So this past Tuesday I brewed an European Bock kit and its now Friday night and I have no activity in the fermentation bucket. I followed the directions and had it sitting in a temp controlled freezer at 57F. Should I raise the temp?
European Bock not fermenting after 3 days
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johnsnownw
Well-Known Member
If you're going by airlock activity, that's not a good way to judge. You'll need to take a gravity reading to be certain.
What yeast are you using?
What yeast are you using?
Did you use a starter? If not you will have a really slow start. Also did you verify lack of activity with a hydrometer?
Was this a kit? What yeast did you use?
There are kits out there that are called lager or bock, but come with ale yeast. Lager yeast generally ferments well at around 48-54*F. If you got an ale yeast, unless it's Nottingham, 57 may be a bit on the cool side. Most ale yeast does best in the low-mid 60's.
+1 on airlock activity being an unreliable indicator. Check for krausen. Take a gravity reading if you're not sure.
There are kits out there that are called lager or bock, but come with ale yeast. Lager yeast generally ferments well at around 48-54*F. If you got an ale yeast, unless it's Nottingham, 57 may be a bit on the cool side. Most ale yeast does best in the low-mid 60's.
+1 on airlock activity being an unreliable indicator. Check for krausen. Take a gravity reading if you're not sure.
Possible, but not likely. I'm assuming that you're talking about dry yeast which in the packet is pretty tough stuff and holds it viability much longer than liquid under the same conditions.
FYI- if you pitched a single packet of lager yeast into a 5-gallon batch, you probably under-pitched by 50% or more, especially if you sprinkled it dry. Lagers need twice the number of yeast cells (counted in the billions) as do ales.
If you know your OG, take a gravity reading now and compare the two. If they're the same, it's time to rehydrate and pitch TWO "rescue" packets of dry lager yeast. Try to keep your temp closer to 50*F the first 4-5 days, after which you can start creeping it up a couple of degrees a day until you get to about 64*F to finish.
Thanks for the info BigFloyd! Why the hell would they only out one packet of yeast with the kit then? I will check the gravity later today when I get home from Work. If I need to repitch should I hydrate the yeast before pitching?
Kit makers do stuff like that and sometimes have some really bad instructions too.
I would rehydrate in warm (100*F) tap water to get the best cell count possible. Remember to attemperate the yeast slurry to within 15*F of the wort temp before pitching.
