Not fermenting yet and high OG...more yeast?

[jowilant]

Background:

- Imperial IPA recipe. Recipe called for 6 gallons of water for the batch, but I only used 5 gallons due to my equipment restraints and adjusted the recipe accordingly as best I could. However, after tasting my wort following cooling and before pitching yeast, I was very surprised at how sweet it tasted. While I'm not used to tasting beer at this stage and not exactly sure what to expect, it was incredibly sweet. Therefore, I am afraid that my adjustments did not account very well for the smaller volume (5 gallons instead of 6). Taking my original gravity confirmed my high sugar concerns - 1.095 og.

- However, I went ahead and pitched the yeast. It was a liquid California Ale yeast. Unfortunately, I did not do a starter with it ahead of time, and in retrospect I think this would have been prudent, especially considering how high my OG is. So, my batch has been in my 7.5 gallon carboy for about 15 hours now and I haven't seen any activity - no foam, no bubbling. The temp. in my carboy seems to be pretty steady at 66 to 68 degrees.

*I am fairly certain that there was not contamination along the way.

1. Should I be worried?
2. Should I add more water at this point in time to bring my OG down to a more reasonable level?
3. Should I pitch more yeast to help out with the high OG?

Any advice here would be appreciated. I don't want to lose this batch. Suggestions? Thanks in advance...

 

[cravej]

I would suggest leaving it alone for a few more days. It tasted sweet, because it is full of sugar, but the yeast will convert those sugars to alcohol. Give it time.

 

[Six_O_Turbo]

1. Probably not. With that high of an OG, you have underpitched by quite a bit, so it is going to take longer for the yeast to take off.

2. You could do that without harm as long as you add water thats pretty much the same temp. but it won't really help the yeast.

3. This wouldn't be a bad idea if you have another vial of Cal. Ale handy. Maybe even two vials with that big of a beer.

Whatever you choose to do, it will probably all work out ok, although it may not attenuate completely with that severe of an underpitch. The stressed yeast often throw some esters, but you may not notice them in a IIPA.

 

[rjwhite41]

A starter would have been a very good idea but I wouldn't be worried at this point. The yeast will need to reproduce a lot before it begins actually fermenting your giant wort. Maintain the temp and give it another couple of days. Re-post if you still think there is a problem (at which point you will be told to take a gravity reading).

 

[COLObrewer]

1. Should I be worried?
2. Should I add more water at this point in time to bring my OG down to a more reasonable level?
3. Should I pitch more yeast to help out with the high OG?

Any advice here would be appreciated. I don't want to lose this batch. Suggestions? Thanks in advance...

1. No, you are correct that a starter should have been made, it will take some time for your yeasties to create a few billion more friends to tackle the job. Up to 4 days possibly.

2. I wouldn't, it won't make that much difference and your yeast are gearing up/adapting for the current gravity, if you decrease the gravity, they will have to shift gears and re-adapt, this will take more time.

3. Not necessary unless you are in a hurry. In my opinion.

Disclaimer: This is all assuming that you pitched at the correct temperature and that your sanitary practices are sound.

Keep on brewing my friend

 

[jowilant]

Great. Thanks for the responses. Sometimes you just need someone to tell you to be patient...

If I would really like to achieve a high alcohol content with this beer (and I obviously have the sugars to accomplish this with an OG of 1.095) so would it hurt to go ahead and pitch more Cal. Ale at this point in time? Is there an effective way to determine how much more yeast to add without over doing it? I would imagine the only risk would be a beer that is very yeasty tasting. Is that the only risk? And if so, is there a good way to determine how much would be too much yeast to add at this point in time?

Thanks...

 

[Beer_Guy]

Adding one more vial is nowhere near over pitching. In fact with a 1.095 OG and no starter, I would do so.

 

[COLObrewer]

Pitching rate calculator:

http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

It says the proper rate is 3.3 vials.

