Day 3 - Very Little Activity

Ok I'm hoping someone can help me understand what's wrong with my process...

On Saturday I pulled off my first flawless all-grain batch... Measurements were perfect, gravity readings were spot on, everything. It was an Irish red ale, starting gravity of 1.052.

About two hours later I pulled, decanted and pitched a 2L starter of White Labs Irish Ale Yeast, put my brew bucket in my ferm chamber and dialed in my BrewPi to get it and keep it at 66F.

Today is day 3 and this is what I'm looking at... Very little evidence of activity... The light krausen ring almost looks like what you'd see when it's finished:

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1468366750.765516.jpg

A couple factors I'm wondering if it is delaying active fermentation or if it hurt the viability of the yeast..?

- I didn't have a ton of time so I pulled the starter from the fridge, decanted, and let it warm for about 30 mins. It was still a little cool so I ran the outside of the starter vessel under some warm water to get it warmer. Then I pitched.

- I was only able to chill the wort to about 74F and pitched at that temp. The chamber cooled it the rest of the way to 66F in about 8 hours. It's been at 66F since then.

- I have it in a 6.5 gallon bucket (brand new, the seals are tight) and the wort is right at the 5 gallon mark... Maybe the headspace is just holding the CO2 and I keep letting it out when I check for progress?

Should I just keep trying to RDWHAHB or pitch more yeast? Will I wake up in the AM and it'll be bubbling nicely? Should I take a sample and measure the gravity and maybe it's done already?

I don't want this batch to go to waste... And I want to avoid opening the lid for a third time...

This batch will be great assuming those yeasties wake up and do their thing...

 

Have you checked the gravity to see if it's made progress? Next time I would stick your fermenter in the fridge to cool to fermentation temp prior to pitching. I do it all the time. If your sanitizing practices are good you shouldn't get an infection.

 

Seal that baby up! Wait another 7-11 days without opening it, then take a gravity reading. Many of mine will look like that in 3 days, though most take a little longer.

I don't see anything wrong in your process other than pitching a little warm. That may have sped up the fermentation a little. Unless the wort got warmer before the chamber was able to lower it there should be no problem.

In the future let the chamber cool the wort, then pitch the yeast, even if it is the next day.

 

It may well be done with active fermentation already. Take a gravity reading and RDWHAHB.

 

I'm trying to R and DW (I've HAHB plenty)... Thanks guys I'll take a gravity reading I a week and keep an eye on my BrewPi in the meantime...

 

See I've always been so uncomfortable doing that but I'm positive my sanitation practices are really good... Not a single infection in over 6 years of brewing... I get that wort in the bucket and feel like I have to immediately pitch or things could go south.

If you guys have been doing it successfully that's good to know. I'll do that next time.

 

I've had mine sit for 18 hours before pitching and no infection. Obviously the sooner you can pitch the better, but you'll be ok. In Texas I can usually get my wort down to 80F during summer and then I let the fridge do the rest of the work. I figure I would rather pitch cool than pitch warm so it's worth the wait.

 

Still no activity in the airlock... I'm RDWHAHB-ing....

 

Remember that the airlock activity doesn't really tell you anything. It can still be working away in there just fine give it a little bit of time and take gravity readings.

 

Measured gravity, 1.012... All is well in the world.