How bad did i botch this batch?

[pluchar]

Brewed a cherry wheat 2 days ago. NB kit and then it added in a can of Oregon dark cherries in syrup to the last 10 of the boil and another can during the cooling.

The cans ingredients were just cherries, water, and syrup.

On several occasions so far, I have watched the airlock for several minutes and there has yet to be activity. Should I be worried about the additions messing with the yeast? Repitch? Thanks for the advice.

 

[ny101]

Are you using plastic buckets? It sounds like you have a leak of some sort. I would check a sample with the hydrometer, since this is most reliable way to tell if fermentation is happening.

 

[pluchar]

It is in plastic. The bucket had been used blindly once before with no issue, but I didn't think to double check that the seal is on good and tight. I'll see if that's the issue when I get home.

As for the syrup addition, is it possible that could have a negative effect on the yeast? Even kill it?

 

[Trox]

I wouldn't think the syrup would harm the yeast, if anything it would give them even more fermentable sugars to munch on. If it came from a can then all of that was probably pasturerized prior to sealing so should cause an infection; even if they weren't wort would have been hot enough to kill off any baddies that was in the can.

 

[pluchar]

So best to wait and see?

 

[MonsterBrew]

Definitely best to wait and see in my opinion.

Another possibility is preservatives in the cherries, though you mentioned there were none listed. I second ny101 and would strongly recommend that you use a hydrometer to check for fermentation. Even if you didnt take an initial reading, take one now and again in a couple days to know what's going on. Don't forget to calibrate for temperature.

 

[libeerty]

The airlock isn't a gauge of fermentation. Yes, sometimes, even often, it appears that way, but it isn't. If you pitched enough healthy yeast it will be fine. Check gravity a bit down the road.

 

[pluchar]

Yea, I know not to rely on the airlock to tell me. I just wasn't sure if there was any info about the effect the syrup may have on the process. I have never used canned fruit before and was not quite sure what to expect or if I had butchered it from the get go.

 

[justkev52]

Brewed a cherry wheat 2 days ago. NB kit and then it added in a can of Oregon dark cherries in syrup to the last 10 of the boil and another can during the cooling.

The cans ingredients were just cherries, water, and syrup.

On several occasions so far, I have watched the airlock for several minutes and there has yet to be activity. Should I be worried about the additions messing with the yeast? Repitch? Thanks for the advice.

It should start airlock activity again in the secondary. I like to spin the carboy every day for a week or so to rouse the fruit and yeast.

 

[WissaBrewGuy]

Fructose (fruit sugar) is yeasts favorite glucose chain and they will eat it before even messing with the grain sugars. Yeast love fruit! You are probably fine, just wait a while, check the seal, and your beer will be fine.