First brew attempt, fermentation at 24 hours
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SDCraftBeer
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What yeast comes in the kit? What temperature is it fermenting at? Fermentation is a weird thing...looks pretty normal to me but 24 hours does seem a bit early.
What temp in the room?
uphillbrewer
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Is that all trub at the bottom, or is it yeast?
Be patient. BBS Everyday IPA was my first brew- I did just about everything wrong (the instructions stink like most kits), and it still made beer. It can take a day or two to show visible signs of fermentation (bubbles, etc). Keep that blowoff tube on there so yous don't end up with a mess.
uphillbrewer
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Are there any bubbles or movement at this point?
Owly055
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What do you mean by "starting over"?? .... repitching the yeast, or flushing the works and starting over?
H.W.
I had a brew that on day 3 was pretty silent. Just swish the bottle around for about 5 seconds and let it sit again for a few days... your container looks like a lot of trub IMHO though... what recipe did you follow or what were you attempting?
Good luck!
uphillbrewer
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Let it ride. We've all had a brew that takes a bit longer than normal to start fermenting. It usually works out well in the end. See what happens, it'll probably start soon.
I used the one that came with the kit. No idea how old tge yeast is. And given the amount of trub in this very small batch (1 gallon). I'm going to give it another day or so but will probably chalk this up to learning experience and try with new ingredients.
_-M-_
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Wow. I think i may be thinking along the same lines as uphillbrewer here.
Can I ask a few questions, just so we can get a little bit more info about what we're looking at?
Are you sure that's actually all trub? Did you strain out your grains during your sparge following your mash, and strain again when moving to the primary, or did you leave them in and transfer them, too? Has the thickness of that bottom sludgy layer instead increased since you first transferred it to your primary?
Do you know what kind of yeast your kit included?
If you did strain and what went into your primary was mostly wort and not just everything that was in your brew pot, then what you have there looks like that may be active happy lager yeast. Lager yeast is bottom fermenting, not top fermenting, and likes cooler temperatures, so should be quite happy and productive in the mid-sixties.
Since you're using a drain tube instead of an airlock you don't have quite as easy a visual check to see if you've actually got out-gassing (e.g. the CO2 byproduct of happy yeast buddies doing their job) occurring by being able to see your airlock working. Bubbles from fermentation tend to be tiny, so they can be a little hard to spot sometimes.
Can I ask a few questions, just so we can get a little bit more info about what we're looking at?
Are you sure that's actually all trub? Did you strain out your grains during your sparge following your mash, and strain again when moving to the primary, or did you leave them in and transfer them, too? Has the thickness of that bottom sludgy layer instead increased since you first transferred it to your primary?
Do you know what kind of yeast your kit included?
If you did strain and what went into your primary was mostly wort and not just everything that was in your brew pot, then what you have there looks like that may be active happy lager yeast. Lager yeast is bottom fermenting, not top fermenting, and likes cooler temperatures, so should be quite happy and productive in the mid-sixties.
Since you're using a drain tube instead of an airlock you don't have quite as easy a visual check to see if you've actually got out-gassing (e.g. the CO2 byproduct of happy yeast buddies doing their job) occurring by being able to see your airlock working. Bubbles from fermentation tend to be tiny, so they can be a little hard to spot sometimes.
I don't know if it is all trub, I don't know what the yeast is. It is an ipa, so I'm guessing ale? I don't think it said what kind of yeast. I strained the sparge before the boil. But did not strain before putting in the carboy. Should I move it to a closet upstairs? Probably a little warmer than the basement.
_-M-_
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For an IPA you'd normally have Ale Yeast, yes. But, weird things happen sometimes and there's a (probably small) chance somebody grabbed the wrong yeast packet when putting stuff in the kit. (and IPLs do exist. 
)
Your trub does resemble what I'd expect if your yeast had been productive and then settled. There's just a more there than I'd expect to see. But, maybe that's because I'm used to 5 gallon batches in a larger primary. And, it looks like you have particulate on the glass above the level of your wort which suggests you've had activity that went up and came back down again.
Do you recall if the top of your primary was initially clean when you filled it?
Do you know if you had any bubbles or discharge from your blow off tube into your pot during your first 24 hours? (If you did submerge the end of your blow off tube, your pot is basically acting as a big air lock.)
(I know you didn't spend the entire time watching it. I'm just wondering if you happened to spot any if you did check during that time.
Perhaps you had a really fast initial ferment and, hopefully, we should now be able to correctly call it beer...
Every batch is a little different, and the hardest part is the waiting.
I don't suppose you have a hydrometer? (Doesn't look like your kit included, or even mentioned one.)
)Your trub does resemble what I'd expect if your yeast had been productive and then settled. There's just a more there than I'd expect to see. But, maybe that's because I'm used to 5 gallon batches in a larger primary. And, it looks like you have particulate on the glass above the level of your wort which suggests you've had activity that went up and came back down again.
Do you recall if the top of your primary was initially clean when you filled it?
Do you know if you had any bubbles or discharge from your blow off tube into your pot during your first 24 hours? (If you did submerge the end of your blow off tube, your pot is basically acting as a big air lock.)
(I know you didn't spend the entire time watching it. I'm just wondering if you happened to spot any if you did check during that time.
Perhaps you had a really fast initial ferment and, hopefully, we should now be able to correctly call it beer...
Every batch is a little different, and the hardest part is the waiting.
