No sign of fermentation 11hrs after pitching Wyeast 1010 American Wheat

[HoppyMcHopFace]

Hello fellow brewers,

I am currently making a very hop-forward wheat beer with the following recipe:

5Gal water
2 packets of mangrove jacks wheat LME
20g ekuanot @ 15m
80g ekuanot @ flameout and wort at 80degC
30g crushed sweet orange peel @ 10m
25g crushed coriander seeds @ 10m
1 packet of Wyeast 1010 American Wheat (expiration Nov 2021)

Pitched @ 18.7 Deg C, OG: 1.037, IBU: 20
In temperature controlled fridge set at @ 18.5C

I smacked the yeast packet 4hrs or so before pitching according to the instructions on the back which say it's recommended to activate the yeast a few hours before pitching (3hrs+). I heard the yeast bubbling in the packet, so I can probably assume it wasn't dead yeast.
I oxygenated by simply sloshing the wort around for a few minutes before pitching, so nothing super fancy here.

I checked on the fermentation this morning and didn't see any krausen or foam or any sign of fermentation at all! I also made a gravity reading which also hasn't changed in 11hrs since pitching the yeast. The temperature of the sample read 18.7DegC, same as when I pitched the yeast.

Could it be that the yeast is very old? Should I get a new packet of yeast or wait a bit longer?
Many thanks for your help!

Ben

 

[schmurf]

Patience... it takes time sometimes. 24 to 36 hours isn't unheard of.

 

[HoppyMcHopFace]

OK, thanks! That's good to hear

 

[AlexKay]

It’s almost always a good idea not to check on things. The fermenter likes to stay closed.

 

[Cammanron]

Hello fellow brewers,

I am currently making a very hop-forward wheat beer with the following recipe:

5Gal water
2 packets of mangrove jacks wheat LME
20g ekuanot @ 15m
80g ekuanot @ flameout and wort at 80degC
30g crushed sweet orange peel @ 10m
25g crushed coriander seeds @ 10m
1 packet of Wyeast 1010 American Wheat (expiration Nov 2021)

Pitched @ 18.7 Deg C, OG: 1.037, IBU: 20
In temperature controlled fridge set at @ 18.5C

I smacked the yeast packet 4hrs or so before pitching according to the instructions on the back which say it's recommended to activate the yeast a few hours before pitching (3hrs+). I heard the yeast bubbling in the packet, so I can probably assume it wasn't dead yeast.
I oxygenated by simply sloshing the wort around for a few minutes before pitching, so nothing super fancy here.

I checked on the fermentation this morning and didn't see any krausen or foam or any sign of fermentation at all! I also made a gravity reading which also hasn't changed in 11hrs since pitching the yeast. The temperature of the sample read 18.7DegC, same as when I pitched the yeast.

Could it be that the yeast is very old? Should I get a new packet of yeast or wait a bit longer?
Many thanks for your help!

Ben

Try raising the temperature… I started my first Hefeweizen fermentation at 62F…. Then I read that warm ferment is actually ok … it can get you the flavour and aroma that you would want.

 

[odie]

Only 11h hours? Patience grasshopper...

 

[Gilbert Spinning Horse]

On a side note, you'll want to toss in at least 100g of hops for a dry hop if you're after a hop forward beer.

 

[J2W2]

Doesn't sound like you made a starter. You may have under-pitched, and the yeast is replicating before it starts processing the wort.

As others have said, give it some time!

 

[oakbarn]

I have done many brews where there was no airlock activity and some that were gangbusters. I used to have a label I put on my fermentor:

 

[hotbeer]

Probably the expression a watched pot never boils was a more politically correct at the time re-do of a watched fermenter never krausens.

 

[VikeMan]

Doesn't sound like you made a starter. You may have under-pitched, and the yeast is replicating before it starts processing the wort.

Just for the sake of clarity, even with a starter, the yeast in the main batch will replicate, unless the yeast was severely overpitched. (Also, the yeast is already "processing the wort" during replication. Sugars in the wort are metabolized to allow growth, i.e. exponential or log (not lag) phase growth.)

 

[jerrylotto]

The age of the yeast (best by or manufacturing date) should be on the pack. You said that you "heard it bubbling." Did the pack swell up before you opened it?