No happy yeast - cause for concern?

I brewed this nut brown yesterday and I do not see any happy yeast action. I have been brewing for a couple years and have never had this happen. What could have gone wrong?

I wouldn't panic yet, sometimes it will take 24 hours or more to get the fermentation cycle going. I too have been concerned before and then when I get up the next morning it will be dry active.

Let us know how it goes

jdhasse said:

dry active.

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Very active

I've had yeasties take up to 24-30 hours to visibly start fermenting. The lag time to you & I is actually the reproductive phase before they increase in numbers enough to visibly start fermenting. I've had this happen no matter if pitched dry,rehydrated,or starter. No worries for a couple days,m8.

If you have a pH meter you can take a pH reading and make sure the pH is dropping. If it's not dropping then yeast = no happy. If it's dropping then you know the yeast are doing their thing.

A PH meter? I'd think a hydrometer would be more direct here?...

I don't have a ph meter and just broke my hydrometer. It looks like it it starting to become a little active now. I brewed a second batch of the same today. I am going to give it another 8 hours or so before I panic. I have never had yeast take this long, but I am also using something new.

Freak out aborted. Looks as though things are beginning to pick up. At least I will know to expect the same from the batch next to it that I brewed this morning.

Brewing for a couple of years and you ask this? You're a brave man! : )

SteveM said:

Brewing for a couple of years and you ask this? You're a brave man! : )

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I have just never not seen anything for more than 24 hours. I definitely should have done more internet reading before asking for help, but here we are.

*brave lady

No sweat,that's why we're all here.

unionrdr said:

A PH meter? I'd think a hydrometer would be more direct here?...

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Hydrometer works great once active fermentation has begun but I was under the impression that the OP was worried about his beer less than 24 hours after pitching. If you take a pH reading during the initial phase of fermentation the gravity may not have dropped but the pH will if the yeast are alive and working. Good way to put your mind at ease when you see no activity early on.

halffullpgh said:

*brave lady

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: )

I stand corrected! Cheers!

chumpsteak said:

Hydrometer works great once active fermentation has begun but I was under the impression that the OP was worried about his beer less than 24 hours after pitching. If you take a pH reading during the initial phase of fermentation the gravity may not have dropped but the pH will if the yeast are alive and working. Good way to put your mind at ease when you see no activity early on.

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Thanks chump! Gotta love that one...I never new or heard that one about the PH dropping. He should've mentioned why to use a PH meter instead of leaving it & us in thin air,even after my question. Def ears help no one. Might just be a good excuse to buy a PH meter now,besides testing the mash water before hand for adjustments. Not like I need it around here, even the tap water makes good ales.

PH meters are inaccurate and not cheap. If you find one cheap then it's even less accurate. It may be true but I've never heard of a pH change as an indicator of fermentation. I think some folks may be misunderstanding the great Charlie Papazian. He did NOT say "obsess, buy expensive equipment, worry and have a Red Bull"!!

If you say so. You're the expert I guess. If you chose to limit your brewing knowledge to 30 year old beginner books then that is up to you. Forget I said anything about the pH meter. It cost me an extravagant 68 dollars and is apparently useless according to you and your overwhelming knowledge of brewing and water chemistry. Good luck to the OP and by all means RDWHAHB.

chumpsteak said:

If you say so. You're the expert I guess. If you chose to limit your brewing knowledge to 30 year old beginner books then that is up to you. Forget I said anything about the pH meter. It cost me an extravagant 68 dollars and is apparently useless according to you and your overwhelming knowledge of brewing and water chemistry. Good luck to the OP and by all means RDWHAHB.

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I just hate to see a beginner scared off thinking he needs to buy equipment to measure something he doesn't understand. His second batch was a slow starter, it's not time to jump in water chemistry! And if the pH is changing it's only a few more hours before the ferment anyway; your technique only reveals what will soon be obvious. Better for the OP to learn the importance of yeast nutrition, pitch rates and temperature control. This IS after all the beginners forum...

You better read the OP again. Unless it took a couple of years to brew 2 batches then this person isn't a beginner and likely would not be afraid of advice telling her the benefits of a pH meter "if she has one". No one told her to go buy one and I was offering a technique I use when I'm concerned about a slow starting fermentation. I'm so stupid I actually thought a 2 year seasoned brewer would welcome any advice on techniques or tricks that other people use that may not be obvious to everyone.

You're right, I missed that. It is beginners forum in my defense...

I have been brewing about 2 years, though I do it fairly irregularly (once a month, sometimes twice). I, evidently oddly, have never had a batch take more than 24 hours to begin visible signs of fermentation. I don't have others around me brewing so I typically turn to the interwebs, with a rare trip to the forums. I will definitely stick to reading before asking moving forward. Thanks for your wisdom, fellas.