Beer not fermenting after 48

[priedthirdeye]

My first batch of beer isn't fermenting after 48 hours.

I read a lot about the possibe reasons.

I think the reason is because I didn't aerate it.

Should I repitch or if I shake it up could it possibly "start" the yeast?

 

[noggins]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=43635

Don't worry if your brew takes up to 3 days to show signs fermenting.
Especially if you used liquid yeast and didn't make a big starter and oxygenate.
It is also worth noting that no bubbles in the air lock does not mean it isn't fermenting.

If at 3 days nothing seems to of happened then take a gravity reading to make sure you haven't missed the fermentation.
It is preferable to have a brew start fermenting as soon as possible
If you follow correct and advised procedures then I say most brews see activity in 6 to 18 hours. If this doesn't happen then it doesn't mean you've done anything wrong. You may just not be seeing it or it's taking it's time.

It is quite common for new brewers to get worried after 24 hours to 48 hours.
They get told to wait and then realise that the advice was correct.

First brew, and worried - Home Brew Forums

 

[brewpool]

Need some additional info. What kind of yeast (dry or liquid)? Did you rehydrate if dry? What temp was the wort when you pitched the yeast? Did you happen to strain the wort into your fermentation vessel because that can help aerate? I know some yeasts, particularly dry, can take near 72 hours to get churning. May also want to confirm you have a good seal on your bucket or carboy bung.

 

[Kharnynb]

Smell it, if there is a "beery" smell around the vessel, it's fermenting.

 

[priedthirdeye]

I used dry yeast and didn't hydrate. Pitching temp was about 77f. A little high but I thought it would be OK.

Another newbie mistake I made was not taking a og reading before I pitched.

I just shook my bucket (which was probably also a mistake) and see that liquid is escaping from the bucket lid.

So it very well may be fermenting but not percolating from the airlock since it is leaking from other areas no?

 

[Kharnynb]

aye, see if you can close the lid properly, or peek under the lid to see if there is yeast rafts/ krausen ring.

 

[priedthirdeye]

I put my finger over the airlock hole and shook it which made me realize there was a some liquid escaping from lid. The gas would build up as I shook and air would release when I took my finger off the hole.

I'm not sure if the lid leak is enough to cause an issue or prevent bubbling in the airlock. Then I opened the lid to try to reseal. I saw a lot of foam / bubbles. Not sure about the ring you describe.

 

[priedthirdeye]

Now I see a bubble in the airlock every 10 seconds or so. Probably because I shook it?

Damn...

 

[carvetop]

Fermented my first batch in a bucket with a leaky lid. Didn't know it at the time. No bubbles from airlock. Measured gravity after 3 days and fermentation was complete. No worries.

 

[Kharnynb]

that brown stuff above the liquid, that's a krausen ring.

 

[priedthirdeye]

I shook before I looked inside.

Ugh...I'm such a noob.

I'm at work now. Will check on it later. Might duct tape around the lid to help with that leak.

 

[bsdell]

Might duct tape around the lid to help with that leak.

All of my primaries have leaky lids and all of my brews have turned out fine. With the positive pressure of the CO2, nothing should get in.

 

[priedthirdeye]

From what I read, the fact I shook it after fermentation started will likely result in "off flavors" though no?

 

[kombat]

Depends on how far into fermentation the yeast were. If it was still near the beginning, it should be fine, they'll use that extra Oxygen to multiply before fermenting. If they were already half-through fermenting, you might have some oxidation in the finished beer. Nothing to do now but wait it out and see.

I would not apply tape around the rim of the bucket lid. When I first started, my fermenting bucket didn't even have a hole for an airlock. I just placed the lid on top of the bucket, and put a phone book on top to hold the lid down (but not snapped sealed shut). This allowed CO2 to escape during active fermentation, but once things calmed down, the lid prevented things from getting inside.

 

[Psylocide]

Nice username, I'm a big fan of Tool/anything MJK touches.

That is all.