I'm having problems with fermentation starting on an extract batch and hope someone here can help. I'm relatively new to brewing, having done only 4 all-grain 1 gallon batches. I upscaled my equipment and received a free pale ale extract kit. I never brewed extract, nor plan to, but I figured why waste the kit.
So I followed the crappy instructions and after 1 week (almost) nothing. The well known but shall remain nameless mail-order outfit I ordered from had zero helpful advise. So here are the details:
So I followed the crappy instructions and after 1 week (almost) nothing. The well known but shall remain nameless mail-order outfit I ordered from had zero helpful advise. So here are the details:
- Nothing for 2 days but on the 3rd day the inside of the airlock rose overnight. No bubbling evident nor anything through 5th day. I'm fermenting in the 6 gallon pail I just ordered. It is sealed tight (see next bullet).
- On advise of the mail-order outfit, I open the bucket lid on day 5 to see if there is any kreusen, which there wasn't any. The lid was a pain to get off and on super tight.
- I took a reading using both a refractometer and hydrometer (a belt & suspenders approach since the refractometer is new). The gravity reading is the same as the OG reading: 1053. (Per instructions the OG should have been between 1030 - 1040.)
- Yesterday, day 6, I pitched new yeast (Muntons Ale Dry Yeast, same as what came with the extract kit) along with 1/4 teaspoon of yeast energizer. (The yeast energizer seemed to be advice shared on many different forums for stuck fermentations.)
- The only 'deviations' from the instructions on brew day were (1) altered hop schedule (@ 30 minutes rather than @ 60 minutes), and (2) steeping the specialty grains for 20 minutes since the instructions stated 10-20 minutes.