Boring fermentation

[brooks56]

For my batch that I brewed this past weekend, I used Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Wiezen Smack Pack. I had bought the yeast 3 weeks prior and had to go out of town for work. I had put the pack in the refrigerator, but I think the pack may have been hit by my wife and "activated". The pack was slightly swollen, nothing to really think too much about until I couldn't find the activator capsule. I continued to follow the instructions and let the pack set to expand. The pack took a couple hours longer to swell and did not swell as much as previous smack packs.

I still haven't gotten vigorous bubbling out of the air lock and was just curious if I should allow a few more days before I start my FG readings.

I'm sure that it's fermenting (there is some bubbling) and I know the beer is going to taste great. Just wondering if it'll take a little more time than planned.

 

[eadavis80]

Haven't used that yeast, but if you've got a bubbling airlock, it seems everything is working fine. I know on the WYeast website it says you can pitch a pack that is not fully swollen, so as long as it's fermenting, I'd relax and crack a cold one.

 

[WayFrae]

You probably underpitched would be my guess. When I started making starters I noticed a big difference.

 

[brooks56]

I guess I'm not worried if it's fermenting or not, but if I under pitched it should I allow more time in the primary before racking into the secondary. I know that my FG readings will tell me it's done, but I don't want to start taking those too early and contaminate the beer.

Also if the fermentation takes off I don't want SWMBO ticked off that beer is all over the pantry because I didn't use a blowoff.

 

[WayFrae]

If you underpitched it will probably take a little longer and possibly not fully attenuate. I would check the FG as normal. I usually check a day or two after all the krausen has dropped. As long as you clean and santitize your equipment, I wouldn't be too worried about contamination when checking the gravity.

 

[flars]

Under pitching WY3068 will give you some banana and a slow ferment. I would not complicate the ferment by racking to a secondary. Take a hydrometer reading in two weeks. Be prepared to let it sit for a couple more weeks to finish and clean up.
Liquid yeasts will almost always need a starter. Look at the production date on the Wyeast pack to determine how large of a starter you will need for the estimated OG of the beer.
Try to keep the fermenting wort 64° to 66°F.

 

[brooks56]

I had never used a started for the Wyeast packets. Reading the instructions they don't say to use a starter. Basically activate it, let it sit for 3 hours or more and pitch it.

I'm making a peach wheat so a banana flavor may not be completely undesirable in this case and may be masked because of the peaches. This is also why I would need the secondary.

 

[whattheschmidt]

Sounds like it should turn out, but starters are very important for liquid yeast often to give the appropriate pitch rate. Search yeast starter calculator if you want to see how much you are under pitching by.

I used 3068 in my last batch, didn't take FG but the activity of the yeast in less than a day almost blew the lid off, beer was coming up through the air lock. I did a 1.5L starter. Just did a starter on Sunday now with a stir plate and will be slightly over pitching and will be sure to use a blow off tube to start this time!

3068 can ferment like crazy.

 

[hunter_le five]

I had never used a started for the Wyeast packets. Reading the instructions they don't say to use a starter. Basically activate it, let it sit for 3 hours or more and pitch it.

What temperature are you fermenting at, by the way?

Starters are generally a good idea for liquid yeasts. It's not always 100% mandatory, but you will always get better results if you do. Especially if the yeast is not very "fresh" (always check the mfg date), may have been stored improperly, or if the OG is high.

I used 3068 in my last batch, didn't take FG but the activity of the yeast in less than a day almost blew the lid off, beer was coming up through the air lock. I did a 1.5L starter. Just did a starter on Sunday now with a stir plate and will be slightly over pitching and will be sure to use a blow off tube to start this time!

3068 can ferment like crazy.

Last time I used 3068 it DID blow the lid right off my fermenter. What a mess.

 

[brooks56]

It's fermenting a little high but within the range. It's at 72 but the packet recommended between 68-75. I've never used a starter before, honestly a little intimidated by it. What's the best/easiest way to make one?

 

[brooks56]

Storage could have been an issue. I had to go away for work right after I had bought the yeast and delayed me brewing for two weeks. I kept it in the fridge which is set for 36 degrees. When I went to activate the pack it felt as if the activator had already been broken. The pack did swell though. The storage my be part of the issue.

 

[hunter_le five]

I've never used a starter before, honestly a little intimidated by it. What's the best/easiest way to make one?

Starters seem intimidating until you actually do one. Then you realize it's the simplest thing in the world. I know because I avoided doing them for a while for that reason.

If you can make a beer, you can make a starter. Boil some DME, cool it, add yeast in a sanitized container (growler, flask, mason jar, etc), cover with foil, let it ferment 24 hours. Give it a good swirl every now and then to aerate (or if you are lazy like me, use a stir plate). That's it.

Everyone has their own variation on how to do it, but fundamentally it's all the same. You're just making a mini low gravity beer to grow the yeast prior to pitching.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/how-make-yeast-starter-pictorial-updated-340261/
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/YeastStarter.pdf
http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/homebrew/starter-tips
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html
http://billybrew.com/how-to-make-a-yeast-starter
https://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_makingastarter.cfm
http://www.homebrewing.org/How-to-Make-a-Yeast-Starter_ep_35-1.html
http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.php

 

[wi_brewer]

...I had put the pack in the refrigerator, but I think the pack may have been hit by my wife and "activated"....

Maybe, if your wife hates it when you brew and took out her aggression on your yeast...it seems like I always have to smack the **** out of it to get it to break!

 

[brooks56]

LOL. That could be except she's the one who wanted the peach wheat. It'd be self sabotage.

 

[eadavis80]

I've never done starters either, nor do I often use liquid yeast, but I think after this series of batches I have with dried yeast I'll make the plunge. One thing that does intrigue me about liquid yeasts is harvesting yeast. Yes, I know you can harvest dried yeast as well, but with the price of dried I don't know if it's worth the hassle. But, with some liquid yeasts they can cost $70$8 per batch. However, if you harvest 4 jars of yeast out of it and make starters for those, that's $32 in yeast savings.... that's pretty much a free kit!

 

[broadbill]

I've never done starters either, nor do I often use liquid yeast, but I think after this series of batches I have with dried yeast I'll make the plunge. One thing that does intrigue me about liquid yeasts is harvesting yeast. Yes, I know you can harvest dried yeast as well, but with the price of dried I don't know if it's worth the hassle. But, with some liquid yeasts they can cost $70$8 per batch. However, if you harvest 4 jars of yeast out of it and make starters for those, that's $32 in yeast savings.... that's pretty much a free kit!

Instead of harvesting yeast out of the fermenter, I make my initial starter a little larger than I need for my batch and harvest an extra mason jar worth from that.

It is much cleaner (I hated messing with 2 quarts of settled yeast of in the bottom of a bucket), doesn't need to be washed, and its probably healthier than harvesting yeast that's been through the ringer with fermenting a hopped wort.

Just my suggestion.

 

[brooks56]

so I opened the primary bucket and looked like this. I'm assuming it's a top fermenting yeast but haven't looked it up yet. Is this normal or did it get infected? I did not see a yeast cake in the bottom of the primary and the beer tasted fine.

 

[flars]

Does not look infected. Could begin taking SG readings if this is the beer brewed 7/26 or 27. Color is off on the photo. Is that yeast rafts or the peaches(?) floating on top?

 

[brooks56]

Just yeast rafts.