Unactive after 8 days.

[ivanavich]

I recently did a "Nut Brown Ale" kit from Northern using Notingham yeast. I rehydrated for an hour before pitching on the 77* wort. Aprox 1 day later there was a 1-1/2 inch layer of foam on top but not a single buble through the airlock. Foam went away and at 8 days not a single buble witnessed by me (checked every day). Should I call the yeast a dud or could I have killed it? What do I do?

 

[Revvy]

Remember You should never use a cheap chinese plastic airlock as a "fermentation Gauge," it's not...It's an airlock, nothing more, a VALVE to release excess CO2, to keep from blowing the lid off the fermentor...If it's not bubbling that just means that there's not enough CO2 to climb out of the airlock, or the CO2 is just forming a nice cushion on top of the beer like it's supposed to, or the airlock is askew, or it is leaking out the cheap rubber grommet, or you have a leak in the bucket seal...all those are fine...if CO2 is getting out then nothing's getting in....

Over half of my beers have had no airlock activity...

ANd as to what to do...read this.

http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Revvy/Think_evaluation_before_action/

 

[Hugh_Jass]

Have you taken a hydrometer reading?

 

[ivanavich]

Sorry I also did yeast starter using a small bottle of Malta and preboiled water cooled to80*.

 

[Pivzavod]

3/4 of my batches didnt have any airlock activity. one from friday had massive krausen within 12 hours and the krausen died off after 48 hours. at around 44 hours or so the temperature of the wort went up for a few degrees and then dropped as the krausen did. no airlock activity means nothing, i will wait another week or so before i do a gravity reading.

on the side note I was using Muntons yeast which is notorious for slow fermentation and I did have the most krausen I ever had and towards the end of 48 hours it was producing very sweet odors that I liked a lot. I was smelling my fermentor every few mins.

 

[ivanavich]

wow thanks for quik responses. I'l give it a hydrometer reading when I can. I've read a lot on these forums and somehow missed the basics of airlock activity. Luckily i'm not one to act on impulse. I knew there was a simple answer I just couldnt see, thanks guys.

 

[JoeMama]

Yeah I wouldnt sweat it a whole lot either. I have a brown ale in the primary right now and it too is showing very little activity in the airlock. (Yes, it made me nervous as well but let the yeasties do their thing) All the while, my Apfelwein has been bubbling nonstop for the past 3-4 days.


It sucks cause while its in the primary, I have to really work to find a spot around the edge that I can get a whiff of my fermenting brew. (Not gonna crack the lid until its rack time) At least I can smell the ferming A-Dub, too bad it smells like apple ass right now.
-Me