why won't my yeast activate

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mattyoc20

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So I am brand spankin new to brewing and last Sunday I brewed my first batch of Caribou Slobber Brown Ale from Northern Brewers. I was using dry yeast and it is my understanding that nothing needed to be done to activate it. It is now Wednesday (3 days after brew day) and it looks like very little has happened to my beer. There is no head foam from the yeast. Did I ruin my first batch of beer?

P.S. - I tried attaching a picture of my beer but im not sure if it worked

Unhappy Beer.jpg
 
From the looks of it, it looks as if you had krausen (foamy head) that dropped already due to the deposits on your carboy above the wort level. 3 days is a little fast for it to dorp, but it could happen. Check your gravity if you can, that will tell you if your yeast is working.

to do this, use a wine thief or turkey baster (sanitize it first) and remove a small sample ~6-8 oz. Put it in a tall glass or the hydrometer tube and using your hydrometer, measure the gravity. drink your sample or toss it out - don't put it back into the carboy.

If the gravity is lower than your OG, your yeast is working. If its still the same as it was, you will want to look into moving your beer to a warmer area to ferment or consider repitching. Its unlikely that your yeast isn't working though.
 
What kind of yeast?
Did you just dump it into the fermenter with the wort?
What temp was the wort when you pitched?

What is the current temp of the fermenter (it looks like it is someplace cold!)

Let's start with that.
 
I agree with Doc, it looks like you had a good amount of krausen on top that has subsided, and I partially agree with him, although I have seen Nottingham yeast devour and then start to really subside in 3-4 days.

If you did not have a foamy head, then is that your yeast stuck to the side of the carboy?
 
What kind of yeast?
Did you just dump it into the fermenter with the wort?
What temp was the wort when you pitched?

What is the current temp of the fermenter (it looks like it is someplace cold!)

Let's start with that.



After chilling my wort to about 75 degrees or so i put it in the carboy, sealed it, and aerated it by swirling it around. I then dumped the yeast in. I have it in my basement right now nexted to the water heater. Its about 65-70 degrees there. Thanks for the help.
 
I agree with Doc, it looks like you had a good amount of krausen on top that has subsided, and I partially agree with him, although I have seen Nottingham yeast devour and then start to really subside in 3-4 days.

If you did not have a foamy head, then is that your yeast stuck to the side of the carboy?

When i added the yeast there was a good layer of suds from the star san on the top of my wort. Maybe that is the yeast on side. Any ideas?
 
Could it have fermented over night? I have checked it everyday day and did not see the yeast foam up at all.

Yes it could have. Also hard to tell but in the pic, but to me it looks like you have a decent layer of trub on the bottom. More than you would get from an extract batch.

Check it with your hydrometer to see, but I'm betting it's done and you have beer.
 
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