WY1098 British Ale - very slow fermentation using stir plate

[rwing7486]

Hey everyone,

I am brewing an IPA later this evening and am using WY1098 for the first time. I bought one smack pack from my LHBS which had a mfg date of 2/27/17. Being just over 2 months old and my target SG for my IPA being 1.068 I made a 1.75L starter which had a gravity of 1.038. I cooled the wort down, pitched the yeast (along with the nutrient) and placed on my stir plate with a nice vortex forming. juts over 12 hours later the vortex went away and could see the wort now being "cloudy" which is normal as this means the yeast is awake and eating the sugars. My worry is 24 hours later the vortex is still gone, but there is no krausen line. usually when i use other yeast strains you will see a krausen line / bubbles that had risen up inside the flask. the 1098 hasnt risen up any but does have a small amount of bubbles on top of the wort along with "sweating" on the neck of the flask from c02 escaping. With signs of co2 that means there is at least activity of fermentation but my concern is that there are not allot of viable yeast to being with the lethargic fermentation. This morning, 36 hours post pitching the smack pack, the vortex returned, meaning that fermentation has slowed or has finished. seeing this i proceeded to place my starter in the fridge to cold crash before i left for work.

Is this "slow / lethargic" fermentation common with WY1098? or should i have some concerns about yeast cell count from my starter?

 

[xpops]

i've personally never used WY1098, but i've had similar experiences with starters. All yeast strains are different and even with the same yeast strains, i've experienced different behaviours with the same process/batches with both starters and fermentation.

With a 1.75L starter and only 1.068, i think you're going to be ok pitching and letting it do it's thing. you may not have propagated to the levels you had anticipated (really no way to know without some serious equipment eitherway), but at least they're alive, active, and ready to ferment out your IPA!

i bet you're completely ok to pitch.

 

[rwing7486]

i've personally never used WY1098, but i've had similar experiences with starters. All yeast strains are different and even with the same yeast strains, i've experienced different behaviours with the same process/batches with both starters and fermentation.

With a 1.75L starter and only 1.068, i think you're going to be ok pitching and letting it do it's thing. you may not have propagated to the levels you had anticipated (really no way to know without some serious equipment eitherway), but at least they're alive, active, and ready to ferment out your IPA!

i bet you're completely ok to pitch.

We will find out in the next few days

 

[rwing7486]

Beer took off sometime between 12 and 24 hours after pitching the starter. The airlock has been going crazy the past 2 days so i assume all if well in the yeast kingdom

 

[xpops]

great to hear!

 

[Dcpcooks]

Last time I used 1098 it took off like a beast and finished in 10 days. IPA @ 1.070 no starter. 3 fresh packs in a 1/2 bbl batch. You'll be fine with a starter.