Delayed bubbles

This is batch #3, and my first time using liquid yeast. I assumed that liquid yeast would take off better than dry, and as a result of my idiocy, I didn't bother making a starter. There wasn't any airlock activity for at least 30 hours, so I went to bed pissed off at the thought of having to make a special trip to the LHBS to buy another vial of yeast. Fortunately the beer gods were on my side, and I awoke to the sound of an airlock that was bubbling like a bong at a college frat party.

Anybody else had a similar experience?

Will a high OG cause fermentation to get off to a slow start?

The recipe was a spin off of cheesefood's vanilla caramel cream ale (minus the vanilla):

White Labs California ale yeast

3.3lbs wheat LME
3.3Lbs extra light LME
1lb 40L crystal
1lb rice syrup solids
1/2lb lactose

1/2oz cascade 60min
1/2oz liberty 30 min
1/2oz liberty 5min

A starter is always a good idea for liquid yeast. There are more yeast cells in a dry yeast package, so the pitching rate is much higher when you use dry. Wort gravity and pitching temperature do matter- as a general rule, the higher the gravity, the more yeast you should pitch.

Anyway, it's going now and that's the important thing. When I made this, I had a huge blow off. It really took off, and I had to use a blow off tube.

Lorena

The vials are enough for a batch but it is generally thought that using a starter to double the cell count work much better. The yeast go through a growth phase when there is not quite enough so that usually accounts for the slower start of fermentation.

Starter is important, as is aeration. Not sure how you were aerating, but if that was done insufficiently, it could potentially contribute to a slow start.

the_bird said:

Starter is important, as is aeration. Not sure how you were aerating, but if that was done insufficiently, it could potentially contribute to a slow start.

Click to expand...

OK Bird, I way your title yesterday and it was AC King figuring it was a reference to a fermentation chiller you were building. Now what???

Hopfan said:

OK Bird, I way your title yesterday and it was AC King figuring it was a reference to a fermentation chiller you were building. Now today it looks more like it belongs in the Secret Forum???

Click to expand...

Did you read this thread?

If not, you should...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=18679&highlight=fifteen

A few things to cut down on lagtime:

1. A starter. A really, really big starter. Talkin' like, a liter. With 8oz of extract. Give it 12-18 hours.
2. Aeration. Get a kit from AHS for $30. Works like a charm.
3. Use yeast nutrient in your starter and, if desired, a bit in your wort too.

But, to tell you the truth, sometimes...it just takes longer. Lately, I've been making big starters and getting minimal lag times...several hours at the most. But this last batch, I made a wee heavy with a high OG. I procured a rather large mason jar full of fresh yeast pulled directly from a local brewpub's conical not 12 hours before pitching. The last thing I thought I had to do was make a starter. And truth be told, a starter prolly wouldn't have helped. Lag time was like 12 hours, which is long for me.

My longest was 3 days...that was the last time I pitched a commercial liquid yeast packet without a starter. When I reused that same yeast, the one that took 3 days, I made a starter and used yeast nutrient as well. Lag time was like 3 hours.

Some things are beyond your control, but many things are not. Make sure your yeast isn't terribly old. Make a starter, aerate, and pay attention to fermentation temps. Past that...RDWHAHB

Hopfan said:

OK Bird, I way your title yesterday and it was AC King figuring it was a reference to a fermentation chiller you were building. Now today it looks more like it belongs in the Secret Forum???

Click to expand...

Haha. Bird and some other experts got "verbally abused" by some cockney eurotrash college kids, for being too elitist. Those kids didn't really read up on brewing too thoroughly, and made what can only be described as upscale prison hooch. When folks on these boards had a good laugh about it, they went wacko and started talkin' junk. The truth (that they didn't do enough research and the batch they made was essentially junk) hurt.

the_bird said:

Did you read this thread?

If not, you should...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=18679&highlight=fifteen

Click to expand...

Read it. Point taken. Can't fix the quotes though...

Evan! said:

Haha. Bird and some other experts got "verbally abused" by some cockney eurotrash college kids, for being too elitist. Those kids didn't really read up on brewing too thoroughly, and made what can only be described as upscale prison hooch. When folks on these boards had a good laugh about it, they went wacko and started talkin' junk. The truth (that they didn't do enough research and the batch they made was essentially junk) hurt.

Click to expand...

Ahh to be young & stupid again....

the_bird said:

Did you read this thread?

If not, you should...

Click to expand...

Damn, how did I miss that?