Pitched wrong yeast.... X 2

So I got a little overzealous maybe and ordered up six beers from AHS, and grabbed the wrong vial of White Labs yeast for the first brew. It's a Texas Blonde 6B, liquid extract... pitched at 80F... the target OG of the brew is 1.042 (with the alcohol boost it was 1.055), but instead of pitching the yeast that came with it: German Ale/Kolsh (WLP029) I accidentally grabbed the Belgian Wit Ale (WLP400) that was supposed to be for the Belgian White Beer (16A) that has a target OG of 1.048, also liquid extract. But now I'm going to brew up the Belgian White Beer... and use the German Ale/Kolsh yeast that was supposed to have been used..... I don't care so much if it just messes up the "style" of the beer and just makes it something slightly different... but I'm a little worried because the "Texas Blonde" is over 48 hours in the primary, and no signs of fermentation... though it is displaying a "cake" with froth when I looked at it earlier.

Thoughts on this? Am I just wasting my time and $$ at this point or will it all be okay down the road and just give it all time?

Thanks!

If you're pitching at 80F, it may as well be a belgian yeast.

Take a gravity reading. That's the only way to know anything about anything.

MalFet said:

If you're pitching at 80F, it may as well be a belgian yeast.

Take a gravity reading. That's the only way to know anything about anything.

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.....okay, i did... or at least i thought that's what i was saying when my reading on the blonde was 1.055 (technically 1.056, which is temp corrected for the hydrometer). am i missing something? or are you just saying i should just be taking constant hydrometer readings at this point? my fermenter is well-sealed, so i would just think at this point if i don't even see the slightest signs of anything.... that's not a great sign. but yes, i can just take hydrometer readings and report back on what i find...

McKraut said:

.....okay, i did... or at least i thought that's what i was saying when my reading on the blonde was 1.055 (technically 1.056, which is temp corrected for the hydrometer). am i missing something? or are you just saying i should just be taking constant hydrometer readings at this point? my fermenter is well-sealed, so i would just think at this point if i don't even see the slightest signs of anything.... that's not a great sign. but yes, i can just take hydrometer readings and report back on what i find...

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You took a gravity reading before you pitched your yeast, but the only way to know if you've had fermentation is to take another one.

Yeast can take 72 hours to get started in any case, but at 80°F I'd expect to see your gravity drop soon (if it hasn't already).

Wait till this one is done then reuse the yeast in your Belgian White Beer. And next time get the wort down into the low sixties before you pitch.

Relax. You probably have fermentation. Take a SG reading if you want and you'll probably find it lower than the OG.

White Labs suggest pitching at 70-75 degrees. Pitching at 80 isn't going to kill the yeast. I routinely pitch at 75 and when fermentation begins bring the wort temp down to the proper range. The lag phase of yeast doesn't produce off flavors.

I prefer to ferment in a clear carboy just so I can watch the "washing machine" action as the yeast do their thing. That way I know I have fermentation and don't take a SG for 2 weeks right before I bottle.

i will take a gravity reading later today and see if it's changed... but three other brews i've done in the last few days were all churning as soon as 6 hours after pitching (maybe sooner, i was sleeping). so this one just had me worried.

assuming the gravity reading is slightly different... what amount of difference is enough to provide me a little comfort that things are in fact off and running? this beer wasn't supposed to be one that i was going to have to have in a fermenter for a couple months or anything. and, assuming the gravity is significantly changed, do i need to mess with harvesting yeast and using it on the belgian white ale, and vice versa? essentially swapping yeast for both beers (not that i have any clue how to do that).

well, it did start going like within 24 hours of my previous post. i was wondering, though, if it makes sense to transfer this onto the existing yeast cake of the other beer (that had the yeast that was supposed to go in here).... or attempt to wash the yeast. is there just more risk doing this, i.e. infection, etc.? or is it even worth it?

Once fermentation has started just walk away and leave it alone. Too late to do anything now just enjoy the beer you made.