Okay, It's been 68 hours....

[TheBone]

no signs of fermentation. Wheat beer. 6.6 lbs Coopers Wheat LME, 1 oz bittering hops, 1 oz finishing hops 1/3 oz irish moss. Wyeast 3068.

I think I got a bad batch of yeast. Temps were correct at pitching.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Did your smack-pack inflate? Was a starter used?

 

[bradsul]

Did your smack-pack inflate? Was a starter used?

+1

Give the primary a good swirl (swirl, not shake) and then check your gravity tomorrow. If there is no action by then, it's time to think about pitching more yeast.

 

[The Bone2]

The smack pack did inflate slightly. After I pitched the yeast, I could tell the smack pack was still in there, so I cut open the Wyeast exterior pack. It appeared as if there were actually (2) interior packs which were tabbed together, and one of them had opened, but the other had not. I pitched that as well into my wort.

No, no starter was used.

I am going to begin using starters on my next batch, and based on this experience, I can tell you I plan on doing it from now on.

 

[malkore]

Ok, it swelled a little, so something was still alive inside. for future reference, the inside cellophane bag is actually the yeast nutrient/energizer, the yeast is in the outer pack.

starters are a big benefit, but so is good aeration. are you using any kind of airstone or oxygen system? either a DIY airpump or a commercial SS stone w/ oxygen regulator is worth it. pure O2 just takes a lot less time to apply.
aeration is the idea behind stir-plates for starters. it works (to an extent) when underpitching yeast into the full batch as well.
as I understand it yeast will only reproduce so much, and they also need oxygen for that part of their life cycle.
so plenty of aeration helps them reproduce as much as nature allows. it can add a bit of lag time, but seems to finish in a week and attenuates pretty well.

back to my pint!

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

Check it with a hydrometer if you have one, I just had a recent batch that seemed like it never fermented, no krausen, airlock didn't bubble, etc. etc.... Checked the gravity a week later and bam! it was where my projected FG should have been. Sample tasted awesome and everything, the fermentation just decided to sneak around on me and do the deed behind my back...

 

[videoman]

In the past I've had succes in this situation by heating up the fermintation bucket to 75 degrees or so..... fill a sink full of hot watter and put the bucket in it. Usually it only took a few minutes for the bubbles to start in the air lock.

It just needed a little shot of heat and it was off. Certainly an easy experiment before introducing more yeast. Good luck.

 

[VermVerm]

+1

Give the primary a good swirl (swirl, not shake) and then check your gravity tomorrow. If there is no action by then, it's time to think about pitching more yeast.

I always have shaken...Thinking that I would get more air in the wort and that would help the activity. Are you thinking that Bacteria or something could have formed on the lid?
Just wondering why no Shaking.
Verm

 

[Brewer3401]

Maybe you just have a bad seal. If the smack pack inflated, there is activity. Check your gravity and if it's substantially lower, you're ok.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Did you sneak a peak inside your bucket to see if there's any visible signs of fermentation? As other have mentioned, a lid that's not sealed properly will relieve pressure that would normally be coming out of your airlock.

 

[The Bone2]

was a rubber stopper with the standard three piece airlock. It was as tight as any other brew I've done.

I went ahead and pitched one packet of Muntons about two hours ago. It appears there is a bit of activity going on around the edge. I'll keep you posted.

PS. The guy at the LHBS said it is not uncommon to get a bad batch of yeast. He says that nobody likes to admit it, but that it does happen.

 

[bradsul]

I always have shaken...Thinking that I would get more air in the wort and that would help the activity. Are you thinking that Bacteria or something could have formed on the lid?
Just wondering why no Shaking.
Verm

You want to shake before your pitch the yeast if that is your method of aeration, there's nothing wrong with that. Once the yeast is pitched however you don't want to oxygenate the wort. The purpose of the swirling in this case is simply to rouse some yeast off the bottom back into suspension and get them munching on sugars again.

 

[sirsloop]

PS. The guy at the LHBS said it is not uncommon to get a bad batch of yeast. He says that nobody likes to admit it, but that it does happen.

Strange! If you saw the smack pack inflate then It wasn't a bad batch of yeast. Lol... what was the expiration date on the yeast? Maybe it was old so the number of viable cells was real low causing massive lag time. FYI, I haven't had a bad batch of yeast yet, liquid or dry.

 

[PseudoChef]

The only way to know is to use a hydrometer. You can't tell from airlock activity alone.

 

[TheBone]

within hours following my pitching of the dry yeast.