Activated liquid yeast and at room temp. Cant brew yet.

[brewfreaky]

Didn't brew yet. No foam over. Hope the yeast is still good

Pic from 8/1, little after swirling

This pic from today 8/4 just now. Couple minutes after a swirl

Keep letting it do its thing? Need a 12v source and I'll have my stir plate.

 

[MikeScott]

Show the pic before you stir. If the yeast is all settled out, then it's probably done.

 

[IslandLizard]

Hope the yeast is still good

It looks good, and alive!

Show the pic before you stir. If the yeast is all settled out, then it's probably done.

That! ^
There will be a visible light beige yeast cake on the bottom, with (nearly) clear yellow/amber beer on top.
And if you can, please take that picture of that from a lower angle, camera level with the bottom part of the flask, so we can see the settled cake.

 

[brewfreaky]

Let it settle for the day. There is some darker settlement at the bottom. No amber color though. Brew day?? Do I stir it up then pitch and then save some for next batch?

 

[IslandLizard]

Let it settle for the day. There is some darker settlement at the bottom. No amber color though. Brew day?? Do I stir it up then pitch and then save some for next batch?

It takes a few days for the yeast to precipitate, depending on the yeast type/strain how fast and well it does that.
We usually put the flask in the fridge which speeds the precipitation up quite a bit, but still takes several days to a week to leave completely clear beer on top. This is known as cold crashing.

I see the dark band on the bottom, about a 1/8-1/4" thick. That's mostly trub and dead yeast, but will also contain good yeast, say 50%? That percentage is going to increase with time, as more settles out.
At the moment most of the best, freshly made yeast cells are still suspended in the beer above. That's why it's so cloudy.

Brew day?? Do I stir it up then pitch and then save some for next batch?

When are you planning to brew?
If not tomorrow, crimp the foil that's on there a bit tighter around the neck, and put the flask in the fridge.

 

[brewfreaky]

Some scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Hoping tomorrow but probably Sunday. Will do Sunday. Woohoo!

 

[IslandLizard]

Some scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Hoping tomorrow but probably Sunday. Will do Sunday. Woohoo!

If you want to save out some yeast for your next batch, swirl it up, pour some out into a clean and sanitized jelly or canning jar or some other (small) glass jar, put a lid on it, and store in the fridge. About 100 ml should suffice. Crimp the foil tightly around the flask and put in the fridge to cold crash.

On brew day take the flask out of the fridge. The yeast should have crashed out by then, lying in a thick, dense cake on the bottom, with clear or mostly clear starter beer on top. If the beer on top is indeed mostly clear you can decant (pour off) most of the starter beer on top, leaving the slurry and a little bit of starter beer behind. Mind, if the starter is still thick and cloudy, you can't see through it, don't pour any off, you'd lose too much good yeast. In that case you'd pitch the whole thing. It's fine.

Let the yeast come to room temps while brewing. Leave it in the kitchen or other safe place, so it doesn't get kicked over in the heat of brewing.

Brew your batch.
At the end, aerate your chilled batch of wort in the fermenter (e.g., splashing during transfer, whisking with a large whisk, pouring back and forth from one bucket into a second one, etc., whatever method you prefer) to incorporate as much oxygen into the wort as you can.
Swirl all of the yeast up. If necessary add a little chilled wort from your batch to make it better pourable. Make sure you suspend all the yeast, even the sticky stuff on the bottom, keep swirling it may take a minute. Then pitch it.

You can aerate the batch again, up to 4-6 hours later if you want, as long as there is no foam on top of the beer yet. Not much later than that, though, unless you know what to look for.

Good luck!

 

[brewfreaky]

Brewed today! Went smooth. Saved some yeast first. Boil temp sat at 212. Chilled wort with wort chiller. Got some trub in the fermenter bucket.

Poured the finished wort with yeast back and forth 4 time and now I have too much foam!

 

[IslandLizard]

Looking very good! ^

Don't fear the foam! (well, that's what they say about Starsan, but may apply here too ).

