obie_fl
Active Member
For my first brew I choose a Brown Ale Extract kit from AHS. Everything went really well on brew day very close on my OG 1.054 vice 1.052 in the recipe. I put the wort in the fermenter and added my room temperature WL P005 without starter. (There was nothing in the recipe about making a starter.) In hindsight I probably didnt agitate the wort enough when adding the yeast.
Then I waited and waited and then waited some more. Took a gravity reading and it hadnt budged after three days. I read and re-read the Fermentation can take 24 to 72 hrs to show visible signs and Think you ruined your beer? Set your fears aside! threads. I kept checking here on what to do but didnt post for fear of Revvy scolding me to RDWHAHB. I thought for sure my yeast was dead as it had shipped on one of the hottest Florida days and the ice pack was warm when I finally opened the package.
On the fourth day I had to leave on an extended two and half week business trip. I was very tempted to re-pitch the yeast from my other kit a WLP001 but assumed it was bad too as it came in the same shipment. I seriously thought of dumping the wort as I didnt want the thing stinking up the basement and incurring the wrath of SWMBO. I decided to open up the fermenter, gave it a good stir and closed it back up.
Cut to the chase I return home after 17 days..21 days in the fermenter, Im really expecting a putrid mess. Hmm doesnt look too bad and smells OK, tastes pretty damn good, take a gravity reading and its 1.015 vice the recipe FG of 1.013. I almost didnt believe the hydrometer, somewhere in those three weeks the yeast came to life. So its racked to my secondary and I'll likely be bottling later this week.
![Mug :mug: :mug:](https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/smilies/sdrinking-100-154.gif)
Lesson learned: When the old timers here say never throw out a batch and RDWHAHB believe it.
Then I waited and waited and then waited some more. Took a gravity reading and it hadnt budged after three days. I read and re-read the Fermentation can take 24 to 72 hrs to show visible signs and Think you ruined your beer? Set your fears aside! threads. I kept checking here on what to do but didnt post for fear of Revvy scolding me to RDWHAHB. I thought for sure my yeast was dead as it had shipped on one of the hottest Florida days and the ice pack was warm when I finally opened the package.
On the fourth day I had to leave on an extended two and half week business trip. I was very tempted to re-pitch the yeast from my other kit a WLP001 but assumed it was bad too as it came in the same shipment. I seriously thought of dumping the wort as I didnt want the thing stinking up the basement and incurring the wrath of SWMBO. I decided to open up the fermenter, gave it a good stir and closed it back up.
Cut to the chase I return home after 17 days..21 days in the fermenter, Im really expecting a putrid mess. Hmm doesnt look too bad and smells OK, tastes pretty damn good, take a gravity reading and its 1.015 vice the recipe FG of 1.013. I almost didnt believe the hydrometer, somewhere in those three weeks the yeast came to life. So its racked to my secondary and I'll likely be bottling later this week.
![Mug :mug: :mug:](https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/smilies/sdrinking-100-154.gif)
Lesson learned: When the old timers here say never throw out a batch and RDWHAHB believe it.