Autopsy... what happened...

[MACPABrewer]

Hi All,

I'm a returning brewer, tried to brew 10 years ago and was not able to maintain ferm temps in my apartment...

Decided to get back into it and purchased the ssbrewtech 5 gallon extract set and got a NB Wheat extract with the upgraded Wyeast 1010 pack.

Took the yeast out 3 hours before boil, ended up sitting at room temp for 5 hours after it was smacked and shaken for 30 seconds.... it did not inflate, pitched it at 73 degrees.... OG 1.043 plus minus .001 (bubbles :/..)

Sealed brew bucket, and set the chiller temp to 69 degrees.... ended up bottoming out because ambient temp is 60 degrees... oops... caught it within an hour and used warm water through the brew bucket chiller coils to raise temp back to 72 degrees....

after 48 hours keeping the temp between 68-72 no froth/bubbles in star san pitcher with blow off tube.... took gravity no change from 1.043....

Pitched Nottingham dry yeast at 70 Degrees... 12 hours later happy drinking yeast with blow activity...


So what happened? Bad yeast?

Thanks in Advance...

 

[LLBeanJ]

So what happened? Bad yeast?

That's what it looks like to me. It might have come to life if given more time, but it seems pretty apparent that the viability of the smack pack was quite low, if there was any at all.

Learn to make starters and this will never happen again.

Oh, and welcome back to brewing! I'm sure a lot has changed since the last time you brewed.

 

[kh54s10]

It could be that it would have gone eventually. Considering the pack did not swell (they don't always swell) the yeast might have been old. Even with a fresh package you are not pitching the optimum amount of yeast. If old much less viable yeast was pitched. A fresh pack contains only about 100 billion cells. Your 1.043 beer should get 159 billion cells.

Read up on starters while your beer ferments with the Notty.

 

[MACPABrewer]

Ok thanks gents, will do on the starters.... def want to get the kinks worked out prior to doing something a bit more complicated. Yes things have definitely changed... loving the stainless steel instead of plastic...

 

[65C]

When you're on the first brew I think you tend to focus hard on progress and struggle with patience (I did anyway and I read it a lot on here)

My view on yeast is that it's usually just a time thing - if you've got a very inactive batch (old or badly stored) it can take a long time to get moving - but more often than not it will get there in the end

The worst thing you can do is touch it - giving it a slight shake - warming it a bit - may help - but don't take measurements or expose it to oxygen if you can avoid it

I would start worrying if I wasn't seeing bubbles at 6-7 days - but that's never happened - I've had a couple of 3 or 4 waits before though

Now I recycle the yeast a lot - so I'm pitching something I know is already active - I know people say you shouldn't do it too much but it works well for me and I'm a cheapskate - it feels good saving another 6p a bottle

 

[MaryB]

Notty is good, I use it a LOT so you will have drinkable beer. Pretty temperature tolerant too, Gets a bit more esters above 72f but still very drinkable beer.

 

[MACPABrewer]

65C thanks yeah I hear that on patience... def going to look at creating a starter for my Off the Topper kit that's on deck.

Thanks MaryB thankfully high temps are not my issue this time around... I'll probably have to upgrade my chiller, to a chiller and warmer.