonderful!
Click to expand...


Unless you're adding things like fruit there really is no reason to move to secondary. All you're doing is adding a risk of contamination and/or oxidation. Just let 'er sit!
 
cbmikey said:
Unless you're adding things like fruit there really is no reason to move to secondary. All you're doing is adding a risk of contamination and/or oxidation. Just let 'er sit!
Click to expand...
What is the maximum amount of time that you can safely allow a beer to age on the the yeast cake though? I've seen other posters indicating that it isn't a good idea to allow a beer to sit on the yeast cake for an extended period of time, and it is better to transfer to secondary to age for several months even if you aren't adding anything to it.
 
imp81318 said:
What is the maximum amount of time that you can safely allow a beer to age on the the yeast cake though? I've seen other posters indicating that it isn't a good idea to allow a beer to sit on the yeast cake for an extended period of time, and it is better to transfer to secondary to age for several months even if you aren't adding anything to it.
Click to expand...

As far as I can tell, the amount of time beer can be safely left in primary is best measured in months, rather than weeks.
 
burninator said:
As far as I can tell, the amount of time beer can be safely left in primary is best measured in months, rather than weeks.
Click to expand...

I ask because I recently had a Belgian Triple stall that I had in primary for close to 4 months for various reasons that primarily included me trying to research and figure out what to do to try to restart the fermentation.
 
Hi all... I think my concerns are the same as all others here, but here's my story in case anyone has any additional thoughts. All input would be appreciated!

I brewed a porter 3 days ago using White Labs yeast (no starter). Aerated wort, pitched yeast when wort was about 73 degrees, and it's now sitting in a plastic fermenter bucket in my closet at 70 degrees. There has been no movement in the airlock as of yet, so I opened it up tonight to take a gravity reading. There is a ring of krausen (?) around the edges, some visible stuff (not alot) on top, and I can hear it fizzing. So I closed the lid and left it alone.

Potential problems could be (A) fermenter lid doesn't seem too tightly on, so I've placed a heavy box on top or (B) while wort was 73 degrees, I'm concerned that my 2 gallons of pre-boiled water that I had already put in my fermenter may not have been.

Should I still take a gravity reading? Would it damage it to put more dry yeast in?

Leave it alone?
 
You could take a gravity reading, but it sounds like your bucket just doesn't seal, which isn't a problem. I have one that doesn't deal and it makes beer just fine.
 
Hi Guys,

New to the forum and brewing my own beer. Just thought I'd check in with this question / situation...

I am about 48 hours into the fermenting of my first batch of Hoppy Heart IPA (kit from Australian company Brewsmith). I followed the instructions provided exactly and all seemed well up until adding the wort to the fermenter. Since then nothing at all has happened. The 'foam' from the aeration (after adding packet of dry yeast as advised) settled down to nothing within about three hours and there is no activity or any krauzen in the fermenter. Since the foam settled I have seen no bubbles through the blow-off tube either.

Any recommendations or suggestions? Have I got a bad batch of yeast? I followed the instructions carefully and paid special consideration to sanitising everything...

Cheers!
 
progressive said:
Hi Guys,

New to the forum and brewing my own beer. Just thought I'd check in with this question / situation...

I am about 48 hours into the fermenting of my first batch of Hoppy Heart IPA (kit from Australian company Brewsmith). I followed the instructions provided exactly and all seemed well up until adding the wort to the fermenter. Since then nothing at all has happened. The 'foam' from the aeration (after adding packet of dry yeast as advised) settled down to nothing within about three hours and there is no activity or any krauzen in the fermenter. Since the foam settled I have seen no bubbles through the blow-off tube either.

Any recommendations or suggestions? Have I got a bad batch of yeast? I followed the instructions carefully and paid special consideration to sanitising everything...

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Surprise, surprise! 72 hours of nothing then all of a sudden... bubbles and krausen. Coming along nicely now after four or five further hours. I guess some things just take time.

For future searchers, I pitched dry yeast for an off the shelf starter pack. It had sat in a warm room for about two months before I used it which likely didn't help. But things are moving along now. Great.
 
29.gif
On the other hand, contrary to popular belief, it's bad to rocket your fermentation off in 1-2 hours, either. There's a sweet spot that you should aim for in your cell count/pitching rate.
23.gif
 
I made two beers at once. A Caribou Slobber and a Dead Ringer IPA. The Caribou Slobber started fermentation about 12-18 hrs after pitching and the Dead Ringer didn't start until 24hrs after pitching. Well, I came home this morning and the Caribou Slobber Airlock looked like the beer had foamed into the Airlock and the rapid/periodic bubble flow in the airlock had slowed to a trickle. And now, 12 hrs later it looks like it has stopped altogether. Is this bad? And if so, is there anyway to fix it? Yeast: Danstar Windsor British style ale yeast, pitched at about 68F, The temp on the carboy is 74-78F.
 
Last edited:
Wallacenb said:
Is this bad?
Click to expand...

Yes. You fermented way, way too hot and your yeast went crazy. You'll still have beer, but I suspect you'll notice a strong, undesirable boozy flavour (fusel alcohols), and probably some prominent and complex esters.

In the future, keep your fermentation temperatures down, ideally in the low-to-mid 60's for an English Ale yeast.
 
Thanks for the info. Is there anyway to fix that potential problem, seeing how it's only been 48ish hours since I pitched the yeast? Or is it just ruined once you establish that high of a temp for that long?
 
You can mitigate it by getting the temperature down ASAP, but at least a little bit of the damage will have already been done. Most of the flavours we recognize in beer are produced in the first 3-5 days of fermentation.

