12 hrs..no activity!

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trainz71

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So I smacked the smack pack about 10-12 hrs before pitch time....it never actually swole up like it should have...maybe halfway...I took a chance and pitched it anyway...after 12 hrs..no activity whatsoever....its a wyeast american ale II....and a partial extract kit Irish Red Ale...OG was 1.040....looks and smells great...its getting that yeast cake forming on the bottom though like it should....just no churning happening yet...maybe I'm jumping the gun....what do u guys think?....thanks, JT
 
If the smack pack swole up, you have live yeast. It may not be as viable as desired, but your beer will be fine.

RDWHAHB
 
also, I forgot to mention, I have a few extra packs of dry ale yeast that I could use if activity doesnt start soon....would it be ok to pitch these if nothing pans out in the next 12-24 hrs??......thanks again, JT
 
I used to get stressed waiting for the fermentation to start. I eventually gained the insight off this forum to make starters. I haven't had any stuck fermentation since. Another important part is shaking the carboy to aerate it so the yeast have plenty of oxygen to work with. It can take 24 hours but It's always nice to see it in 12. If it doesn't start after 24 you might consider picking up some new yeast aerate the wort and pitch the new yeast. I wouldn't preach the starter thing if it hadn't really been a big improvement in my brewing. You know your yeast is doing well in advance in your starter and the larger amount of yeast you pitch gets things fermenting quicker. I'm still relatively new to brewing but think I'm giving some ok insight on this. I wish you the best on your brew. I hope it works out just fine just in a bit more time:) Virginia Wolf
 
Wait 3 days from original pitch and take a gravity reading... If it is lower than the OG your yeast are working. If it only swelled up half way then you may only have half the yeast so be patient and let those surviving yeast hook up and produce you more yeast so they can get drunk and pass out while pissing out alcohol... just wait
 
Keep waiting... It can take up to 72 hours to start. Don't rely on airlock activity. You don't know if the CO2 is escaping elsewhere. If nothing's going on after three days, come back here for advice.

I'd look into starters like Virginia said too.
 
hey thanks guys, I norm just use starters for anything over like 1.060 or so...guess i should start doing starters for all batches....alot of times i brew at the spur of the moment...b/c of my work....and dont have time for a starter...any ideas?...thanks for the help...gonna wait another day or so and see what happens...
 
I just used dry yeast for the first time (Safale US-05) and worried my ass off because of the 12 hour lag time vs using a starter (which is roughly 4-8 hours) but everything is aye OK. :)
 
Why did I think it's 24 hours? I'm about to go look in my book:)
Ok I just read Joy of Home Brewing page 126 it says, "Once yeast is added signs of fermentation will be noticed within 24 hours, and usually within 36 hours there is a massive amount of activity as the yeast activity churns a rich foamy head (called krausen). I had to double check myself:) Anyway that's where I got my 24 hrs from but It fades towards the 72hrs as well:) I'm glad I got on here I just went and transferred into secondary tastes good:) Here's a pic.
ada2f09a.jpg
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I also wanted to correct myself on the temps. You can ferment ale strains down to around 60 from what I understand. The Cream Ale I'm going to do in the next few days is a lager/ale yeast so I need to keep it on the colder side from what I'm hearing.
 
24 hrs later now....not one sign of life...at all! no krausen...no churning....no airlock activity....all my previous brews had activity no later than 24 hrs...im thinking i need to do sumthin here...or its not gonna make it....Brew is a Irish Red Ale ...Wyeast American Ale II...OG 1.040.....ferm temp is 67 degrees...
 
24 hours is not enough time. I would give it another day or two. If it is still silent then do something.
 
1 day is not enough time to even begin to worry....after 72 hours is when you take a gravity reading and see what's going on. It's quite common for yeast to take 2-3 days to get going, it's called lag time.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/fermentation-can-take-24-72-hrs-show-visible-signs-43635/, and by visible signs we don't necessarily mean a bubbling airlock. it means gravity reading

It IS a sticky at the top of the beginners forum for a reason, afterall. ;)


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.

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). :rolleyes:

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....

So wait til you hit the 72 hour mark THEN take a gravity reading. I predict that like 99.5% of ALL the threads like this, you will have a drop in gravity indicating fermentation is happening.