 

[brewfreaky]

So the kit came with a primer bucket. The spigot sits a little lower than the fermentation bucket spigot. Still not to sure why I'd need to put it in there for bottling? Read you can do a second fermentation with it?

Also, the trub that got transferred from the kettle. If I use the spigot to transfer to the primer or bottle, I feel like I'd always have trub, or maybe once it's settled, it should be below the spigot?

 

[IslandLizard]

Still not to sure why I'd need to put it in there for bottling?

You'd rack your finished beer into that bottling bucket with priming sugar. Without splashing! You don't want to oxidize your beer.
When all beer has been transferred give it it very gentle stir to mix the priming sugar in evenly.
Then connect a bottling wand to the spigot with a piece of hose, and fill your cleaned and sanitized bottles.

You don't want to bottle directly from your fermentation bucket as the trub will mix back in when stirring in the priming sugar. That's why you transfer it.

Do not do secondaries, they're not needed! Leave the beer in the primary fermenter, until ready to bottle or keg.

 

[brewfreaky]

Ah gotcha, the sugar. Good info!

 

[brewfreaky]

So it's been a few days now. Should I open to check the fermentation? Should I see foam? What if I dont?

 

[MikeScott]

Is it in a bucket? I would expect some air lock action.

 

[brewfreaky]

Yup, in bucket with air lock. First night I did hear something. It's by the bedside. Don't notice anything, really.

 

[MikeScott]

Yup, in bucket with air lock. First night I did hear something. It's by the bedside. Don't notice anything, really.

I bet it's just not the tightest lid, if you're quick about it you can take a peek.

 

[brewfreaky]

Brewed on the 9th and check today, 19 days later. The gravity shows 1.050, instructions call for 1.022 or less. I think I saw 1 mold spore! Lots of foam still. Something to be concerned about? I did some stirring and covered as instructed.

 

[IslandLizard]

Brewed on the 9th and check today, 19 days later. The gravity shows 1.050, instructions call for 1.022 or less.

Is your hydrometer perhaps resting on the bottom of the sample tube? It needs to float freely to get a correct reading!
That beer should be done by now.

And, uh, 1.022 is way too high to finish, for a 1.050 OG beer. Why would Williams say that in their instructions?

 

[IslandLizard]

I think I saw 1 mold spore!

That's not mold, it's a flake of trub or so. I see more of those along the wall in the headspace and around the krausen line.

You can't see 1 mold spore unless you use a microscope. You could see a mold colony, but they're typically fuzzy and floating.
Or black dots along the side in the headspace, or bottom of the lid.

But... that's indeed very foamy for being 19 days in the fermenter. Your beer may be infected. Those big bubbles can be a telltale.
Have you tasted it?

 

[IslandLizard]

I did some stirring and covered as instructed.

I just saw this. ^
Where in the instructions does it tell you stir (a finished beer)?

Did you stir it right before you took the pictures showing all the bubbles? Could be CO2 outgassing, instead of an infection.
But why did you stir it, what would that accomplish? That beer should be done by now.

 

[brewfreaky]

The hydrometer was floating. It was more a fuzzy black dot. Definitely darker and fuzzy.

Yea, the instructions said that if it didn't read 1.022 or below, to gently stir and let it finish fermenting, check in 4 days.

The pics were right when I opened it, no stur.

I did taste a little and it was very sweet.

 

[IslandLizard]

The hydrometer was floating.

Have you checked it in plain (or if you have it, distilled or RO) water? It should read 1.000, or close to it (+/- 1-2 points) at it's calibration temp. Cal. temp is printed on the paper scale.

Unless your yeast didn't work, (iow, being dead or heavily underpitched), there's no good reason for it to be at 1.050 after 19 days. Chances are, an infection will have taken over by that time.

What was your OG at the time of pitching yeast?
At what temp did you pitch the yeast? Did you chill the wort before pitching?

 

[brewfreaky]

Yup, I checked tap water and it was a 1.00.

