how long until fermentation starts?

[h2dk]

Friday night I brewed a wheat beer and activated my wyeast pack ~6:00 pm. By midnight there was zero expansion in the yeast pack. By morning the yeast pack had expanded to about half of its capable size, but I didn't have time to wait on it (I wa heading out of town). I went ahead and pitched it then. Now it has been over 24 hrs since I pitched and still no activity on the air lock.

I know the common answer here is "wait it out", but how long do you wait? Not that I really have any options as my LHBS is closed today and I don't have any yeast available (well I have some in the fridge from a porter that I did, but not the proper yeast for a wheat beer).

What if tomorrow morning there is still no activity? Still wait? I had planned on reusing this yeast for a 2nd batch of wheat.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I predict you should see air-lock activity today.

However, you won't be able to harvest and reuse the yeast until next weekend after you rack to the secondary...sorry.

 

[h2dk]

However, you won't be able to harvest and reuse the yeast until next weekend after you rack to the secondary...sorry.

No, I realize that, I guess my point is, I was trying to save some $$ by only buying one pack of yeast...It will be a little disheartening (plus my wife might not be so happy) if I end up spending another $7 on a yeast pack. I am trying to bring my cost/batch down and reusing yeast seamed like the best way w/o going to dry yeast.

There is an inch or so of foam at the top of the bucket (wheats tend to have a lot more blow off, so I won't move it to a carboy until secondary) so there is some hope.

I though I had a bad packet of yeast because it took so long to activate, normally in a few hours I notice the package expanding.

 

[Lou]

There is an inch or so of foam at the top of the bucket

this is fermentation.
i don't think you have any problem.
maybe re-check the seal on your bucket if your airlock isn't bubbling still...

 

[h2dk]

no need to panic. My air lock is "wierd". I had forgotten, a couple months ago I had a beer with some foam and no activity in the air lock (I had used dry yeast then). I removed the air lock and stopper and put it back in and it started going nuts. I just tried that with this batch, and sure enough I now have bubbles in the sairlock.

Maybe it just need some "fresh" air?

The wife will be happy, she was wanting a berry wheat ready as soon as she delivered (baby is due June 17th)...this should be kegged and ready to go just in time.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Sounds like everything is going OK.

 

[burnsy]

I am using dry yeast and i added the packet to my wart this morning (9:00am) its 5:30 now and still no activity in my airlock this seems odd to me, did I screw up by not adding the packet of yeast to water before adding it to the wart

 

[boo boo]

If you used the yeast that came "under" the lid of a can of extract, then it may be that the yeast is no good. If you don't rehydrate dry yeast properly you do more harm to the yeast than just dry pitching.
It may take a day to get yeast going on under aerated wort so hang in there and wait until tomorrow morning and check it then. In the meantime it wouldn't hurt to pitch a fresh packet of yeast on top of the wort if you see no activity in your airlock and no krausen is visable on top of your wort..
How warm is your wort? What type/name of dry yeast did you use?
And is there a positive seal on your fermenter, ie: is gas escaping around a faulty fitting bucket rim?

 

[burnsy]

I am using dry yeast and i added the packet to my wart this morning (9:00am) its 5:30 now and still no activity in my airlock this seems odd to me, did I screw up by not adding the packet of yeast to water before adding it to the wart

 

[burnsy]

My wort is at 70 deg. it was a packet of muntons yeast. you say another packet wont hurt? and should I disolve it in a third of a cup of water before adding to the wort?

 

[burnsy]

oh and what is krausen?
ps thanks for helping

 

[boo boo]

Just sprinkle it over the wort without rehydrating it.
Krausen is the foam/gunk that rises to the top of the wort when fermentation has begun.

 

[Kaiser]

However, you won't be able to harvest and reuse the yeast until next weekend after you rack to the secondary...sorry.

If you are fermenting in a bucket, you could harvest yeast by skimming the Kraeusen. For many top fermenting beers, this will be the most active yeast you can find. Make sure you sanitize the spoon well.

Kai