Fermentation worries

[BrenC]

Hey guys, brand new user and brewer here. Just started my first batch and it is in my fermentation tank right now but I'm a little worried. It's been 31 hours since I pitched my yeast and there is no sign of fermentation...no bubbles coming from the blowoff tube and I took the lid off for a second to check and there is no krausen either.

I realized i didn't let my yeast package come to room temperature after i took it out of the fridge before i pitched it. So I'm thinking that could be it. Either it's just being really slow because of the temperature of it or it's just not going to work?

Any info would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[flars]

The yeast may just be in a prolonged growth phase since it was pitched without making a starter. The yeast is alive though unless the wort was over 120°F when you pitched.

 

[BrenC]

Ok. Thanks for the quick reply! The wort was 65°F when I pitched.

 

[Infidel]

Yes, bringing the yeast up to temperature would have been helpful but not all is lost.
First, use your hydrometer to compare the original gravity to the current gravity. If there is no change stir vigorously to introduce oxygen and see about getting more yeast today if you have a homebrew store nearby. Paying for overnight shipping may not be worth the expense, it is your call.
If there are micro bubbles and a small change in gravity, then give it a thorough stirring but not vigorous - don't mix oxygen into it if it is already going.
Keep an eye on temperature. You may want to keep it above 70 F until you see signs of fermentation.
Blowoff tubes don't always fit perfectly.
For yeast nutrients, don't hit it too hard with anything too high in nitrogen at this phase such as nutrients with a large amount of di-ammonium phosphate. A cheap option would be to boil some dry bread yeast in water to kill it and open the cell walls making it available to provide nutrients to your viable yeast.
Try not to worry, it doesn't do you any good and doesn't make beer taste better.

 

[BrenC]

Ok. Thanks for the quick reply! The wort was 65°F when I pitched.

 

[BrenC]

Yes, bringing the yeast up to temperature would have been helpful but not all is lost.
First, use your hydrometer to compare the original gravity to the current gravity. If there is no change stir vigorously to introduce oxygen and see about getting more yeast today if you have a homebrew store nearby. Paying for overnight shipping may not be worth the expense, it is your call.
If there are micro bubbles and a small change in gravity, then give it a thorough stirring but not vigorous - don't mix oxygen into it if it is already going.
Keep an eye on temperature. You may want to keep it above 70 F until you see signs of fermentation.
Blowoff tubes don't always fit perfectly.
For yeast nutrients, don't hit it too hard with anything too high in nitrogen at this phase such as nutrients with a large amount of di-ammonium phosphate. A cheap option would be to boil some dry bread yeast in water to kill it and open the cell walls making it available to provide nutrients to your viable yeast.
Try not to worry, it doesn't do you any good and doesn't make beer taste better.

Soo i didn't buy a hydrometer like an idiot..so I never checked the gravity of the wort.. There are some micro bubbles on the side. There is a homebrew store nearby so i can buy more yeast.. Should I give it a stir and add in more yeast? Also, I will buy a hyrdometer when I go to the store today.

Would you be able to get the Original gravity by the recipe?? If so the recipe is:

Belgian Blonde
6.6 lbs Pilsen Light Liquid Malt Extract
1 lbs Pilsen Light dry Malt Extract
Steeping Grains: .5 lb Munich Light, .5 lb Crystal-10
Hops:1 oz Styrian Goldings (60 mins), 1 oz Saaz (15 mins)
Yeast: White Labs 530 Abbey Ale

 

[flars]

Was this an all grain or extract brew? You can use a calculator to dtermine OG for extract as long as you used all the LME or DME and the volume in the fermentor is correct.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/extract-ogfg/

It will also be good to look over information on making starters. These are two good calculators for pitch rate/starter size.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/
http://www.brewunited.com/yeast_calculator.php

Did you aerate the wort before pitching the yeast? Aeration is important when pitching liquid yeast. Not as necessary when using dry yeast for low to moderate OG worts.

A hydrometer is needed to determine when the specific gravity stabilizes indicating the fermentation is done. I usually take my first SG reading about 10 to 14 days after active fermentation had started.

 

[BrenC]

Was this an all grain or extract brew? You can use a calculator to dtermine OG for extract as long as you used all the LME or DME and the volume in the fermentor is correct.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/extract-ogfg/

It will also be good to look over information on making starters. These are two good calculators for pitch rate/starter size.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/
http://www.brewunited.com/yeast_calculator.php

Did you aerate the wort before pitching the yeast? Aeration is important when pitching liquid yeast. Not as necessary when using dry yeast for low to moderate OG worts.

