No-start with WLP500, what do?

[triode]

Hi all,

First post on the forums here. Just bottled my first batch of cider recently, a pretty simple dry cider dosed up with dextrose and fermented with Red Star Cote des Blancs. I was really happy with the results so I figured I would try a drier interpretation of Crispin's "The Saint" with Trappist ale yeast.

I got six gallons of local, unfiltered, unpasteurized cider on Saturday. In a sterilized primary I added six campden tablets, two teaspoons of LD Carlson acid blend, six teaspoons of pectic enzyme and 1 1/4 tsp Scottlab extra riche tannin and about 2.5 pounds of dextrose. This combination had yielded a pretty tasty product using identical cider in my first batch. OG was 1.074 and it finished out to about 0.998 with the Cotes.

I let this sit in the primary for 24 hours. I let the WLP500 (expiration date Nov 25 2012) sit on the counter for a few hours, then added it to 500 mL of a 10:1 dextrose solution at about 100 F. This is how I'd made a starter for the Cotes a few weeks ago and I didn't read about doing a longer, stronger starter on White Labs' website. No activity in the starter after about four and a half hours so I pitched it into the primary.

It's been three days, there's no primary activity. Primary has been sitting at about 68 F plus or minus a few degrees. A second SG test showed it's sitting at 1.074, taste test reveals no yeast taste at all.

I've read that WLP500 is slow to start, but I doubt I'll get any activity out of this. I think I had a combination of a weak/old culture, too much SO2, and not enough time in the starter.

I've ordered two more vials of WLP500 from a different vendor and will hopefully have them by Friday. Should I add some more Campden to the primary to keep the cider from oxidizing or getting funky? Move to a warmer spot and hope it goes bang? I don't have enough fridge space to chill the cider, but I'm worried about it going south and oxidizing or something before I can get fresh yeast in there. Push comes to shove, I have a few packets of Cotes left but I would really like to try fermenting with the Trappist yeast.

Any thoughts or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ColbyJack]

RDWHAHB...
Relax. Just wait. Give it a swirl every now and then. I think it will take off.

 

[hellpatrol]

if that hasnt started yet it might not ever.. no fridge space, you could fill a big plastic bin of some sort with ice water and keep feeding it ice to keep the cider cold. personally i would be worried about it spoiling having sat out for days

 

[ColbyJack]

I still believe it will start. There may be remnants of the campden that is slowing everything down. Have faith in those yeasties!!!

 

[kroach01]

I have had this problem with 500. Give it more time and keep vigorously stirring it. It took four days for me last time I used it.

 

[triode]

Thanks for the responses, all! It finally started today... my wife gave the fermenter a shake around noon and saw some bubbles. I gave it a shake when I got home and was rewarded by some foaming up through the airlock. Smells awesome!

Kroach, when you used this yeast was it in cider? If so, what were your results like?

 

[ColbyJack]

Yes!!! Congrats! Let us know how it turns out.

 

[kroach01]

No it was a Trappist ale. I think 500 in a cider should definitely give it a unique taste!! Let us know how it comes out! What a great idea.

It took forever to start and forever to finish, though the OG was 1.075 and FG 1.015. It seems to be a common phenomenon. Four days to start, 2.5 weeks to hit FG for me. Though this yeast seems to prefer mid 70s and even higher, could have been me fermenting at 70.
My Trappist is just now tasting great, and it has been about 2.5 months. It was honestly undrinkable initially but really is tasting great now. So if its really weird for you a month after give it some more time. Keep us updated!

 

[triode]

Just wanted to give everyone an update. The cider finished primary in about 3 weeks and I let it sit another 2 before racking. After racking, I noticed a leak in my fermenter... which soon turned into a gusher when the spigot broke off whilst trying to tighten it to fix the leak. I ended up losing about 3/4 gallon of my 6 gallon batch. I hit it with campden to fight any infection possibility and let everything settle out for about a week and a half. Bottled with red star Champagne yeast and sufficient dextrose for 3 volumes of CO2.

The end result is a relatively tart, very dry cider with really interesting esters. The longer ferment gave me more apple flavor and I'm going to be interested to see how this one ages. I wish I could have carbed it straight off the WLP500, but I may try next year (or soon if I can get my hands on any more cider). In the future I'll skip adding the extra dextrose since 10% is a little heavy (people have been complaining!)

Edit: with the WLP500 I was able to finish out at 0.998 from about 1.074.