 

[jowilant]

If I am hearing correctly so far, I don't have a whole lot to worry about. Just need to be patient. I have underpitched pretty significantly, but it sounds as if time is all that I need now to correct that. Therefore, if all you need to do is wait it out if you underpitch, other than taking longer to get going, are there any other negatives to underpitching? Assuming that my yeast get going at some point in time and are able to do their job, will underpitching effect my taste at all or any other aspects of the brew?

 

[jowilant]

So, according to this pitching rate calculator (http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html), without a starter for my yeast, I should have added three vials of Cal. Ale yeast. Should I go ahead and add two more at this point in time, or wait to see if what I did add is able to catch up on its own?

Thanks....

 

[Beer_Guy]

So, according to this pitching rate calculator (http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html), without a starter for my yeast, I should have added three vials of Cal. Ale yeast. Should I go ahead and add two more at this point in time, or wait to see if what I did add is able to catch up on its own?

Thanks....

Since the first vial has had some time to work like a starter, I stick with my other post. However, of course, your call.

Adding one more vial is nowhere near over pitching. In fact with a 1.095 OG and no starter, I would do so.

 

[COLObrewer]

So, according to this pitching rate calculator (http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html), without a starter for my yeast, I should have added three vials of Cal. Ale yeast. Should I go ahead and add two more at this point in time, or wait to see if what I did add is able to catch up on its own?

Thanks....

It should be fine to add them at this point. Kinda depends how long it has been, was this brewed yesterday? Today? Last week?

To your previous question: Probably no noticeable flavor difference with an IPA, stressed yeast can cause additional esters to be produced.

 

[jowilant]

I brewed this batch yesterday. Pitched it around 4:00 pm on new years day. I would imagine that the rule of thumb is not to add more yeast after activity with the yeast has already begun? Is that right?

Just out of curiosity, would it hurt to add a different kind of yeast? I do not know much about yeast at all. How might that effect things? I'm not planning on doing this, but just curious about how different kinds of yeast interact with each other.

 

[rjwhite41]

It's up to you what you want to do. You can get a whole host of flavors from underpitching but it will still probably be ok. I think the biggest problem you currently have is the possibility of a stuck fermentation. If you feel like it you could pitch another vial or two. I would probably add another vial to it at this point.

 

[jowilant]

So, I just got home and checked on my fermentation and was very happy to see a large frothy head of foam and vigorous bubbling in my airlock. The yeast have taken hold. Patience is of the essence, eh?

But, I'm still curious to learn more about high alcohol/high gravity beer and how to best achieve this. With an OG of 1.095 I would expect that I can achieve very high alcohol content if I pitched my yeast correctly. Is creating a starter yeast with the appropriate amount of yeast the best/only way to really achieve high alcohol content? When I say high I would love to achieve 9 to 12%. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks again for all of the great responses to my original questions.

Cheers!

jb

 

[jowilant]

btw...just cracked open an Odell Double Black IPA in celebration of the fermentation taking!

Cheers!

 

[COLObrewer]

So, I just got home and checked on my fermentation and was very happy to see a large frothy head of foam and vigorous bubbling in my airlock. The yeast have taken hold. Patience is of the essence, eh?

Yes, congratulations your yeast sound to be healthy and intelligent, as if they knew exactly what to do.

But, I'm still curious to learn more about high alcohol/high gravity beer and how to best achieve this. With an OG of 1.095 I would expect that I can achieve very high alcohol content if I pitched my yeast correctly. Is creating a starter yeast with the appropriate amount of yeast the best/only way to really achieve high alcohol content? When I say high I would love to achieve 9 to 12%. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks again for all of the great responses to my original questions.

Cheers!

jb

9-12% should not be a problem for most ale yeast (You might check the strain specs), you just need to have the correct amount of fermentable sugar, the correct quantity of yeast, and it helps to aerate the bejeesus out of your wort prior to pitching (After it's cooled only please). The yeast will perform if you do your part.

Keep on brewing my friend