Did I mess up

[wdenton]

OK so I am a little worried and confused about 2 different batches now

My 5 gallon batch that I made still shows no airlock activity.
I know this is not a true indication of fermentation but when is it to early to do a gravity reading I have not seen 1 bubble yet
I pressed them on SAT and potassium metabisulfated them then.
Monday I added 3 cups sugar for an gravity of 1.068 and then tossed in the nottingham and stirred
temp is around 68 in the house




Also I started a couple 1 gallon batches last night but I was not thinking and I mixed in 1/2 cup dark brown sugar in each gallon and then added a campden tablet. Will this still ferment out when I add the yeast if I put the sugar and campden in at the same time.
I was planning on pitching the yeast tomorrow

 

[wdenton]

sorry that should have read potassium matabisulfite

 

[hunter_le five]

Airlock activity is not a reliable indicator of fermentation. Take a gravity reading and see if it has changed at all.

 

[wdenton]

How soon is too soon to take a gravity reading though?


Also any advise on the 1 gallon batch

 

[hunter_le five]

There's no such thing as "too soon". Gravity readings are just used to check on the progress of fermentation, at any point in the process. Just be sure to take proper precautions/sanitation procedures to prevent infection.

I usually wait at least a week before taking a reading, but if there is doubt that the yeast is even working, then you should absolutely take a reading sooner to verify that the gravity is dropping from your OG.

As for your second question, I don't have any experience using campden, but I don't see why it would affect anything.

 

[wdenton]

awesome

thanks for the response.

I will take a reading tonight or early tomorrow and maybe if it is not working I will try and add some yeast nutirent or yeast energizer

then if nothing maybe I should repitch?

 

[Homercidal]

If you sulfited, then you don't have to worry as much about pitching yeast right away, or a long lag in fermentation (That's the theory anyway.)

But, it won't hurt to check gravity 2-3 days after pitching.

I have to ask what kind of vessel are you fermenting in? If it's a carboy, it's probably not leaking. They are usually pretty reliable for getting an airlock to bubble.

If you used a bucket, there is a fair chance that the bucket has a small leak and the CO2 is not going out through the airlock.

In either case, a cider doesn't show as much indication of fermentation as beer. You should be able to tell looking through a glass or plastic carboy, but a bucket hides the fermentation a lot better.

The first stages of fermentation, right after lag, usually goes fairly quickly, so you should be able to see a change in gravity soon after it starts. So the bottom line is to go ahead and check gravity and see if it's changed.

 

[Homercidal]

awesome

thanks for the response.

I will take a reading tonight or early tomorrow and maybe if it is not working I will try and add some yeast nutirent or yeast energizer

then if nothing maybe I should repitch?

Yes. It doesn't sound like you did anything wrong and as long as the yeast are healthy and have sugar to eat, you're good to go. I bet you're fermenting just fine now.

 

[wdenton]

OK I will do that

Currently the 5 gal is in one of my Ale pales with a airlock and vodka

If there is no sign of fermentation would you energize or repitch or both?

 

[Homercidal]

If you take a reading and see no activity, then yes, you probably need to repitch. The use of nutrients is voluntary, but I don't think there is a downside to using them in this instance, so I would probably recommend that as well.

 

[wdenton]

UPDATE

OK I opened the ale pale last night to check out the gravity and here is what happened.

My wife was in the dining room with me and as soon as I opened the bucket up she said "did you eat to many bean burritos for lunch"
The smell was almost an exact match

Also there is a layer of foam or krausen or whatever on top about an inch or more thick so I included some pics

The bad part is the gravity
it is still around 1.066 (started at 1.068) so it may have droped at most .002 in 5 days
temp in the house is around 68

So if I repitch do I remove the foam on the top and then pitch and stir or do I just add in the yeast and then stir the foam and everything or just toss in the yeast and leave it the way it is?

I want to make sure I get this right since I am pressing more cider tonight witha friend and we hope to make at least another 10 gallons tonight.

 

[wdenton]

I forgot to add the pic's

 

[wdenton]

Here is the update for what I have found with my 5 gallon batch

Friday I opened up the ale pale and tested again
The gravity was 1.065 so it really hasn't fermented much

I went to the LHBS and talked to the guy there and he said to taste it and as long as the taste is not bad add more yeast and stir so I added some lalvin ec-1118 and stirred the cider

I tasted before hand and it tasted fine no vinegar flavor or real off flavor

I also bought a couple sick on thermometers to add to to a few of my pales and carboys
Temp on the thermometer said 63 degrees
By Sunday it said 66 degrees

Still no airlock activity but no worries

I will test again later this week to see if there is a drop in gravity.