Safe ale 05 question

[matthammill]

OK, newbie here I made my first batch Friday night, the honey amber ale from Midwest supplies. Sprinkled yeast on top with temperature at 70 degrees. It has been 33 hours and I have seen no activity in the airlock. I poured the wort from kettle to fermentation pale about 10 times to aerate, then sprinkled yeast on top and sealed lid. Did I do something wrong? Temperature since has been at 64 degrees. Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks,matt

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[Paradingbull]

The temperatures sound fine. I usually see some activity from 05 in a few hours, but everyone gets different results. You might pop the lid for a peek, it might be working away but just a bad seal on the fermenter that is preventing any visual activity in the airlock. I have had that happen more than once. If you see some foam (krausen) forming on the top,
you are good.

 

[Kirkwooder]

Give it another day or so and if nothing happens you may want to check your gravity. If it hasn't changed, pitch a new pack of yeast. Are you using a bucket or a carboy. make sure you have a good seal on either!

In the future, rehydrate your yeast in a cup of cooled boiled water before pitching.

 

[matthammill]

Just took a peek, there is foam on top, resealed lid, jus don't want to ruin my first batch. I added water on top of the wort to make the 5 gallons. Should I have stirred the water in, or does it matter?

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[Black Island Brewer]

The reason Kirkwooder suggests rehydrating or "proofing" your yeast in water is that in the few seconds that yeast cells are rehydrating, they don't have the ability to control what is going in or out of their cell bodies, and if you rehydrate by sprinkling on the beer, even though most kit directions recommend it, it can kill up to half the viable cells. Rehydrating in water first keeps more viable cells alive. John Palmer's directions are here. You don't HAVE to proof in water, you'll still make good beer, you'll just make better beer if you do!

 

[boydster]

Rehydrate, but don't proof with sugar. Palmer took out that bit in the newer versions of his book.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Rehydrate, but don't proof with sugar. Palmer took out that bit in the newer versions of his book.

I was just coming back to post that, thanks for the catch!

 

[matthammill]

I just added one packet is this correct or should I have added two?

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[ram5ey]

One of rehydrated is usually enough. Depends on gravity though.

 

[tooldudetool]

One 11 gram packet of dry yeast properly rehydrated should contain about twice the cells of a single vial or smack pack. The correct way to rehydrate is detailed here from the manufacturer: http://www.fermentis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SFA_US05.pdf

 

[matthammill]

Great news, went to the brew store today to get a wine thief, also purchased a new lid for the term inter with an o- ring seal sanitized and put on ferminter now I can see airlock working awesome. It was leaking around the lid. Checked gravity is at 1.030 which is 4% right? Been in ferminter for right at four days now. Does this sound better now? Excited...

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[Kirkwooder]

Glad to hear it.

But your 1.030 = 4% isn't right. You need to measure your graity before you pitch your yeast and then after fermentation is finished, then figure up the ABV from there.

 

[RM-MN]

Glad to hear it.

But your 1.030 = 4% isn't right. You need to measure your graity before you pitch your yeast and then after fermentation is finished, then figure up the ABV from there.

If you are using an extract kit, go by the OG the kit listed instead of a sample you took. When you top off an extract kit, getting the concentrated wort to mix well with the top off water is difficult and leads to wrong OG readings causing panic. If you put in all the extract and got the correct amount of water, the OG will be what the kit says. When the fermentation is over, completely over, measure the FG. Subtract that number from the OG and multiply that by 131 to get the percentage of alcohol.

 

[matthammill]

Great, thanks

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