3 weeks in primary and no fermentation

Brewed up a partial mash English bitter about 3 weeks ago, and I was hoping to have this kegged and carbed by the end of this weekend for some family that's coming to town. Was my first full boil in my small 7 gallon pot, but it worked fine, just had to keep my eye on it. Also hit all my numbers and temperatures without any problems. Ended up with 1.048 gravity, which is what beer tools pro called for. Used the Wyeast 1099 Whitbread without a starter (I know, I know...made my first starter with the last batch I brewed though) as I've had good results using just the smack packs. I knew there was going to be a lag time since I didn't use a starter, which was fine by me and I put it in my closet and let it ride. I went out of town for the weekend two days after I brewed so I wasn't able to keep my eye on everything. I came back and it looked like it had a settling layer of krausen on top and it had a few bubbles in the air lock (used a glass carboy btw). I let that sit in the carboy for about 3 weeks since I was waiting for my keg to open up. I was planning on racking to the keg today and I took a gravity reading and came up right at 1.046??? What's the deal?

My question now is, how do I get the yeast active again, if that's possible? Or do I need to pitch another pack? Basically, where do I go from here?

Silly question but I've seen it before, how did you take your reading and are you sure the hydrometer was floating and not bottoming out, if you saw evidence of krausen it had to have fermented more than .002 points

Does it taste sweet? I agree - sounds like a technical reading issue. Did the smack pack inflate? Were the temps OK in the spot where it was sitting? Assuming so if you saw krausen, and agree that 0.002 seems very odd with evidence of fermentation.

Thanks for the replies guys. I know it sounds weird, and I'm having trouble seeing anything wrong with what I did. That's why I came here and asked.

Smack pack inflated and temps were fine where I let it ferment (upper 60's for the most of the day). But I always fill up my test tube to where it doesn't bottom out. I also spin the hydrometer and let everything settle out of the way to where I can see everything clearly, so I know that's not the issue. It smells and tastes incredibly yeasty though. A little sweet and some bitterness from the hops, but definitely getting smacked in the face with yeast. Could the yeast be dormant and still sit on top??? Could that have been the layer of what I though was krausen on top?

When you added the yeast did you aerate and mix it in or did you just pour it on the top?
Based upon your description it sounds like its just sitting there and wasn't mixed in?

Agree with the above. The slight difference in hydrometer readings could be attributed to temp variations. Sounds to me like you have no fermentation at all? I'd get some dry yeast in there swirl the carboy some and see what happens. By all means take another gravity reading now just in case, but you either have dead yeast or some mystery problem.

Aerated it as best as I could. Put the stopper on and shook the carboy for well over two minutes before I pitched, then swirled gently after I pitched so I know it was mixed in. I wish I knew what the date on the yeast pack was too. I'll have to run to the home brew store on monday and grab some dry yeast and try that I guess.

Also the gravity reading is sitting on my kitchen counter as we speak, and it's more then likely showing the temp drop from when I pitched to fermenting temps like befus suggested.

Sounds like you got an old pack with very little viable yeast. As mentioned, re-pitch, sucks you wasted 3 weeks

Do you have a second hydrometer? It's possible the paper shifted.

Negatory on the 2nd hydrometer, but the paper didn't shift. I store it on it's side in an air conditioned room so there's no way the wax could have melted. I might have noticed if it shifted even 10 points, much less 40. That number I got is exactly the pre-pitching number anyway, so that's kind of a moot point.

Sucks that I waited so long to check, because I was at the home brew store (which is close to 50 miles away) last week. Guess I'll have to get ingredients for another batch while I'm there.....Shucks. I definitely appreciate all the help and speculation so far. I'll keep you guys posted on what happens though.

p.s. Here's some pictures of what my carboy looks like, if anybody is interested. Looked like this for 3 weeks.



Close up of the layer of stuff on the top. Looks just like yeast to me.

I used to get yeast looking like that when I used dry yeast and didn't rehydrate. Had a fermentation go on for 2 weeks before I got pissed and shook the shot out if the carboy. Fermentation went off like a rocket after that.

