Fermentation Lag (5 Days +/-)

[scotchguy]

Greetings,

I recently brewed a Rogue Shakespeare Stout Kit using Pacman yeast. The boil and all went smoothly, no problems noted. Our OG sat directly at 9%.

I am used to a certain lag before the yeasties start going to town, but this round of home brew (or waiting rather) certainly set my nerves on edge more than usual. I brewed on Thursday, and visible fermentation did not surface until the following Tuesday. If my math is correct (what luck), that puts 5 full days between pitching and signs of fermentation. With the Pacman yeast, the package claimed up to a 3 day lag. I am not getting too hung up, as there is nothing I can/will to to change anything at this point.

I would like to get some opinions of the cause and possible future prevention.

My best guess as to the fermentation delay:
- (Just) Followed directions on the smack pack rather than creating a starter
- Only pitched one package of yeast
- Kitchen was ~72F during pitch, allowed the carboy to acclimate for 3-4hrs before moving to the basement
- My basement is consistently 62-64F (a bit chill for initial fermentation my guess?)
-Opted to not move or open up carboy when extended lag was noted.

My uneducated opinion is consistent temperature and delayed yeast production is better than moving the carboy all over the house and introducing it to variable temperatures and lighting conditions.

Thank you in advance for any advice, tips, and information you can provide to help make me a more educated homebrewer. I didn't know if I should post in this forum or the Beginners. Excuse my ignorance if the post is out of place.

Thanks
scotchguy

 

[DamageCT]

Was this a 5 gal batch?

I'm almost positive you under pitched but I have had success not using starters and using one pop pack on a 5 gal batch before. I would give it a few more days and allow the yeast to multiply in the beer...

 

[Tinga]

big beer like that needs lots of oxygenation and a high yeast count. A large starter would have been helpful. Also an oxygen system or shaking the carboy a lot can help introduce some oxygen. also Specific gravities are generally reported as 1.XXX instead of the corresponding percentages. the percentage is based on where the beer finishes related to where it starts. so basically there is no percentage before it ferments.

 

[bruin_ale]

My best guess as to the fermentation delay:
- (Just) Followed directions on the smack pack rather than creating a starter
- Only pitched one package of yeast
- Kitchen was ~72F during pitch, allowed the carboy to acclimate for 3-4hrs before moving to the basement
- My basement is consistently 62-64F (a bit chill for initial fermentation my guess?)
-Opted to not move or open up carboy when extended lag was noted.

It's likely the first two.. big underpitch on a 9% brew. Oxygen pre-pitch and a 2L+ starter would have helped alot.

The temp is fine, I routinely ferment at 60 or so (ambient temp) to get the temp of the actual ferment in the ~68 range.

 

[scotchguy]

Was this a 5 gal batch?

I'm almost positive you under pitched but I have had success not using starters and using one pop pack on a 5 gal batch before. I would give it a few more days and allow the yeast to multiply in the beer...

It was/is a 5Gal batch. Thanks, I will either make a starter or double up on the smack pack next go.

big beer like that needs lots of oxygenation and a high yeast count. A large starter would have been helpful. Also an oxygen system or shaking the carboy a lot can help introduce some oxygen. also Specific gravities are generally reported as 1.XXX instead of the corresponding percentages. the percentage is based on where the beer finishes related to where it starts. so basically there is no percentage before it ferments.

I made sure to aerate the wort quite well pre-pitch, but the directions indicated just pitching the yeast on top of the wort should be sufficient. In the future, should I aerate a second time after pitching?

As for the gravity, forgive my ignorance. I have only brewed a handful of beers (though all have turned out splendid), this was the first time I actually measured OG. It was also the first time I was totally confident with my brewing. I have not read too much into measuring gravities, so far.

My limited understanding is using a hydrometer, you take the initial gravity pre-pitch. Subtract the final gravity just before bottling, and voila -- %ABV.

My hydrometer reading was 9% (9% = the potential alcohol content). Since there will be plenty of floaters (non-fermentables), I doubt the beer read 0% in the end.

The hydrometer also had another number parallel to the 9%, that number is 70. I would assume this is the number you were referring to => 1.700 or 1.070?

 

[scotchguy]

Update:

1 full week from the day of homebrew (that is 7 full days ), and the airlock is chugging and burping away wonderfully. Nearly every 3 seconds is a new yeast fart (mmmmmmm C02). The aroma is incredible; the hops are quite fragrant. I am usually a hop fiend and prefer IPAs, but this stout has more hop notes than than the 100% centennial pale ale I brewed last.

For now, this brew is going into hiding. Two weeks and we will see where she sits.