:mug:
 
ok then, now....so if after 72 hrs still nothing, then only other option is to pitch additional yeast, correct?...if yes, then does it matter what kind....I have dry yeast, and another smack pack(wyeast 1056) I could use...if not, then what else is there left to do... thanks very much for your help guys....JT
 
trainz71 said:
ok then, now....so if after 72 hrs still nothing, then only other option is to pitch additional yeast, correct?...if yes, then does it matter what kind....I have dry yeast, and another smack pack(wyeast 1056) I could use...if not, then what else is there left to do... thanks very much for your help guys....JT
Click to expand...

No the only option is to take a hydrometer reading. THEN you'll know whether or not you should pitch more yeast.
 
ok, gotcha....if the gravity hasnt changed.....THEN its time to pitch....and I could use either of the yeast??
 
yes for at least 5 mins.....If nothing is happening at 54...i doubt anything is gonna happen at 72....especially now that I just took a gravity reading....it hasnt moved an inch....OG was 1.040....it is still at 1.040.....all the brews over the years...never had one take this long...lol...starting to think now that when the yeast arrived by FedEx...it was it the late afternoon...it had been on the guys truck all day...it has been 100 degress plus in my area almost everyday for near a week now....and inside the back of his truck, I have no doubt it was prob 120 or better...as only the cab has a/c...anyway...devising a plan now to repitch in the next day....thoughts? thanks again....JT...
 
yes for at least 5 mins.....If nothing is happening at 54...i doubt anything is gonna happen at 72....especially now that I just took a gravity reading....it hasnt moved an inch....OG was 1.040....it is still at 1.040.....all the brews over the years...never had one take this long...lol...starting to think now that when the yeast arrived by FedEx...it was it the late afternoon...it had been on the guys truck all day...it has been 100 degress plus in my area almost everyday for near a week now....and inside the back of his truck, I have no doubt it was prob 120 or better...as only the cab has a/c...anyway...devising a plan now to repitch in the next day....thoughts? thanks again....JT...
 
BIGREDIOWAN, Do you mix yeasts like this often? I've mixed different ales yeasts together but never mixed an ale and a lager together. Is this a common practice? It's got me thinking if different strains co exist and what not. If so it could be the best of both worlds maybe. The lager and ale charcteristics combined. I'd like to hear more about this if you have the time to respond I'd be digging it. I'm letting some yeast vials warm up right now and sanitizing some gallon jugs and reading about brewing. I have to stop soon cause were gonna rock today:) I'll make the starters in a few hours:)
 
ok so now its been 78 hrs....and STILL no sign of any active fermentation going on...gravity is still 1.040...same as at pitch time...no churning in the carboy...no krausen...no airlock activity....really worried about an infection occurring if i let it sit like this much longer....it looks like a flat tea....no bubbles anywhere...i made a starter with a wyeast 1056 smack pack about 24 hrs ago...it is actively fermenting very well....i'm thinking i need to make a move soon guys...so what are your thoughts?....the original yeast was wyeast american ale II....what are the concerns about mixing different strains?....infection thoughts?....timeline on the starter?.....thanks very much....JT
 
ok so now its been 78 hrs....and STILL no sign of any active fermentation going on...gravity is still 1.040...same as at pitch time...no churning in the carboy...no krausen...no airlock activity....really worried about an infection occurring if i let it sit like this much longer....it looks like a flat tea....no bubbles anywhere...i made a starter with a wyeast 1056 smack pack about 24 hrs ago...it is actively fermenting very well....i'm thinking i need to make a move soon guys...so what are your thoughts?....the original yeast was wyeast american ale II....what are the concerns about mixing different strains?....infection thoughts?....timeline on the starter?.....thanks very much....JT
 
Guess the yeast figured they'd toyed with me long enough...the inevitable has finally happened.....after 84hrs....a very thin layer of kruasen started to form, about the thickness of a sheet of paper....now today at 12 noon, after 96 hrs the krausen is approx 1 inch thick, airlock bubbling away about every second or two....I held out 1 extra day before pitching that starter that I made....glad I did now...things are looking up at this point for the batch....hope that 4 days of sitting hasnt caused any problems with it...thoughts?....guess I could decant that starter and stick it in the fridge and use it for the next batch, correct?....the bigger question to me now...is why do you guys think it took 4 days?....never had one take that long....looking forward to your answers....thanks again very much.........JT
 
trainz71 said:
the bigger question to me now...is why do you guys think it took 4 days?....never had one take that long....looking forward to your answers....thanks again very much.........JT
Click to expand...