No idea I'd what I did was right or if you are in the same boat, but i figures I'd give my input.

Yeah I shook the piss out of it more then a few times. It was a liquid yeast from Wyeast though. The funny thing is, I used the identical yeast for a northern english brown ale the batch before and it worked fine, which is weird. I guess it can't hurt to shake the snot out of it again and see if it wants to take off before tomorrow....who knows.

there is enough yeast that it doesn't seem the the smack pack was bad. it reproduced. How much was extract and how much was the partial mash?

Are you sure you got any conversion?
If shaking/repitching don't work there is just nothing for it to eat and it went dormant after fermenting the little sugar available at the start.

Rehydrate some S-04, toss it in there, and shake the crap out of it.

thughes said:

Rehydrate some S-04, toss it in there, and shake the crap out of it.

Click to expand...

And stand back
if s-04 won't wake it up, its done.

Here's the recipe for anybody interested. Mashed at 155*F for 60 minutes. "Sparged" with 2.37 gallons of 168*F water for 10 minutes, and repeated it for another 10 minutes with another 2.37 gallons of 168*F water. Ended up with 5.61 Gallons in the boil kettle and added the malt extract. Brought to a boil, added the hops when needed. Cooled to 68*F and pitched the yeast and went from there.

[size=+2]Titty Bitty Summer Bitter[/size]
[size=+1]8-B Special/Best/Premium Bitter[/size]
Author: Spencer Klickman
Date: 5/21/12



Size: 5.0*gal
Efficiency: 80.8%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 159.41*kcal per 12.0*fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.048 (1.040 - 1.048)
|=======================#========|
Terminal Gravity: 1.012 (1.008 - 1.012)
|=======================#========|
Color: 11.3 (5.0 - 16.0)
|=================#==============|
Alcohol: 4.71% (3.8% - 4.6%)
|==========================#=====|
Bitterness: 39.3 (25.0 - 40.0)
|=======================#========|

[size=+1]Ingredients:[/size]
3.0*lb (44.0%) 3.0*lb Maris Otter - added during mash
0.5*lb (7.3%) 0.5*lb 2-Row Carapils® Malt - added during mash
0.25*lb (3.7%) 0.25*lb 2-Row Caramel Malt 60L - added during mash
1.0*oz (0.9%) 1.0*oz 2-Row Chocolate Malt - added during mash
3.0*lb (44.0%) 3.0*lb Dry Extra Light - added during boil, boiled 60.0*m
1.0*oz (33.3%) 1.0*oz Northern Brewer (8.0%) - added first wort, boiled 20.0*m
1.0*oz (33.3%) 1.0*oz East Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 45.0*m
0.25*oz (8.3%) 0.25*oz Northern Brewer (8.0%) - added during boil, boiled 45.0*m
2.0*tsp 2.0*tsp Irish Moss - added during boil, boiled 20.0*m
0.75*oz (25.0%) 0.75*oz East Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil
1.0*ea 1.0*ea WYeast 1099 Whitbread Ale™
2.0*tsp 2.0*tsp Finings Gelatin - added dry to secondary fermenter

[size=+1]Schedule:[/size]
Ambient Air: 80.0*°F
Source Water: 60.0*°F
Elevation: 615.0*ft

00:03:00 Mash In - Liquor: 1.19*gal; Strike: 168.05*°F; Target: 155.0*°F
01:03:00 Single infusion mash - Water: 0.0*gal; Temperature: 155.0*°F; Target: 155.0*°F
01:23:00 Batch sparge - Sparge #1: 2.37*gal sparge @ 168.0*°F, 10.0*m; Sparge #2: 2.37*gal sparge @ 168.0*°F, 10.0*m; Total Runoff: 5.61*gal
02:23:00 Boil - Heat: 60.0*m; Target: 212.0*°F

[size=+1]Notes[/size]
Add Northern Brewer hops with sparge water as First Wort Hop addition.

