Big Imperial Stout, not starting??

[spittybug]

This is a first for me. I brewed up a big (1.099) imperial stout with several shorter mashing stops and a long stop at 158* to yield a fuller bodied beer. All went great and and I hit all my numbers pretty spot on. The day before I took 2 packs of S04 and started them in nearly 2 liters of wort. They took off and the calculator showed that I had ~500 billion cells, or 1.08 million/ml/*P. After the wort cooled to <80*, I pitched. I'm fermenting in a 1/4 sanke and it sits in a temp controlled cab at 66*. All sanitized of course and the wort was heavily aerated by cascade in the boil kettle.

Under the circumstances and the known viable yeasts, I would have expected some pretty damned violent fermentation by now. I'm sitting at ~36 hours since pitch right now with nothing at all.... I don't think I've ever had such a lag before, never mind when I've pitched such a big starter into such a sugar rich target!

Any soothing words of advice?

 

[day_trippr]

You may have killed half the yeast by using a starter, but S04 is pretty hardy so the survivors are likely increasing their numbers to take on your wort.

btw, at that temperature, I'd also expect a rather boisterous fermentation, once it gets going.
Hope you have a good blowoff tube going!

Cheers!

 

[spittybug]

Woah!!! Thanks for catching my typo! It's at 66*, not 76*. I've corrected it in the initial post.

 

[spittybug]

Thank goodness. Checked keg this morning and still no bubbles from the blowoff. I couldn't believe it so I sanitized my thief and drew a sample. 1.032 down from 1.099 in 60 hours since pitching. The rubber stopper that I have in the neck of the Sanke keg must not have been tight. I've bumped the temp up to 68.5* and gave them a couple of teaspoons of yeast nutrients since they are probably in need..... I sealed the neck up better I think and now get minor action out of the bubbler (ditched the blow off tube since the violence is apparently done with). I drank the sample and it tasted good. Very good body, can already taste the chocolate and coffee notes and despite having ~16 more points to go, wasn't as cloyingly sweet as I would have expected. Patience is now called for.............

As an aside, has anyone ever graphed out gravity drop over time for various yeasts or styles or temps? Or are there just too many variables (my vote)?

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

As an aside, has anyone ever graphed out gravity drop over time for various yeasts or styles or temps? Or are there just too many variables (my vote)?

Check out post #11.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=589510&page=2

 

[spittybug]

Interesting post. The lag time variance is fascinating. In this particular case it was my own fault in that the seal of the Sanke neck and the rubber stopper wasn't perfect, but I'm always apprehensive when I don't get any activity within 24 hrs. Right now he's still slowly bubbling...... In hindsight I should have checked the seal earlier; when I went to check on it the first morning the garage had that fermentation smell to it. Upon seeing no activity I convinced myself that it was just brew day aromas lingering...... I'm going to have to learn more about the real time gravity meter, that's cool!

 

[kh54s10]

I can't recall any lab studies of this, but:

Dry yeast is engineered to be used dry. It has been said that just the act of making a starter might kill off half of the original yeast. Then the starter might bring you back to what was in the pack to start with. If you need more yeast cells, just pitch another pack. 2 packs of dry yeast still cost less than a pack of liquid.

So, if the starter did kill off yeast, you still ended up underpitching.

BTW, I made a Russian Imperial Stout and pitched two packs of dry yeast (rehydrated) and had fermentation in less than 12 hours.

 

[spittybug]

Down to 1.028 10 to go. Added a little more food and bumped temp to 70.5* I think I can, I think I can!!!! Tastes nice and complex. Great body. Will nitro nicely. Going to soak wood chips and bourbon and let it sit.....

 

[spittybug]

Still enjoying this beer. Drinking one right now as a matter of fact. This beer changed continuously for about 4 months. At times it was utterly undrinkable because the tannin taste from the wood chips was so pronounced. Later on the bourbon would get pronounced early in the taste, then later in the taste. The complex vanillas, coffees, cocoa and toffee flavors have all settled in. It seems to have finally found its happy place and it's a damned good beer! Lots of body. My friend described it as a 'meaty meal' today. I may have to bottle a few of these and save for a good long time to see how they age.

I named it the Imperial Dark Vader. :rockin:

12 lb United Kingdom - Maris Otter Pale 59.6%
2.125 lb American - Caramel / Crystal 60L 10.6%
2.125 lb American - Chocolate 10.6%
12 oz Belgian - De-Bittered Black 3.7%
1.625 lb Flaked Oats 8.1%
0.5 lb Rice Hulls 2.5%
1 lb American - Rye 5% (I think this really helped the recipe)