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.
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.
Lesson learned: When the old timers here say never throw out a batch and RDWHAHB believe it.
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