[size=-1]Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.5.22[/size]

Love the name. Try that five times fast!

What kind of yeast? If it was liquid it could have been non viable. Have you taken hydrometer readings to know it hasn't fermented?

Nvm I noticed the yeast you used.

And I've taken several hydrometer readings (if you read the whole thread). No worries though. I'll more then likely be pitching some dry yeast tomorrow to see if she wants to take off.

I'm curious what happens. That's a really weird looking yeasty/krauseny thing on top. It doesn't look to me like it ever really crawled up the sides of the carboy like a typical krausen, leaving scum (hop sludge) and whatnot as it settles. I can't remember the strain, but I had a strange looking yeasty thing on top like that before, but that one had fermented while it looked odd.

Will definitely keep you updated on what happens. The yeast layer kinda smells like a rhino fart and I don't really want my beer to ferment on top of that. I'm thinking I might rack to secondary and pitch the dry yeast onto it then.

Klickmania said:

Will definitely keep you updated on what happens. The yeast layer kinda smells like a rhino fart and I don't really want my beer to ferment on top of that. I'm thinking I might rack to secondary and pitch the dry yeast onto it then.

Click to expand...

I don't blame you. That looks funky! I've never seen yeast look like that.

Yeah, that stuff did something or it wouldn't have grown. Producing alcohol was obviously not one of them. If they are not part of the solution, they are a part of the problem AFAIAC. I think I'd rack away from that crap and toss in your re-hydrated dry yeast and just hope for the best. You sure have nothing to lose.

Agreed. If it's still funky after I try to "re-ferment" it, if you will, I'll just have to dump it.

Could it be some sort of odd/rare infection? Or should I just chalk it up to bad yeast?

Picked up the yeast and will be hydrating here in a minute for anybody interested....we'll see how she goes.

yeah man, that 'stuff' on top looks like the 'stuff' on top of a dunder pit. rack away from it, and hope for the best.

Racked into my bottling bucket, rehydrated, and re-pitched. Kinda smelled like old vegetables and yeast in the bucket after I racked it though...we'll see. Wish me luck though.

P.S. Those clumps almost looked and felt like soggy bread, or under cooked dough almost....Really gross if you ask me lol. Don't have high hopes for this one.

That looks to me like an infection. But I'm no expert. Good luck.

If it is, it'll be my first batch to get dumped. Haven't seen any pictures of an infection looking like that yet either, but it very well could be. We'll find out soon enough.

allthingsgiant said:

That looks to me like an infection. But I'm no expert. Good luck.

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i dont know about a bacterial infection, but it looks like mold to me. I say ferment it out and try it! the yeast will make it safe to drink, and who knows, maybe the floaties in there gave it some sort of miracle flavor

Have some bubbles in the airlock this morning, and it smelled a little better then earlier. Maybe she'll clean up and come around with the s-04. Thanks for all the feedback fellas! I definitely would have been lost without it!

Klickmania said:

Have some bubbles in the airlock this morning, and it smelled a little better then earlier. Maybe she'll clean up and come around with the s-04. Thanks for all the feedback fellas! I definitely would have been lost without it!

Click to expand...

Glad to hear there's some action! I'm sure when done you'll have beer!

Popped the lid open last night and had visible signs of krausening (the normal kind lol...not globs of bread) and fermentation. Smells a lot better too. Bout to take a gravity reading to see how well the s-04 worked.

Kinda tastes a little funky, but it's got some sweetness to it. The S-04 got it down to 1.013 though. I'm probably gonna let it sit for 3-4 more weeks and see if that helps. Who knows?

i'd suggest racking out from under the floaties, if you havent already.

Already did! Put it all in my bottling bucket. Some of the floaties made the trip as well, but not many to cause any more damage.

good to hear

Ended up dumping this batch. It smelled and tasted no better then before. Kinda tangy and vinegary, and just unpleasant. Needed room to dry hop my pale ale anyway, so I'm not too upset...still sucked dumping out beer though.