Yeah 4 days seems like a long time for sure but the yeast know what they are doing. They don't operate on man-made schedules or calendars...

Glad to hear it seems to be working out for you. Cheers! :mug:
 
I don't know but congratulations. I've never waited that long. I always thought it should show signs in 24 hrs. From what others are saying it can take 3 days and in your case 4 so this is teaching me as usual. I guess you can brew another batch and use the starter you made for it. Cheers!!! I'll check back for sure to hear how it turns out.
Best of Luck,
Virginia Wolf
 
The longest I ever had for fermentation to start was about 36 hours and the fastest was under 4, that being my last batch. Usually I see activity in about 12-16 hours though.

Having said that, I *never* use Wyeast or other liquid yeast products anymore as anytime I've ever had issues with fermentation, it's been with Wyeast products. You get much more variety of yeast strains with Wyeast than with Safale or other dry yeasts, but I find dry yeast to be far more reliable...and cheaper.
 
I thought of you as I brewed today Revvy. I had one starter that was clearly active and one that hadn't shown any sign of life. I thought of you saying to be patient:) I ended up pitching a different yeast as opposed to using the quiet one. :)I'm going to watch the one starter I didn't use and I'm sure it will unfold as you predict:) Anyway, Cheers Revvy!! I enjoyed reading your blog so far!:) VirginiaWolf
 
Pitch more yeast. There is never an advantage to waiting.

While fermentation might get going in 3 days, the nervous brewer can always pitch more yeast without any harm to the beer. If I didn't see fermentation in 48 hrs, I'd be adding more.

[edit] oops, didn't read page 2. I don't know why anyone waits. If I have even a moment of doubt about the yeast, I pitch more.

What is the point of the patience thing? As a brewer, you should get an active fermentation going immediately. This PATIENCE thing (related to fermentation) is a serious flaw of this forum and needs to be quit ASAP. It's bad advice.
 
Not to be mean, but I've read so many people on here saying my Wyeast didn't swell or Wyeast this and that! have you ever read the FAQ on their site? I smacked a pack and barely ruptured the nutrient pack inside. The next morning (brew day) it was barely swelled. I read the FAQ and found the pack inside is only a activator and doesn't do anything but wake the yeast up, no growth at all! You can pitch the yeast without ever smacking the pack. I pitched the pack 30hrs full on fermenting. Please read manufacture's FAQ they know what they're doing as well!!!!!
 
passedpawn said:
This PATIENCE thing (related to fermentation) is a serious flaw of this forum and needs to be quit ASAP. It's bad advice.
Click to expand...

Is there a reason it is a bad idea to wait? Repitching wyeast is an extra nine dollars. Waiting an extra day is free.
 
Just an update on this brew guys....been bubbling steady now for a few days....its starting to drop out now a little...nice red color too...I'll let ya know how it turns out...thanks
 
virginiawolf said:
BIGREDIOWAN, Do you mix yeasts like this often? I've mixed different ales yeasts together but never mixed an ale and a lager together. Is this a common practice? It's got me thinking if different strains co exist and what not. If so it could be the best of both worlds maybe. The lager and ale charcteristics combined. I'd like to hear more about this if you have the time to respond I'd be digging it. I'm letting some yeast vials warm up right now and sanitizing some gallon jugs and reading about brewing. I have to stop soon cause were gonna rock today:) I'll make the starters in a few hours:)
Click to expand...

I didn't mix them it sounds like it's a hybrid yeast, so to speak. That specific strain does well at colder temperatures like a lager strain would. I know other brewers have mixed yeast strains to get a unique taste without an issue. Some strains don't get along well and may not play well together from what I understand, but I've never actually tried to do something like this. I really don't see the point other than for experimentation purposes.
 
BIGREDIOWAN Thanks for the response! From my bit of brewing experience.. The beer yeast we pitch is supposed to conquer any other yeasts in our wort. I'm figuring only one variety would succeed but I wasn't and I'm still not sure. I'm sure others have experimented like you said with it. I'd be curious to hear about such experiments. Anyway Thanks. Maybe I'll post the question as a seperate post and we can see what other brewers might say:) VW
 
There are no beer yeasts that I am aware of that are killer strains. Beer yeast for the most part will tolerate other beer yeasts just fine. Many wine yeasts are killers. When people pitch champagne yeasts, to dry out a beer, they stop the fermentation of the beer yeast.
 

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