4 days no activity yet

So I made my first all grain batch of ale 4 days ago. OG 1.042 haven't checked it since (afraid of contaminating the batch) rehydrated an 11.5g packet of fermentis safale us-05 in 2 cups water boiled with 1/2 cup of dme. Cooler wort, pitched yeast and have yet to see activity. What to do?

How hot was the rehydrating water? You may have pitched dead yeast. 4 days is an awfully long lag time. How did you aerate?

By the way, you rehydrate in water, no DME. Maybe a tiny pinch of yeast nutrient recommended by some brewers. The dehydrated cells can't regulate the sugar intake and take too much in, killing at least 50% of a pitch....

Cooled it to 78 r so. There was foaming activity so I'm sure the yeast was active. I did read though that ur suppose to rehydrate dried yeast in plain boiled cooled water. I also forgot to add my nutrient pill to the wort. I'm wondering if I should pitch more yeast or just dump the batch.

I would carefully draw a sample with a sanitized wine thief, or a new, sanitized turkey baster. Check the gravity of that sample and then drink it (or pour it out). Just do not put it back into the beer that is still fermenting!

Just because you do not see activity does not mean that you do not have fermentation. You could have a bad seal on your bucket lid or at your airlock grommet. If your gravity check confirms that there has been no fermentation, then I would re-aerate the wort, and pitch new yeast. Also, when I brew with dry yeast, I usually do not rehydrate. I simply sprinkle the dry yeast right on top of the wort. It will mix itself in and rehydrate itself in the wort without any help at all from you!

DrummerBoySeth said:

I would carefully draw a sample with a sanitized wine thief, or a new, sanitized turkey baster. Check the gravity of that sample and then drink it (or pour it out). Just do not put it back into the beer that is still fermenting!

Just because you do not see activity does not mean that you do not have fermentation. You could have a bad seal on your bucket lid or at your airlock grommet. If your gravity check confirms that there has been no fermentation, then I would re-aerate the wort, and pitch new yeast.

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I don't have one of those. About the best I could would be a sanitized ladle. Just haven't checked it for fear of contamination.

Yeah. The water you rehydrated with should have been cooled before you put the yeast in it.

Assuming you did that, and it bugs me too when the airlock doesn't bubble, but that doesn't mean it's not fermenting. If you really want to feel better about it, you'll have to sample and check the gravity. Be quick and clean about it and you should be okay.

That Safale is good stuff.

Brewsmack said:

I don't have one of those. About the best I could would be a sanitized ladle. Just haven't checked it for fear of contamination.

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does your fermenter have a bottling spigot on it? I like to ferment in bottling buckets because the spigot makes for super-easy sample taking!

A ladle would work in a pinch. Make sure it is good and clean, spray or dunk in starsan, and you could use that to draw out a sample for gravity checking.

DrummerBoySeth said:

does your fermenter have a bottling spigot on it? I like to ferment in bottling buckets because the spigot makes for super-easy sample taking!

A ladle would work in a pinch. Make sure it is good and clean, spray or dunk in starsan, and you could use that to draw out a sample for gravity checking.

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I hesitate to answer that question for fear of revealing the fact I'm a complete moron.

Brewsmack said:

I hesitate to answer that question for fear of revealing the fact I'm a complete moron.

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AHHH, spigot it is, then. Let us know what the reading was!

DrummerBoySeth said:

AHHH, spigot it is, then. Let us know what the reading was!

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Reading 1.022

Brewsmack said:

Reading 1.022

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Looks like we have fermentation! Now for the hard part... leave it alone for at least another week. It will probably be fully fermented in another day or 2, but many brewers here (including myself) feel that 2 to 3 week primaries result in better tasting beer. It gives the yeast more time to 'clean up' after themselves.

Think of it like teenagers having a keg party. If you show up the next morning, the party will almost certainly be over. There will probably be a few kids passed out on the floor, messed up furniture, broken vases, but the actual partying is done.

Now check back later that day, or the next day (one more week in yeast-time) It is much more likely that the passed out kids have left, the furniture is back in the right place, and the cups and cans have been thrown away. Now the party is over, and the house is back in order!

As long as you make sure that the yeast have time to clean up after themselves when the party is over, there is a much better chance you will have good beer!

DrummerBoySeth said:

Looks like we have fermentation! Now for the hard part... leave it alone for at least another week. It will probably be fully fermented in another day or 2, but many brewers here (including myself) feel that 2 to 3 week primaries result in better tasting beer. It gives the yeast more time to 'clean up' after themselves.

Think of it like teenagers having a keg party. If you show up the next morning, the party will almost certainly be over. There will probably be a few kids passed out on the floor, messed up furniture, broken vases, but the actual partying is done.

Now check back later that day, or the next day (one more week in yeast-time) It is much more likely that the passed out kids have left, the furniture is back in the right place, and the cups and cans have been thrown away. Now the party is over, and the house is back in order!

As long as you make sure that the yeast have time to clean up after themselves when the party is over, there is a much better chance you will have good beer!

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Awesome! Every batch I've brewed up to now has formed a good krausen on top, this one has not.

DrummerBoySeth said:

I would carefully draw a sample with a sanitized wine thief, or a new, sanitized turkey baster. Check the gravity of that sample and then drink it (or pour it out). Just do not put it back into the beer that is still fermenting!

Just because you do not see activity does not mean that you do not have fermentation. You could have a bad seal on your bucket lid or at your airlock grommet. If your gravity check confirms that there has been no fermentation, then I would re-aerate the wort, and pitch new yeast. Also, when I brew with dry yeast, I usually do not rehydrate. I simply sprinkle the dry yeast right on top of the wort. It will mix itself in and rehydrate itself in the wort without any help at all from you!

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Yeast will indeed rehydrate in wort. The trouble is the dehydrated cell can't regulate the amount of sugar it takes in like a normal cell does resulting in 50% or more death rate due to burst cell walls. There's plenty of literature out there on the matter and many of the manufacturers are finally catching up and recommending rehydration in warm previously boiled water. You've probably had success because there was still enough yeast and or favorable conditions to multiply. It's still kills 50% to dry pitch. Rehydrating is pretty easy and costs basically nothing. Seems like a no brainer to me...

Demus said:

Yeast will indeed rehydrate in wort. The trouble is the dehydrated cell can't regulate the amount of sugar it takes in like a normal cell does resulting in 50% or more death rate due to burst cell walls. There's plenty of literature out there on the matter and many of the manufacturers are finally catching up and recommending rehydration in warm previously boiled water. You've probably had success because there was still enough yeast and or favorable conditions to multiply. It's still kills 50% to dry pitch. Rehydrating is pretty easy and costs basically nothing. Seems like a no brainer to me...

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The Danistar dry yeast I've used recommends it, but the dry Coopers yeast does not. I've done both and both worked fine. I think the cell count of the dry yeast packets is very healthy, enough for the 50% to die on the frontlines of the fermentation battlefield. But as you say, no harm in rehydrating.