Lazy Yeast...or the vial wasn't good....you decide!

[jongrill]

Yesterday I brewed a one gallon Brooklyn Brew Shop Grapefruit Honey Ale (minus the grapefruit). Brewing went well so I pitched half a vial of White Labs California Ale yeast and put it in the closet.


It's been 42 hours and nothing is bubbling through the blow off tube.

I bought the vial of yeast about a month ago and did not have time to brew as I thought I would so it sat in the fridge until yesterday morning. The best before date read September of 2013 so I thought I was in the clear.


Thoughts? Suggestions?


Thanks!

 

[freisste]

I've never used white labs yeast (don't ask me what my preoccupation with smack packs is, I don't know), so this may be out of left field. Did you shake the vial? I would think the yeast would settle and if you only pitched half, you may not have pitched much yeast. Maybe only 10-20 billion cells or so. Couple that with the fact that the yeast was a little old (best by September probably means produced in March? Maybe I'm off there...), and maybe you pitched less than 10billion cells.

Or more likely everything is fine and you have nothing to worry about. Remember, clear signs of fermentation can take up to 72 hours to become apparent. You may also just have a leak that allows off gassing without going through your airlock.

 

[jongrill]

I've never used white labs yeast (don't ask me what my preoccupation with smack packs is, I don't know), so this may be out of left field. Did you shake the vial? I would think the yeast would settle and if you only pitched half, you may not have pitched much yeast. Maybe only 10-20 billion cells or so. Couple that with the fact that the yeast was a little old (best by September probably means produced in March? Maybe I'm off there...), and maybe you pitched less than 10billion cells.

Or more likely everything is fine and you have nothing to worry about. Remember, clear signs of fermentation can take up to 72 hours to become apparent. You may also just have a leak that allows off gassing without going through your airlock.

Definitely shook the vial! I know the yeast was old but I'm not sure when it was produced.

The waiting game continues!

 

[jongrill]

So here's a question...if it DID stall...what's the next step? Pitch again?

 

[freisste]

So here's a question...if it DID stall...what's the next step? Pitch again?

Step 1. RDWHAHB for the next 30 hours or so. Again, fermentation can take 72 hours to get going.

If it is in a carboy, take a look for other signs of fermentation (krausen, etc.).

Worst case you pitched no effective yeast (pretty unlikely). If this is the case, you will need to pitchers yeast. But do NOT do this in the next 24 hours. Many brews have been ruined by being "fixed."

You could also give us some more specifics in the recipe/process. Yeast strain, recipe, AG/PM/AE, mash temps (if applicable), pitch temp, current temp, target OG and FG.

 

[jongrill]

Step 1. RDWHAHB for the next 30 hours or so. Again, fermentation can take 72 hours to get going.

If it is in a carboy, take a look for other signs of fermentation (krausen, etc.).

Worst case you pitched no effective yeast (pretty unlikely). If this is the case, you will need to pitchers yeast. But do NOT do this in the next 24 hours. Many brews have been ruined by being "fixed."

You could also give us some more specifics in the recipe/process. Yeast strain, recipe, AG/PM/AE, mash temps (if applicable), pitch temp, current temp, target OG and FG.

Don't worry...home brew will be had!

It is in a bucket so I can't look for krausen. I wont re pitch of I have to until Friday....that would be 5 days.

The recipe was Brooklyn Brew Shop's 1 gallon Grape Fruit Honey Ale. As far as I know they don't give OG/FG specifics. I didn't take an OG....I should of...

I mashed for 60 minutes at 160.

Current temp is hovering around 72.

 

[Bookworm]

I think the best used by date equates to when they become teenagers, so yes they are probably lazy and sleeping in tell noon. Probably just need to give them a swift kick in the butt and monitor closely.

 

[funnycreature]

Don't worry...home brew will be had!

It is in a bucket so I can't look for krausen. I wont re pitch of I have to until Friday....that would be 5 days.

Sure you can open the bucket; I do that all the time (well, whenever necessary) because my airlock doesn't like to bubble. Just make sure you wipe the rim down with sanitizer before opening. You don't even need to lift the entire lid, just enough to peek in.

 

[jongrill]

Checked again guys... No fermentation to be had. I'm going to pick up another vial of yeast today and pitch tomorrow.


Anything I need to know about repitching?

 

[judsonp]

If you have to repitch anyway, you might want to consider making a starter for it.

 

[jongrill]

If you have to repitch anyway, you might want to consider making a starter for it.

Oh! I've never made a started before!

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

Have you taken a gravity reading to confirm that it's not just finished? Sometimes fermentations that aren't that vigorous won't look like they've really run their course even if they have. I have a 3% kvass/brown porter that I'm drinking now that left only a teeny tiny ring of schmutz on the inside of my fermenter, and definitely didn't blow much of anything out of the blowoff.

You underpitched a bit with this batch (assuming you shook the vial to ensure a homogenous mix). That means 59billion cells (or thereabout). For a 1 gallon batch of 1.057 beer (dug around the internet for folks that have made this) you need approximately 39 billion cells and your half a vial should have given you 29.5 billion cells. You can take the remaining half a vial and make up a starter and make a starter which should give you more than sufficient cells to ferment that beer. However, as I've stated above, I'd do a gravity sample first.

For calculating starter sizes you can use such sites as:
yeastcalc.com
http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/

They're all great resources.

 

[fuzzy2133]

The best before date read September of 2013 so I thought I was in the clear.
Thanks!

Yes the vial was filled in March.

I agree with possible under pitched or it is done/moving slow.

If the vial was shipped to you was an ice pack included?

 

[jongrill]

Finally had a chance to open my fermenter(bucket). No stall... There was krausen. I suppose I under pitched! I'm just going to let it do its thing for a few weeks!

 

[jongrill]

Yes the vial was filled in March.

I agree with possible under pitched or it is done/moving slow.

If the vial was shipped to you was an ice pack included?

I buy my ingredients local. Bought the vial and was given an ice pack for the 10 minute journey home.