Repitch yeast?

[impatient one]

I made a imperial stout kit, pitched yeast on Friday. There is no foam head as of last night. I won't be able to check it until Saturday coming up. If no fermentation after measuring gravity, can I just repitch yeast? And if so, does it need to be the same, or can I pitch another kind I have extra?
Original used was safe ale 05. I have safe ale 04.
Thanks In advance

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

What temp did you pitch at and what temp is the fermenter currently? US05 is pretty bulletproof so I'd be surprised if it has an issue, however you mention it's an imperial stout, what was your OG and is it a 5 gallon batch? Might need 2 packs to start with.

 

[IslandLizard]

At what temperature(s) are you keeping the fermenter?
A steady temp would be best.

 

[impatient one]

Pitched at about 70ish its in my basement on concrete next to my a/c. Not that it's running. Lol. Guessing temp is about 68. Og was 1.110. Not sure why except that I sparged and the instructions didn't say to do it. Supposed to be 1.070-1.080. It's a 5 gallon batch. Only thing I can think is I got a higher og than planned?

 

[IslandLizard]

Guessing temp is about 68.

That's a good temp for US-05, and S-04. You want to ferment low and slow, including big beers.

Given the high gravity of 1.110, I would certainly pitch that 2nd pack, S-04, if that's what you have on hand, yes.

Og was 1.110. Not sure why except that I sparged and the instructions didn't say to do it. Supposed to be 1.070-1.080. It's a 5 gallon batch. Only thing I can think is I got a higher og than planned?

Depending on your brew system, sparging can make quite the difference in increasing efficiency, with very little effort. Also, boiling wort longer exponentially increases gravity, especially noticeable with higher gravity worts.

When taking gravity readings, make sure the sample represents the batch.

 

[impatient one]

Keeping in mind it's a kit. It's not all grain. So there's lme, dme, plus specialty grains. I did extend the steeping time by like 15 minutes. Added all items at the specified times. In previous kits I just let it drip until it stops. This time I sparged until it ran almost clear. Added it to the wort and boiled. Cooled to 70ish. Added cold water to fill 5 gallons (maybe a gallon). Measured og, I thought I was wrong, but originally Measured 1.130. (I put 1.110 because that seemed more reasonable) and pitched the yeast. I normally see bubbles in 24 hours. This time, nothing after 48. Because it was a kit, I figured old yeast. Evidently not? Higher ogs requires more yeast? It's black as night and smell great.

 

[IslandLizard]

Keeping in mind it's a kit. It's not all grain.

There are all grain kits too...

Extract kits generally yield the advertised gravity at their intended volume. Unless there was an extra bag or can of malt extract present, you can't be that far off.
Can you link to the kit?

What did you use to measure the gravity?
And at what point in the process?

I figured old yeast.

Dry yeast stays fine for years as long as it's handled and stored correctly.
There's use-by-date on the package.

Higher ogs requires more yeast?

Yes, they certainly do!
One 11.5 gram pouch is good for 5 gallons of up to 1.060 wort.
For 5 gallons of 1.110-1.020 wort 2 packs are needed, since it's (almost) double the gravity.

 

[impatient one]

Measured with a hydrometer. (Probably not the best). After the boil and cooling. I just start brewing about a year ago, maybe less. So when I had success on the first couple, I bookmarked several I would like to try. Someone got ahold of my list and I got them as gifts for fathers day and birthday. I want to transition to all grain, but I'm going to have to hold off for a while. Lol. I'm adding a pic of kit ingredients.

 

[mac_1103]

It's basically not possible to get extra gravity points from an extract kit. Unless you supplemented it with some additional fermentables. Extra time, sparging and squeezing the steeping grains won't do that. If your volume really is 5 gallons then your gravity has to be pretty close to the 1.080 they advertise.

 

[impatient one]

I'll agree. I still trying to figure out the science of this. So....back to my original question. Pitch a second yeast, or just wait it out?

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Yeah, pitch the second pack of yeast... as for the high og, seems something is off there, not sure what, not enough water or more extract or other sugar addition that the recipe didn't call for... but that's a significant difference so, maybe you read the hydrometer incorrectly, or the test jar wasn't filled enough and the hydrometer was resting on the bottom of the test jar giving you an high reading, dark beer so maybe you didn't notice it hitting the bottom?

 

[impatient one]

I suppose that's possible. Thanks for the help. Really appreciate it

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

If you followed the recipe and read the hydrometer correctly that's the only thing I can think of.

 

[wdavis2003]

You probably didn't add enough water. And if you ever do measure the SG (accurately) and it's higher than expected you can add more water to get the expected SG. 5.25 - 5.5 gallons of wort in the fermenter will probably yield 5g in the keg.

 

[IslandLizard]

maybe you read the hydrometer incorrectly, or the test jar wasn't filled enough and the hydrometer was resting on the bottom of the test jar giving you an high reading, dark beer so maybe you didn't notice it hitting the bottom?

That may very well explain it, an excellent probability analysis!

Measured with a hydrometer. (Probably not the best).

You can easily check and verify it's accuracy. Gravity readings within 2 points are usually close enough for homebrewing.
Can you post a picture of your hydrometer?

Be very careful handling, cleaning and placing it. They tend to roll of tables, countertops, or break in the sink. Alway lie them on a towel or other piece of cloth, and store in their tube when done. Make sure the bottom of the storage tube can't drop out. Tape it down!