White Labs yeast

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Long time reader, first time posting.

I brewed an american IPA about 2 1/2 days ago and used White Labs liquid yeast for the first time. I didn't realize, until I already started brewing, that you needed to take the yeast out of the fridge for 3-10 hours before using. When I pitched the yeast (right out of the vial), it had been out of the fridge for roughly an hour and a half. The tempeture of the wort at the time of pitching was 68 degrees, which is a little under the range of 70-75 it states to pitch at on the label. I haven't seen any signs of fermentation (airlock bubbling), and I'm aware that it can take up to 72 hours, but I have a couple questions. What is the purpose of letting the yeast rest at room temperature for? And am I totally screwed for not letting it rest for the specified time? Thanks for the help.

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Because when they are cold there in a coma. They should take off for you it will just lag for a while. Try making starters with Liquid Yeast.
 
Is there anything I can do to help it along? It's been at a steady temperature of 68 degrees. Should I give my fermenter a little shake or possibly take a grav reading or just wait it out for now?
 
Is there anything I can do to help it along? It's been at a steady temperature of 68 degrees. Should I give my fermenter a little shake or possibly take a grav reading or just wait it out for now?

Nope just hang out and Plan your next batch. We have all done it one time or another it will take off.
 
Sounds good. Thanks for the advice. I was looking to toss some grapefruit zest into the secondary with this one, so I'm hoping it'll turn out alright. Thanks again!
 
exactly, they just are dormant, the longer they're in warmer temps the more of them will wake up. It just means longer time before they wake. They'll get to work soon. You also don't want too much of a temperature shock, but a few hours in the room temperature probably got them up enough, and room temperature wort isn't too much of a shock most likely anyway. I think you'll be fine :)
 
RDWHAHB! I had a similar experience about a month ago. I brewed up a batch of Irish Red and pitched on Saturday. I did not see any signs of activity until Wednesday evening so it can take some time. FWIW, when it did take off it was very vigorous and I was glad that I used a blow off tube.
 
First and most importantly, a lack of bubbles from the airlock does not mean it's not fermenting. Since you haven't commented on the krausen, I'm guessing you are using a fermentation bucket and can't see it. The lids of these buckets often do not form a perfectly airtight seal, which is not a problem for the beer, but it causes the airlock not to bubble even though it is releasing CO2.

It is possible that the combination of cold yeast and a low count of yeast cells may be contributing to a slow start. The White Labs vials say that you can pitch them right into the wort, and you can, but the cell count is less than optimal, so making a starter ahead of time is best. A slow start is not ideal, but it won't have a dramatic effect on the beer. Just make a starter and bring the yeast to fermentation temperature before pitching next time.

For this time, I'd just let it sit. The yeast will pull it off, yet again.
 
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