No start on octoberfest

[Talbotway]

So I used a Midwest extract kit for octoberfest . I was carefull and sterile on everything that touched my beer. I used the wyeast 2630 smack PAC which never swelled( but I read that's not a bad sign). I pitched at 70* and cooled in my garage slowly to its resting temp of 52*. My SG 1.063. I've had no activity for 3days and I opened the lid to see the same beautiful color I had when I aerated before pitching the yeast but absolutely no foam.

My question is this,,, I only have mail order for supplies so do I still have time to order and pitch 2 more wyeast packs or will the beer be to old to keep?

I'm on the fence of starting over or attempting to fix.

Since this incident. I know know I should have used a starter or two smakpacs but that's hind sight now . Please give any and all advice

 

[CB_in_Tokyo]

I pitched an Oktoberfest 10 days ago. My starter was WLP820 and just the starter took 48 hours to start dropping gravity points. I read that it is a very slow yeast. I was trying to find out if 2630 was the same strain, but I can't find any reference to wyeast 2630. If it is the same strain, you might be in for a longer wait.

 

[Talbotway]

I had a typo,, wyeast 2633. I wasn't to concerned as I have read a lot of lagering has slow starts but most say there should be yeast foam on the surface and mine is clean.

 

[Kingbogart]

The temperature you're at for that yeast seems to be correct. Are you able to take a hydrometer reading? Seeing if the SG is changing is going to be a pretty clear way to tell if it's working. I've had entire batches go with no bubbling, foaming, or krausen but the gravity was still dropping.

 

[flars]

So I used a Midwest extract kit for octoberfest . I was carefull and sterile on everything that touched my beer. I used the wyeast 2630 smack PAC which never swelled( but I read that's not a bad sign). I pitched at 70* and cooled in my garage slowly to its resting temp of 52*. My SG 1.063. I've had no activity for 3days and I opened the lid to see the same beautiful color I had when I aerated before pitching the yeast but absolutely no foam.

My question is this,,, I only have mail order for supplies so do I still have time to order and pitch 2 more wyeast packs or will the beer be to old to keep?

I'm on the fence of starting over or attempting to fix.

Since this incident. I know know I should have used a starter or two smakpacs but that's hind sight now . Please give any and all advice

You have under pitched your lager very severely. Let it sit cold until you can get more yeast. Use this calculator to determine how many billions of cells to pitch.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/

 

[BigFloyd]

How old was the smack pack?

Did you oxygenate the wort?

Please be aware that lagers require TWICE the pitch rate vs. ales. For a lager of 1.063 OG, one super-fresh smack pack with no starter (at best 100 billion cells) is a severe underpitch in wort that should have gotten at least 456 billion cells, preferably 530 billion.

The effects of underpitching yeast and/or not sufficiently oxygenating wort (when using liquid yeast) are:

- Longer lag time, sometimes much longer.
- Off-flavors due to yeast stress
- Failure to fully attenuate

At this point, I think the best course of action to rescue the batch would be to rehydrate and pitch three 11 gram packets of dry lager yeast. Leave it at 52*F to ferment.

 

[Talbotway]

Ok,, so I had come to the conclusion that I under pitched but I thought I would have seen something. And I didn't think I was that far under. Ok. So if it'll hold I'll order three more packs since starter time prob isn't on my side.

I'll run and take a reading right now

Thanks for the quick replies

 

[BigFloyd]

Ok,, so I had come to the conclusion that I under pitched but I thought I would have seen something. And I didn't think I was that far under. Ok. So if it'll hold I'll order three more packs since starter time prob isn't on my side.

I'll run and take a reading right now

Thanks for the quick replies

I'd hold off on getting a reading or doing anything else that would expose that wort/beer to outside air or other possible avenues of contamination. How long will it take you to get the 3 packs of dry?

 

[Talbotway]

I'm hoping two days. I just ordered 4 packs. I also just got a reading,,, it's at 1.70. Not sure how it got higher,,,, so I will not open it again,, You think three more days is still ok. That'll make 6 ?

 

[BigFloyd]

I'm hoping two days. I just ordered 4 packs. I also just got a reading,,, it's at 1.70. Not sure how it got higher,,,, so I will not open it again,, You think three more days is still ok. That'll make 6 ?

It'll have to be unless you have a LHBS within driving distance.

 

[Talbotway]

So when the yeast gets here should I try aerating again or just pitch right on top?