No fermentation

I have a problem, here's my story.

I boiled an old can of John Bull Amber Hopped and 1.5 lbs Muntons malt extract in 1.5 gal of water, adding hops at 15, 30 and 40 minutes of a 45-minute boil period. Strained into a carboy containing 3.5 gals water.

Specific Gravity at 70 degrees measured 1.040 for an actual SG of 1.044.

I pitched the yeast when the wort chilled to 75 degrees.

That was four days ago; after several vigorous shakings of the carboy, there is no sign of fermentation. I called my local shop (which specializes in wine, thus the old--and I mean old, as in bulging, can of John Bull) and he said I should stop by and get some yeast starter, but I should do it soon. But I commute and I can't visit the store until Saturday, six days after the boil.

Should I abandon and start all over? Both the color of the wort (very dark) and the aroma/taste (caramelly/coffee) tell me I am not going to like this brew even it I can somehow resurrect it. I like bright, hoppy beers (i.e., Sierra Nevada).

I appreciate any guidance you all can offer.

check your gravity again with a sanatized hydrometer. Since you've already shaken it a lot, I would repitch with some dry yeast like danstar nottingham if the gravity hasn't changed. I've had a few ferment out overnight or had a leak in the gromet around the airlock or lid that showed no signs of fermentation and turned out fine. Don't just go by airlock activity.

I'd leave it alone. Chances are you're just fine. To be sure, you can take a gravity reading and see if it's going down. In the event that it's not, just add a package of dry yeast.

I'm having the same issue, I have one in a primary for 1 week today, and one in a seconday 1 week today. My brew in my primary has stopped bubbling completely, and my brew in the secondary bubbles once in a while. I used wyeast midwest on the one in the secondary, and wyeast denny's fav 50 on the other in the primary. Temp sits around 70. I'm a noob so don't have any advice to give, but willing to learn. Is this common or should I do something?

If you haven't taken a gravity reading then you don't know you don't have fermentation...Sounds like you're caring more about your airlock bubbling than your beer actually fermenting.

Airlock activity is irrevelent. Just gravity points on a hydrometer.
Airlock bubbling (or lack) and fermentation are not the same thing. You have to separate that from your mindset. Airlock bubbling can be a sign of fermentation, but not a good one, because the airlock will often blip or not blip for various other reasons...so it is a tenuous connection at best.

If your airlock was bubbling and stopped---It doesn't mean fermentation has stopped.

If you airlock isn't bubbling, it doesn't mean your fermentation hasn't started....

If your airlock starts bubbling, it really doesn't matter.

If your airlock NEVER bubbles, it doesn't mean anything is wrong or right.

Your airlock is not a fermentation gauge, it is a VALVE to release excess co2. If it bubbles it is because it needs to, if it doesn't, it just means it doesn't need too...


Your HYDROMETER is the only BEST indicator of fermentation activity. Nothing else is accurate or consistent...

Unless you take a gravity reading you don't know what's really going on, not by airlock bubbling or by krausen formation. Neither of those signs are effective, they don't tell you exactly where on the fermentation process you are.

The amount of krausen can vary for whatever reason, it can come quick and depart quickly or it can linger long after fermentation is complete, and it all be normal.

And airlocks sometimes bubble or they don't. And airlock is a valve, a vent to release excess co2...NOT a fermentation gauge. It's important to make that distinction, or you'll be panicking everytime a an airlock doesn't bubble, or stops bubbling.

Fermentation is not always "dynamic," just because you don't SEE anything happening, doesn't mean that any-thing's wrong,, and also doesn't mean that the yeast are still not working diligently away, doing what they've been doing for over 4,000 years.

That's why you need to take a gravity reading to know how your fermentation is going, NOT go by airlocks, or size of krausen, or a calendar, the horoscope or the phases of the moon (those things in my mind are equally accurate).

The most important tool you can use is a hydrometer. It's the only way you will truly know when your beer is ready...airlock bubbles and other things are faulty.