A hydrometer is needed to determine when the specific gravity stabilizes indicating the fermentation is done. I usually take my first SG reading about 10 to 14 days after active fermentation had started.

I posted my recipe above. Liquid malt extract, dry malt extract, and steeping grains. I did not aerate the wort by shaking the tank but i did transfer it with a hose

 

[Infidel]

Was this an all grain or extract brew? You can use a calculator to dtermine OG for extract as long as you used all the LME or DME and the volume in the fermentor is correct.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/extract-ogfg/

That's not exactly true, probably more so for LME than DME. If every batch of extract were the same it would be, but the unfortunate truth is barrel to barrel of extract doesn't have what the sugar content the producers actually claim. Homebrew stores that don't go through tons of extract may not realize this is true, and those that do don't want to admit it. It may be an average or in the ballpark but easily varies by 10% and more often than not is on the short side. 10% more water is 10% more profit.

But my opinion for the OP, stir it as I recommended. It will encourage the existing yeast to multiply. That's one reason why people use stir plates. Yes, they introduce some oxygen but the constant stirring makes the buds split off the parent cells, gets them out of the house and makes them get to work on scrounging for nutrients and making new buds themselves.
I would add more yeast based on what I am reading, but I don't really know what is going on. It's a guess based on answering the same question a few thousand times over a number of years and 3 decades of brewing.
Don't stir too much as to introduce oxygen at this point.
For the yeast strain you are using, temperatures in the 70's are fine... if you are somewhere where that is an option. Yeast propagates better at higher temperatures, (up to 90) but it becomes less than ideal for flavor.

... my edit follows...

A hydrometer is used before fermentation begins to establish the actual starting gravity. It also helps when new brewers ask for help with fermentation worries because it gives something scientific to go by vs a guess based on observation by untrained eyes. In this case it seems you have micro bubbles indicating fermentation is actually occurring, just not at the rate you are hoping for.
You can look up the yeast strain you used on the manufactures website http://www.whitelabs.com/yeast-bank/wlp530-abbey-ale-yeast
, and compare it to the recipe for suggested fermentation temperatures. I would guess you are a few degrees low... it means slower fermentation and less yeast contributed flavor. It's not a flaw to friends you may be sharing the beer with which may not appreciate the flavors created by that yeast strain if they are new to this style of beer.

 

[Infidel]

And don't worry, it doesn't help. Have fun, learn, enjoy!

 

[BrenC]

That's not exactly true, probably more so for LME than DME. If every batch of extract were the same it would be, but the unfortunate truth is barrel to barrel of extract doesn't have what the sugar content the producers actually claim. Homebrew stores that don't go through tons of extract may not realize this is true, and those that do don't want to admit it. It may be an average or in the ballpark but easily varies by 10% and more often than not is on the short side. 10% more water is 10% more profit.

But my opinion for the OP, stir it as I recommended. It will encourage the existing yeast to multiply. That's one reason why people use stir plates. Yes, they introduce some oxygen but the constant stirring makes the buds split off the parent cells, gets them out of the house and makes them get to work on scrounging for nutrients and making new buds themselves.
I would add more yeast based on what I am reading, but I don't really know what is going on. It's a guess based on answering the same question a few thousand times over a number of years and 3 decades of brewing.
Don't stir too much as to introduce oxygen at this point.
For the yeast strain you are using, temperatures in the 70's are fine... if you are somewhere where that is an option. Yeast propagates better at higher temperatures, (up to 90) but it becomes less than ideal for flavor.

... my edit follows...

A hydrometer is used before fermentation begins to establish the actual starting gravity. It also helps when new brewers ask for help with fermentation worries because it gives something scientific to go by vs a guess based on observation by untrained eyes. In this case it seems you have micro bubbles indicating fermentation is actually occurring, just not at the rate you are hoping for.
You can look up the yeast strain you used on the manufactures website http://www.whitelabs.com/yeast-bank/wlp530-abbey-ale-yeast
, and compare it to the recipe for suggested fermentation temperatures. I would guess you are a few degrees low... it means slower fermentation and less yeast contributed flavor. It's not a flaw to friends you may be sharing the beer with which may not appreciate the flavors created by that yeast strain if they are new to this style of beer.

Wow! Thanks so much!! Truly a great help, I really appreciate it.. Going to buy a hydrometer and more yeast. Adding more yeast and giving it a stir!