Very fast fermentation start

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Cpt_Kirks

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I brewed a batch of Dunkleweiss today and the active fermentation started almost as soon as I pitched. I am using Safbrew WB-06 and I started the yeast in water an hour before I pitched.

I pitched at 3:45 and it's 5:15 now, you can feel air coming out of the airlock and the foam on top is forming. It started to smell like beer in my office within 20 minutes.

I don't think I have ever seen yeast take off quite like that.
 
Hey, good for you. It smells like beer and you had a very very short lag time, thats what you want :). Keep an eye on the krausen level (head of foam). If it gets real vigorous and it seems as though it will reach the airlock, fit it with a blowoff tube to avoid messy situations.
 
I had the same thought and just scraped together a blow off tube out of spare parts. It is a little skinny, though.

It already has a solid krausen crust and is bubbling at 5 second intervals.

I had to go and make this batch too big, I bet I have over five and half gallons in that 6 gallon Better Bottle. Screwed up my gravity, too. Had to throw in a little rice syrup solids at the last minute to help make for the extra water. I usually use my ale pail to measure, but it is tied up with a cream ale at the moment.
 
For my first brew that's fermenting right now, I used that yeast also. Mine too started really quickly. They're right about watching the foam, mine made it into my airlock while I was gone.
 
The very first beer I brewed probably started up bubbling in about 2 hours or so. It was a Coopers Lager with an ale yeast and I think my water was a bit warm. Funky combination IMO. Haven't had a beer start up bubbling in less than 8 hours since then (most are about 18 hours).
 
For your next batch you may want to try making a liquid yeast starter. If you enjoy fooling around with that stuff (I do) I think you will be happy with the results. Good luck!
 
For your next batch you may want to try making a liquid yeast starter. If you enjoy fooling around with that stuff (I do) I think you will be happy with the results. Good luck!

In this case, I don't think it was needed. The airlock is bubbling steady, about a bubble a second.

The airlock smells like evergreen (cascade hops).
 
same thing happened to me this weekend with vigorous fermentation an hour after pitching. I woke up the next morning to no activity whatsoever. I figure I'll give it another week or so and check the FG.
 
That batch turned out excellent. Tastes very similar to beer I have drank in Bavaria.

Just to see what would happen, I pitched two packs of US-05 in my last batch (Blond Ale). I needed a blow off tube, is what happened. That one started churning fast, too.
 
A little late...but I can relate to this thread. I pitched WB-06 dry on a hefeweizen LME wort and active fermentation started in under 2 hours. After 12 hours, my 3-piece airlock is bubbling away...blow-off setup ready just in case.
 
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