The only way to truly know what is going on in your fermenter is with your hydrometer. Like I said here in my blog, which I encourage you to read, Think evaluation before action you sure as HELL wouldn't want a doctor to start cutting on you unless he used the proper diagnostic instuments like x-rays first, right? You wouldn't want him to just take a look in your eyes briefly and say "I'm cutting into your chest first thing in the morning." You would want them to use the right diagnostic tools before the slice and dice, right? You'd cry malpractice, I would hope, if they didn't say they were sending you for an MRI and other things before going in....

Fast fermentations/slow fermentations/big krausens/small krausens/bubbles starting and stopping, in the long run is really irrevelent....just that you have fermentation. Yeast don't normal normally die/stop fermenting/get tired, that's a premise new brewers believe, but it's not the truth. Yeast have been doing this for 4,000 years, and know how to ferment the beer, they WANT to ferment the beer, it's their entire purpose in life is to eat sugar, peer alcohol and fart co2 (along with some major screwing during the reproductive phase) especially modern 21st century yeast.

All those other things are really just superficial to the purpose at hand, if your yeast took off, unless you let the temp go down near 50, your yeast is still working happily away, despite what the supreficial signs like airlock may indicate.

Day seven after pitching the yeast, my specific gravity is unchanged at 1.044.

are you sure your hydrometor reading is correct?

deejdubya said:

Day seven after pitching the yeast, my specific gravity is unchanged at 1.044.

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Let's face it, your old yeast is just that, dead old yeast. As long as your sanitation was good, it can sit until you can get some fresh yeast in there to do it's job. If you skimped on the sanitation you could have a problem but you will not know until later on. So as long as you do not see any signs of life in the carboy, relax and just pitch more yeast when you can.

I was planning to bottle a porter today. I had my bottles all sanitized and ready. The porter had a month in primary/secondary so I just assumed it was ready. So I take a hydrometer reading and it is stuck at 1.030! So I just said wtf! and transfered it to another secondary so I could harvest the yeast off the bottom. I don't have this burton ale yeast in my bank so I am useing the yeast cake to make a new starter to jump start my fermentation again. Since I was careful with my sanitation, and I already have a decent amount of alcohol in the beer, I am not concerned about it sitting a couple more days until my starter grows enough to pitch. A couple more weeks will just make the beer better. So think of this as benifitial ageing of your beer.

deejdubya said:

Day seven after pitching the yeast, my specific gravity is unchanged at 1.044.

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Ha ha, that couldn't be any funnier after Revvy's tired old diatribe on airlock activity not being a gauge of fermentation. I agree with it not being a negative indicator, but it sure can be a positive one. My airlocks are currently bubbling away like clappers. I better take a gravity reading as some cows may have climbed into my FVs and are currently farting, thus giving me a false positive.

Homebrewtruth said:

Ha ha, that couldn't be any funnier after Revvy's tired old diatribe on airlock activity not being a gauge of fermentation. I agree with it not being a negative indicator, but it sure can be a positive one. My airlocks are currently bubbling away like clappers. I better take a gravity reading as some cows may have climbed into my FVs and are currently farting, thus giving me a false positive.

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lol

the tectonic plates have shifted, raising my sea level by 4000ft, better check my OG as my airlock is probably lying to me.

deejdubya said:

I have a problem, here's my story.

I called my local shop (which specializes in wine, thus the old--and I mean old, as in bulging, can of John Bull) and he said I should stop by and get some yeast starter, but I should do it soon. But I commute and I can't visit the store until Saturday, six days after the boil.

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Not sure where your local shop is but it might try Maltose Express on Rt. 25 in Monroe, CT. It's not too far from Westport and they have a knowledgeable staff and a great yeast selection. Might be worth the ride for some yeast if you really want to save this beer.

MrManifesto said:

lol

the tectonic plates have shifted, raising my sea level by 4000ft, better check my OG as my airlock is probably lying to me.

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Ha ha, nice. But on a serious note, if you're new to the wonderful craft of home brewing, and you're currently confused because you've read that your beer may not be fermenting even though more CO2 is going through your airlock than is produced by the population of China, I can reassure you that it is - bar a dramatic change in atmospheric pressure or a significant change in wort temperature. And of course, the cow theory also (ok, maybe not all that serious).