I didn't check the OG at the time of pitching. Wasn't mentioned in instructions . I used s wort chiller and brought it down to 80f


Edit:

Just looked at the water lock and beer has taken it over and overflown from holes in the cap! I see it actively bubbling

 

[brewfreaky]

 

[IslandLizard]

I didn't check the OG at the time of pitching.

OG is a fairly useful data (reference) point... It tells you how well your brew went, and such. Although still good to know the OG, it's a little less important when brewing with extracts, as all (or most) sugars added per the recipe are usually accounted for, unless there's much wort leftover in the kettle, or spilled. Or your end volume is way off for whatever reason.

I wish Williams was a bit more on the ball with their instructions. Otherwise they're a very good company, from what I've heard and read over the years.

That said, I'm really puzzled about your "FG" gravity reading.... Did you kill the yeast by any chance, like adding it to the boil perhaps?
80F is a bit high to pitch for a few reasons, but it won't kill the yeast.

Does Williams offer a warranty on their kits? Seriously, check it.

Don't lift the lid, unless absolutely necessary. Doing so could cause infections and oxidation.

 

[brewfreaky]

OG is a fairly useful data (reference) point... It tells you how well your brew went, and such. Although still good to know the OG, it's a little less important when brewing with extracts, as all (or most) sugars added per the recipe are usually accounted for, unless there's much wort leftover in the kettle, or spilled. Or your end volume is way off for whatever reason.

I wish Williams was a bit more on the ball with their instructions. Otherwise they're a very good company, from what I've heard and read over the years.

That said, I'm really puzzled about your "FG" gravity reading.... Did you kill the yeast by any chance, like adding it to the boil perhaps?
80F is a bit high to pitch for a few reasons, but it won't kill the yeast.

Does Williams offer a warranty on their kits? Seriously, check it.

Don't lift the lid, unless absolutely necessary. Doing so could cause infections and oxidation.

The instructions said to 85f! I also did this outdoors on a hot day. Let the hose water run through for hour or so. I did an update to previous post. Also the new foam over. Looks like its the fermentation process I've been looking for?

Edit. I'm sleeping next to it and I hear consistent bubbling

 

[IslandLizard]

From Williams Brewing:

India Pale Ale Home Brewing Beer Kit​

Includes 8 3/4 lbs. of our blended malt extract, English Fuggle and Hallertau hops, 125 ml of liquid ale yeast, and corn sugar for carbonation. Makes 5 gallons of hearty ale with a starting gravity of at least 1.054.

My emphasis. ^

So if you put 5 gallons of brewed and chilled wort in your fermentation bucket, without adding any top up water, your OG is expected to be around 1.054.
You then pitched 1 liter of a relatively fresh yeast starter when the wort was around 80-85F.
==> Did you let the yeast come to room temps (or better yet to around 75-85F) before you pitched? Or did you pour it in coming straight out of the fridge?

Edit. I'm sleeping next to it and I hear consistent bubbling

Is this the first time you hear and see bubbling? None during the past 20 days?
If so, that may explain your high gravity 20 days later. Your beer didn't ferment much, only 4 points or so, instead of 40-some.

 

[brewfreaky]

ahh I see. Good to know thee OG. Will keep that in mind for next brew!

Yup, I brought the yeast out and it came to room temp before adding it. Sat at room temp for around 2-3hrs.

Yup, first time hearing and seeing bubbling. I hope its still good!

 

[brewfreaky]

Errrrr. I think it's infected

Check today. The gravity did go down a little. No foam, but something else.

 

[IslandLizard]

Visibly, none of those images look like an obvious infection right now. Have you tasted some of it? If so, how is it?

But each time you lift the lid, you're exposing your beer to air and "bugs." increasing the risk of attracting an infection and oxidizing the beer.
I wish you could just leave it alone and hope for the best over the next 2 weeks in a warmish place (66-74F).

I have an inkling you severely underpitched, possibly after killing most of the yeast culture somehow somewhere along the way, and she's struggling to ferment.
You didn't add any artificial sweeteners or other "magic stuff" I hope.

