Brewed an Irish red yesterday at 6 pm. I was going to use a smack pack (1084 Irish Ale) so I did that in the morning and even by the time I was done brewing at 8pm there was no swelling at all. So I thought no big deal I have Nottingham in the fridge. Hydrated that per the package directions (have never used it before) and pitched it. It is 3 in the afternoon and no fermentation yet I am used to seing it start in about 4-6 hours not worried yet because I know it can take a while but a bit un-easy. To top it all off that smack pack is swelling now.....been 24 hours and it's still only half inflated though, Was it a bad one? They usually puff up to where they feel like they are gonna pop in about 2 hours.
My first yeast issues
- Thread starter Wyobrew22
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I've had smack packs take more than 12 hours. Don't know when the last time I had one take only 2 hours - really long time ago. Plus since I usually make starters, I don't even rupture the inner sack for them.
Hmmmmm, I wonder if this Sticky title could mean something for you? 
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/fermentation-can-take-24-72-hrs-show-visible-signs-43635/
Relax...
Besides, here is nothing "typical" in brewing...every fermentation is different, and should not be used to compare one with another...you can't do that.
Just because you may have never had something happen before on your beers, doesn't mean that the yeast are doing anything wrong. It just means that you haven't experienced one of the infinite NORMAL behaviors that living organisms, living wildcards, are capable of.
you can't compare one brew to another. No two fermentations are ever exactly the same.
When we are dealing with living creatures, there is a wild card factor in play..Just like with other animals, including humans...No two behave the same.
You can split a batch in half put them in 2 identical carboys, and pitch equal amounts of yeast from the same starter...and have them act completely differently...for some reason on a subatomic level...think about it...yeasties are small...1 degree difference in temp to us, could be a 50 degree difference to them...one fermenter can be a couple degrees warmer because it's closer to a vent all the way across the room and the yeasties take off...
Someone, Grinder I think posted a pic once of 2 carboys touching each other, and one one of the carboys the krausen had formed only on the side that touched the other carboy...probably reacting to the heat of the first fermentation....but it was like symbiotic or something...
With living micro-organisms there is always a wildcard factor in play...and yet the yeast rarely lets us down. So it is best just to rdwhahb and trust that they know to what they are doing.
Don't assume the worst with the yeast, realize that they've been making beer since long before our great great great grandfather copped his first buzz from a 40 of mickey's out back of the highschool, so they are the experts.
Yeasts are like teenagers, swmbos, and humans in general, they have their own individual way of doing things.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/fermentation-can-take-24-72-hrs-show-visible-signs-43635/
Relax...
Besides, here is nothing "typical" in brewing...every fermentation is different, and should not be used to compare one with another...you can't do that.
Just because you may have never had something happen before on your beers, doesn't mean that the yeast are doing anything wrong. It just means that you haven't experienced one of the infinite NORMAL behaviors that living organisms, living wildcards, are capable of.
you can't compare one brew to another. No two fermentations are ever exactly the same.
When we are dealing with living creatures, there is a wild card factor in play..Just like with other animals, including humans...No two behave the same.
You can split a batch in half put them in 2 identical carboys, and pitch equal amounts of yeast from the same starter...and have them act completely differently...for some reason on a subatomic level...think about it...yeasties are small...1 degree difference in temp to us, could be a 50 degree difference to them...one fermenter can be a couple degrees warmer because it's closer to a vent all the way across the room and the yeasties take off...
Someone, Grinder I think posted a pic once of 2 carboys touching each other, and one one of the carboys the krausen had formed only on the side that touched the other carboy...probably reacting to the heat of the first fermentation....but it was like symbiotic or something...
With living micro-organisms there is always a wildcard factor in play...and yet the yeast rarely lets us down. So it is best just to rdwhahb and trust that they know to what they are doing.
Don't assume the worst with the yeast, realize that they've been making beer since long before our great great great grandfather copped his first buzz from a 40 of mickey's out back of the highschool, so they are the experts.
Yeasts are like teenagers, swmbos, and humans in general, they have their own individual way of doing things.
Well the batch has now started fermentation with the nottingham so thats fine. What should I do with that smack pack of irish ale yeast though? I don't plan on making another irish red anytime soon and my next 2 batches will be using american ale yeast. Are there other styles of beer I could use it in? and could I use it to make a starter to keep in the fridge for a while? like a month until I would have free fermenter space to use it
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