Help first time using White Labs yeast

[franklinswheat]

Ok, so 4 days ago I brewed a batch of Agave Wheat extract kit from AHS. I opted for the white labs wit strain yeast upgrade. I was advised to make a starter from people on here, (which i did not because i am a savage) although the brewing instructions did not suggest it, and now 4 days later no signs of fermentation. I understand that no bubbles from air-lock does not necessary indicate that fermentation is not occurring, but when i opened the bucket up no sign of anything. I re-agitated my wort yesterday. My major concern is that i live in upstate new york and the yeast arrived, as I have read several other people having the same issue, with an unfrozen ice pack and room temperature yeast. i then had the yeast in my fridge for about 3 days before brewing and pitching without a starter. I am concerned that the yeasties didnt make it from austin. To sum up, how long should i wait before I re-pitch with some additional yeast from my local HBS?

 

[Gregscsu]

4 days and no fermentation?

Take a hydro reading if it is still close to the OG, repitch ASAP with a similar strain from the LHBS.

 

[likwidbliss]

+1 to take a hydro reading.

I live in Western upstate NY and I order almost everything from AHS. I have had no issue with liquid yeast from them. I have added liquid yeast without a starter, it took about 4 days to begin.

If you need to repitch I suggest Nottingham.

 

[sfyeti]

I have had a similar issue to yours-It took the White Labs six days to start lowering the gravity (I don't use starters either). But it turned out it just needed a couple days to get kick-started. make sure your wort is well aerated and maybe move it to a warmer place (if it is in a cold location). otherwise, you might have to repitch.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Check the gravity. If you have no activity, shake the **** out of the fermenter to aerate the wort. Seriously shake it up for at least 10 minutes to seriously aerate it.

Give it another day, then check gravity again. If you have zero activity, you will need to repitch.

I would bet your underpitching was more of an issue than the heat the yeast traveled in. There should have at least been a few viable yeast cells that would have made the trip and could have reproduced in a smaller setting, i.e. a starter, that would have allowed you to properly pitch.

 

[bmckee56]

I have a Belgian Wit working now and I used a starter with the WLP-400 yeast I purchased from my LHBS. The starter was good and healthy, I pitched it into the wort and did not see any activity in the airlock for 3 days. Toaday it is perking away as I had hoped it would. My experience with WLP-400 is it is slow to show activity, but that does not mean it ain't working.

A gravity reading will definately give you more information as mentioned above by others.

Good Luck!

Salute!

 

[Gtrfrk182]

i also have a white labs liquid yeast on the way from ahs. i would like to make a starter but i dont have the proper equpment for it. is there any kind of cheap way i can do this one time? like make it in a cup and cover with tin foil?

 

[arover]

i also have a white labs liquid yeast on the way from ahs. i would like to make a starter but i dont have the proper equpment for it. is there any kind of cheap way i can do this one time? like make it in a cup and cover with tin foil?

For my first year and a half of brewing before I bought an Erlenmeyer flask, I always used to boil my word in a small pot, cool it in a larger pot, and pour it into a plastic gallon water jug used for spring water. Pitch yeast, cover it in foil, shake up a ton, you have a starter. Costed me $1.20, lasted me forever

 

[Gtrfrk182]

do you use some DME or LME from the kit you buy? or additional? and how much water did you use?
sounds great though thanks!

 

[arover]

It depends on the starter size. Different gravities call for different starters for healthy fermentation. You can calculate all this stuff using http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html and there's some great info about making starters among other things there. Great resource to bookmark. Anyways, if you have a food scale you can be precise and weigh your malt extract (I have to bust out the "How to Brew" to remember how much) , or something like 1/2 cup DME per 1/2 pint water (I'll have to look it up). You'll want to use DME separate from the kit. I always have an extra few pounds laying around just for starters.

 

[franklinswheat]

Thanks everybody for the help. I actually contacted my local homebrew store for additional yeast.. when to my surprise on the end of day 4 visible fermentation.. guess it takes a little longer than dry yeast without a starter to get moving..

 

[Jewrican]

i would expect to see something visually that pointed to a fermentation.

I would repitch... make sure you oxygenate well.