It may not be as bad as I've portrayed it to be. For sure, finish it through so you'll at least be able to recognize the flavours that result from fermenting too-warm. That way, in the future, you'll be able to diagnose such problems in your (and others') beers by being familiar with the resulting taste.
 
I have messed up a couple of my one gallons by not cooking It down to the correct temp usually 75-80 degrees F. I used the ice bath method. Now I have a wort chiller. Thing is amazing. Cost around $60. But cools a 5 gallon batch in like 10 minutes. And yes it can take 24-72 hours for the yeast to start doing anything. So don't think that you "messed" it up. Just assure you are at the right temp before pitching and also force some oxygen into you carboy before putting your yeast in.
 
Personally, I disagree with the 72 hour thing...if you have no fermentation in 72 hours, you have problems. 72 hours is far too long to have wort sitting around and not being effected by bacterial growth. Is it going to be ruined?, maybe not.....is it going to be the best it can be?, highly unlikely.

Strive to properly oxygenate your wort and pitch a healthy dose of yeast and you'll never be waiting more than 24 hours to see your airlock bubbling.
 
My last batch of beer got skunked with the dreaded "wet cardboard" taste, which I assume came from oxygenating the wort too hot. It was my first batch in an upgraded system (15 gal kettle, full boil, wort chiller). So this time, making a pretty strong dubbel, I think I overcompensated, chilled the wort down to low temp (65-68) oxygenated it well, and then added liquid yeast that I had made a starter with. I put it in my basement which is really cool at about 59*.

Nothing happened for 3 full days, plus a few hours. I thought it had just happened while I was at work. Then last night it started going nuts, probably the strongest ferment I've ever seen (though it's the strongest beer I've made). It was still going strong this morning, though somewhat subdued.

So my question is have I just overdone it on the low temp? Are there dangers to a slow start, other than risk of infection? Should I expect off flavors? This is my seventh batch or so, and what is coming out if the fermenter smells pretty clean so far. Thanks!
 
I brewed my first beer on Sunday (extract). I had bubbling in the airlock within 7-8 hours, maybe sooner. I didn't expect to see it that quickly, so I didn't check before then. My question though, is how does one slow down the time that fermentation takes place?
 
Revvy said:
Even after 3 days I'd let it go a full week and go by hydrometer readings and not the naked eye. I've had beers that for whatever reason barely blipped the airlock the whole time, but finished fine...I figured they did they activity while I was asleep.

Sometimes just giving the fermentor a shake can rouse the yeasties. I've wondered about dry pitching yeast (I usually rehydrate) sometimes I wonder if the yeasties sometimes get water logged and sink to the bottom of the fermentor before they have a chance to start dancing.

I was worried about the fact that there was no activity after 3 days on my apfelwein. Yesterday I needed to get something out of the closet where I keep my carboys, and not wanting to knock it over while rummaging around, I moved it for a bit, then put it back. Evidently that was enough to kickstart fermentation, and it's been bubbling like crazy ever since.
Click to expand...

Is there ever a time to not rouse the yeast? I had a lot of activity 6 hours after pitching, and it subsided substantially after 4 days. Should I agitate or stay out of the way?
 
Munich_Mouser said:
My last batch of beer got skunked with the dreaded "wet cardboard" taste, which I assume came from oxygenating the wort too hot. It was my first batch in an upgraded system (15 gal kettle, full boil, wort chiller). So this time, making a pretty strong dubbel, I think I overcompensated, chilled the wort down to low temp (65-68) oxygenated it well, and then added liquid yeast that I had made a starter with. I put it in my basement which is really cool at about 59*.

Nothing happened for 3 full days, plus a few hours. I thought it had just happened while I was at work. Then last night it started going nuts, probably the strongest ferment I've ever seen (though it's the strongest beer I've made). It was still going strong this morning, though somewhat subdued.

So my question is have I just overdone it on the low temp? Are there dangers to a slow start, other than risk of infection? Should I expect off flavors? This is my seventh batch or so, and what is coming out if the fermenter smells pretty clean so far. Thanks!
Click to expand...

The cardboard taste comes from oxygenation after fermentation. Usually during bottling. 65-68 really isn't that low but as long as you're storing at 59, you should be fine.

Nope, no other risks. You're fine. relax!

Really you generally want to be nice and cool. What yeast did you use?
 
ZogCity2015 said:
I brewed my first beer on Sunday (extract). I had bubbling in the airlock within 7-8 hours, maybe sooner. I didn't expect to see it that quickly, so I didn't check before then. My question though, is how does one slow down the time that fermentation takes place?
Click to expand...

Lowering the temps will slow down fermentation. But as long as you're in the recommended range of the yeast you're fine. Relax!
 
ZogCity2015 said:
I brewed my first beer on Sunday (extract). I had bubbling in the airlock within 7-8 hours, maybe sooner. I didn't expect to see it that quickly, so I didn't check before then. My question though, is how does one slow down the time that fermentation takes place?
Click to expand...

I brewed for the first time this past Sunday it was just a one gallon kit someone gave me for Christmas and I had a very active blow off tube in about 5 or 6 hours it has calmed down considerably now and I will be removing the blow off tube and putting the airlock in its place. I was actually suprised at his fast I saw activity I thought for sure I messed something up.
 

Similar threads

V
No sign of fermentation after 48 hrs
Replies
3
Views
430
odie
odie
Luxy
Fermentation...
Replies
6
Views
476
Rish
R
L
Slight Medicine or Band-Aid Flavor In Week Long Fermentation
2
Replies
40
Views
3K
mac_1103
mac_1103
Tony B
Curious fermentation
Replies
15
Views
831
redrocker652002
R
G
Fermenting time in older recipes
Replies
2
Views
394
Gitruih
G
wps-hbt2

Latest posts

Back
Top