I don't suppose you have a hydrometer? (Doesn't look like your kit included, or even mentioned one.)
I did clean it, but the recipe called for me to shake it. I noticed the particulates above the line as well. I don't recall noticing any bubbles or discharge. I don't have a hydrometer. But I am going to replace the blow off tube with a airlock tonight. Hopefully that will provide me with some feedback.
I started out with doing BBS kits. In fact, I have done 3 of them (summer wheat, warrior IPA and grapefruit honey ale) and none of them looked like that. That looks like way too much yeast cake at the bottom to me. The only thing I can think of is that you pitched the entire package, not the 1/2 pack that the kits call for.
IIRC, most of the kits come with Safale US-05. Mid 60's is in the range of that yeast, but each of mine had active fermenting via a blow off for 2-3 days (I was fermenting at around 72, which was a bit high).
My suggestion is to let it ride. I am sure it is fermenting, so give it two weeks and take a gravity reading. It looks like you may finish with less than 9 beers, but that's OK, you should be learning the process with the BBS kits. Other than the high yeast cake, yours looks exactly like the IPA one gallon batch I did (not a BBS kit, but same thing basically from my LHBS).
Pro tip: If you choose to use honey as a priming sugar, use less than the BBS kit suggests. I usually used a bit more than 2 tbsp and had good results. When I used 3, I got a batch of gushers.
EDIT: I went back and re-read the entire thread and thought I should add a bit more info. The BBS kits come with ale yeast. I do not think they have a lager yeast, but you can email them and I am sure they will respond to you. Second, after looking at the picture again, I am fairly sure you pitched the entire package. Not a big deal, but what may have happened is that a bunch of the yeast dropped out of suspension, which is why it is now at the bottom. My suggestion is that you put on the airlock and leave it be for 2 weeks. Then, take a reading using a hydrometer. To save as much beer as possible, use the tube the hydrometer is packaged in as the graduated cylinder.
IIRC, most of the kits come with Safale US-05. Mid 60's is in the range of that yeast, but each of mine had active fermenting via a blow off for 2-3 days (I was fermenting at around 72, which was a bit high).
My suggestion is to let it ride. I am sure it is fermenting, so give it two weeks and take a gravity reading. It looks like you may finish with less than 9 beers, but that's OK, you should be learning the process with the BBS kits. Other than the high yeast cake, yours looks exactly like the IPA one gallon batch I did (not a BBS kit, but same thing basically from my LHBS).
Pro tip: If you choose to use honey as a priming sugar, use less than the BBS kit suggests. I usually used a bit more than 2 tbsp and had good results. When I used 3, I got a batch of gushers.
EDIT: I went back and re-read the entire thread and thought I should add a bit more info. The BBS kits come with ale yeast. I do not think they have a lager yeast, but you can email them and I am sure they will respond to you. Second, after looking at the picture again, I am fairly sure you pitched the entire package. Not a big deal, but what may have happened is that a bunch of the yeast dropped out of suspension, which is why it is now at the bottom. My suggestion is that you put on the airlock and leave it be for 2 weeks. Then, take a reading using a hydrometer. To save as much beer as possible, use the tube the hydrometer is packaged in as the graduated cylinder.
So I put the airlock on, no major bubbling, a few small bubbles. Also tube was pretty cleanclean a little discoloring/opaque on the end that was in the carboy. I reread the instructions and says to pitch the whole packet, but not to hydrate it.
I'm not sure that rehydrating dry yeast is always necessary, but I do know most advise it as they'll lose many yeast cells otherwise.
It seems as though you'll need a hydrometer, turkey baster, and hydrometer test tube (I've read that the tube the hydrometer comes in may work) to check the gravity after 3 weeks or so to see if it's done, if not sooner just to see.
It seems as though you'll need a hydrometer, turkey baster, and hydrometer test tube (I've read that the tube the hydrometer comes in may work) to check the gravity after 3 weeks or so to see if it's done, if not sooner just to see.
A few small bubbles is a good sign. See what happens....
I don't think the thick layer is yeast on the bottom-- The thick layer looks like break material and hops sludge because of the greenish color. From my yeast washing experiences if anything is yeast it is the thin line on top of that layer. The break material/hops sludge won't go away, but it should compact over time. You may want to cold crash prior to bottling to help clear things.
I also don't think pitching the whole packet of yeast isn't a huge deal. In the first stages of fermentation the yeast multiplies. You just had a higher cell count to start with. Be patient.
And whatever you do, don't toss it. You've done a majority of the work and have nothing to lose at this point. Unless you killed the yeast by pitching before cooling or something it should go at some point. You could also go to your local home brew store, buy some S-05 and pitch that if you have reason to believe your yeast is toast.
You are correct, it was my mistake. I forgot that BBS basically repackages the yeast to smaller quantities. All of my small batches had small bubbles or no visible bubbles after the first few days. I would let it be and see what happens. Pitching additional yeast at this point may not accomplish anything beneficial. For reference, below are a couple of pictures of what my small batches looked like.
Bottling day is certainly not a glorious day. It usually looks fairly nasty. The smell? Hmmm… I can't say I've had one that smelled nasty though.
I guess you'll see in a month or so… But even if it's not quite right time may help it so don't dump it. Try one every week or two, and maybe even a more extended time inn the fridge may be helpful too.
I guess you'll see in a month or so… But even if it's not quite right time may help it so don't dump it. Try one every week or two, and maybe even a more extended time inn the fridge may be helpful too.
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