Smack Pack Problem

[Knowlse11]

Hey everyone,

My friends brought me a Northern Brewer Nut Brown Ale kit home about 10 days ago and I brewed it on Monday night (06/23). It's been 42 hours and it has not started to ferment yet.

I made a big mistake and did not refrigerate the yeast until 8 days after I received the Nut Brown Ale kit (because i didn't know it needed to be refrigerated -- it was inside the brown box and I didn't open it).

I'm not sure what information you all would need to know, but:

1) The smack pack inflated a "little", but not as much as my friend described it should.
2) My wort is sitting in my basement (64 degrees).
3) I chilled the wort properly to ensure I did not kill the yeast.

I'd appreciate any advice! Do I go try and find a brew store around the Milwaukee area and pitch some more yeast, or would that affect the flavor and i'm totally screwed at this point?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Drunkensatyr]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=43635





That sums it up nicely.

 

[Knowlse11]

Thank you!

-Mike

 

[Revvy]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=43635





That sums it up nicely.

THat's what I was going to say....

Also bubbling or lack of is no a true indicator of fermentation, only your hydrometer is....If you're brewing in a carboy, you can see stuff happenning, but if you are in a bucket, don't go by the bubbler, there's to many variables that can keep it from working proberly...bad seal, being askew, etc.

Normally I'd suggest waiting a full week before checking your hydrometer, but since you had some yeast problem...Maybe check it after 72 hours.

If it's in a bucket, if you press down on the top of the bucket and get a big "GLORP" sound/bubbling in your airlock, that's a pretty good indicator that you have co2 production...And CO2= fermentation.

 

[Knowlse11]

THat's what I was going to say....

Also bubbling or lack of is no a true indicator of fermentation, only your hydrometer is....If you're brewing in a carboy, you can see stuff happenning, but if you are in a bucket, don't go by the bubbler, there's to many variables that can keep it from working proberly...bad seal, being askew, etc.

Normally I'd suggest waiting a full week before checking your hydrometer, but since you had some yeast problem...Maybe check it after 72 hours.

If it's in a bucket, if you press down on the top of the bucket and get a big "GLORP" sound/bubbling in your airlock, that's a pretty good indicator that you have co2 production...And CO2= fermentation.

Thank you. If i do press down on the top of the bucket it makes the "GLORP" sound. I guess I was stating that is was not fermenting because the airlock was not bubbling, like it was for my last batch of beer. I'll wait another day or so and check the gravity of the beer, thanks again!

-Mike

 

[Knowlse11]

In case anyone cares, it took this batch anywhere from 86 -> 92 hours to start fermenting.

-Mike