Most beers (ales) given a good healthy yeast pitch, together with decent wort oxygenation, are close to terminal gravity within a week to 10 days. Then creep slowly to final gravity while conditioning out for another 2-3 weeks. You're still at 1.046 after almost 4 weeks.

You could add a pack of dry yeast, such as S-04 (British Ale Yeast) or US-05 (U.S. Ale Yeast) and see if it helps resuscitate it. Just sprinkle it on top.

 

[brewfreaky]

yea, shoulda left it longer. Went by the Williams Brewing instructions, to check again after 4 days, but since it gravity barely moved from 1.05, i should have waited longer.. I will leave it for two weeks and see how check again.

I did not add any other stuff to it

I did taste a little again. This time I could taste a little more bitterness and beer, less sweet.

I will get a pack and give it a try!

 

[MikeScott]

If it didn't taste off, and I were you, I would check it again in 4 days, if you don't have activity and a krausen, then I would take @IslandLizard 's advice and dump some US-05 in it. That wort is getting pretty long in the tooth. If you don't have some on hand, I would go about getting it now. If you don't need it, it'll keep for a long time.

 

[brewfreaky]

Checked today. Doesn't look that great? White stuff.
Was going to just add the packet but wanted to check first

Edit:
Sounds like it is normal and could be krausen or yeast floating up from the trub?

 

[brewfreaky]

If so I will add the packet

 

[IslandLizard]

If so I will add the packet

You may now actually have an infection... white chunks floating around (from a pellicle). Also in your hydro sample tube.
Did you taste that hydro sample you took?

Don't pitch yeast until you tasted it. If putrid, adding yeast won't make it better, would be a waste of good yeast.

 

[brewfreaky]

I tasted a little. Diesnt taste bad, less sweet. Has more bitterness. Looks little different now. I can definitely see that filmy layer

 

[IslandLizard]

I tasted a little. Diesnt taste bad, less sweet. Has more bitterness. Looks little different now. I can definitely see that filmy layer

Sad to say, but at this point I'd consider tossing it. That beer is not going to get better, only worse.
Everything your infected beer touched needs a good scrub with Oxiclean Free (or homemade PBW). Perhaps even a bleach bath.

What cleaners and sanitizers are you using right now?

A few things definitely went wrong, the biggest issue being the health of your yeast.
The time the beer sat there without healthy yeast fermenting it, gave other microorganisms the opportunity to multiply and spoil the beer, instead.

If you can, trace all your steps in making the yeast starters, and how much slurry you actually pitched.
Was there enough growth in your starters?
How much of the yeast starter (slurry) did you pitch?
And how much yeast (slurry) did you save out for a next batch?
You didn't cook your yeast, by accident, did you? Temps over 100-120F will kill most yeasts.

That's why it's generally advised beginning brewers starting out using dried yeast. It's simpler, far less susceptible to errors.

Once a (beginning) brewer gets their various processes sorted out, cleaning, sanitation, brewing, chilling, transferring to fermenter, aerating, pitching the right amount of (dry) yeast, controlling fermentation temps, taking samples, racking, packaging, etc. they will know what healthy fermentations look and taste like, they can start venturing out into "more complicated" things, such as proper yeast handling.

Remember, from the very start, all the way to the end, it's all about the yeast: we're zymurgists!

 

[marc1]

My guess is the concentrated starsan hurt your yeast starter. Plan everything out and try again after a good cleaning, it can take a few mistakes to learn how it goes. Good luck!

 

[IslandLizard]

My guess is the concentrated starsan hurt your yeast starter. Plan everything out and try again after a good cleaning, it can take a few mistakes to learn how it goes. Good luck!

Yeah, that is very likely the culprit.
We never saw a 1/4-1/2" yeast cake settling on the bottom of the starter flask, which would have been the big tip-off the yeast wasn't growing as it should have.

 

[MikeScott]

Back to the drawing board, but don't get discouraged, think of all the things that you learned! You'll use that next time and make better beer for it!