WLP029 Did not start fermentation

[FlabbyRoach]

I just brewed a 5 gallon pale ale and used WLP029 yeast to ferment.
The packaging stated ale temp to be 65°/69° so I cooled wort below 70° and placed it in mini fridge in garage.
Temp control on mini fridge set to 68° but garage was cooler than that and yeast did not start.
Also had a small heating element around the 7 gal fermonster.
Moved the whole fridge inside but still no activity.
Wort into fermenter on Saturday 12/4/21 and still no activity.
LHBS is closed today so can't but more yeast.
Am I cooked??????
Just not sure how long the wort can keep.
Temp now stable at 68° since this morning.

 

[hotbeer]

Ambient temperature swings in a garage are going to be troublesome. No basement or cool place inside you can put your fermenter? Not really certain why you want it in a fridge. Are you someplace warm?

If you are were it's cool going to colder outside, just keep it in a cooler with a heat source such as a heating mat hooked up to a temperature controller. They can be had for around $25 USD.

If you are where it's warm, then the fridge connected to the same type temp controller. Inkbird and Digiten make them.

As for the beer, if you don't see anything happening in a day or so then pitch some more yeast. If dry yeast you won't need to aerate it again. Take an SG also and make sure it's really doing nothing.

 

[FlabbyRoach]

It’s in a mini fridge to control ferment temp with temp controller
moved inside yesterday afternoon
north east Ohio

 

[PCABrewing]

I just brewed a 5 gallon pale ale and used WLP029 yeast to ferment.
The packaging stated ale temp to be 65°/69° so I cooled wort below 70° and placed it in mini fridge in garage.
Temp control on mini fridge set to 68° but garage was cooler than that and yeast did not start.
Also had a small heating element around the 7 gal fermonster.
Moved the whole fridge inside but still no activity.
Wort into fermenter on Saturday 12/4/21 and still no activity.
LHBS is closed today so can't but more yeast.
Am I cooked??????
Just not sure how long the wort can keep.
Temp now stable at 68° since this morning.

Was this a high-gravity beer, what is the SG?
As far as how long it will keep, how meticulous were you with sanitation, that has a big impact on how much potential infection you might deal with?
Let's say that you have a sterile liquid in the fermenter (hypothetical). In that case you are probably just racing against oxidation.
A little less than sterile (Realistic State) then it is a matter of what got in that may start growing before you finally get a yeast culture to start producing alcohol.
If you are pretty diligent then you have a good chance of it turning all right.
The normal situation is that we are diligent with sanitation and that we pitch a healthy culture into the wort so that it gets started before bad stuff does.
Don't give up yet.

 

[PCABrewing]

What was the date on the yeast package and did you make a starter?

 

[Jag75]

Did you use a starter ? Did you oxygenate the wort?

 

[PCABrewing]

Wort into fermenter on Saturday 12/4/21 and still no activity.
LHBS is closed today so can't but more yeast.

You may want to start keeping a small variety of dry yeast packets on-hand for just such an eventuality.

 

[Jag75]

What are you using as a fv ? You saying no fermentation yet because no bubbles in the airlock ?

Nvm I see it's a Fermonster. So Krausen would be visible.

 

[FlabbyRoach]

What was the date on the yeast package and did you make a starter?

Yeast use by date was 3/13/22
not sure when mfg date

 

[FlabbyRoach]

Did you use a starter ? Did you oxygenate the wort?

Did not use a a starter and did oxygenate wort good
SG was 1.052

 

[FlabbyRoach]

Was this a high-gravity beer, what is the SG?
As far as how long it will keep, how meticulous were you with sanitation, that has a big impact on how much potential infection you might deal with?
Let's say that you have a sterile liquid in the fermenter (hypothetical). In that case you are probably just racing against oxidation.
A little less than sterile (Realistic State) then it is a matter of what got in that may start growing before you finally get a yeast culture to start producing alcohol.
If you are pretty diligent then you have a good chance of it turning all right.
The normal situation is that we are diligent with sanitation and that we pitch a healthy culture into the wort so that it gets started before bad stuff does.
Don't give up yet.

SG was 1.052 per recipe

 

[FlabbyRoach]

SG was 1.052 per recipe
was pretty anal about sanitation

 

[hotbeer]

With the combination of the heating element and the fridge, were they controlled by the same temp controller so there was no chance of them fighting each other and both staying on or both off?

Also was the temp sensor in the beer, under a insulating wrap on the fermenter or was it just measuring ambient temp in the fridge?

 

[FlabbyRoach]

You may want to start keeping a small variety of dry yeast packets on-hand for just such an eventuality.

Good point

 

[hotbeer]

SG was 1.052 per recipe

So what is it now?

 

[FlabbyRoach]

What are you using as a fv ? You saying no fermentation yet because no bubbles in the airlock ?

Nvm I see it's a Fermonster. So Krausen would be visible.

Yes it would be usually after half a day

 

[FlabbyRoach]

So what is it now?

Don’t know
don’t want to open FV

 

[FlabbyRoach]

With the combination of the heating element and the fridge, were they controlled by the same temp controller so there was no chance of them fighting each other and both staying on or both off?

Also was the temp sensor in the beer, under a insulating wrap on the fermenter or was it just measuring ambient temp in the fridge?

Used inkbird controller combo heat cool plug
had 15” thermowell into FV

 

[FlabbyRoach]

Here is my setup
i think the temperature was too cold for the yeast
do I repitch more yeast, warm and shake wort again, I gotta leave it for one more day since LHBS is closed

 

[Jag75]

When using liquid yeast you should use a starter and aerate good. This could be the issue

 

[FlabbyRoach]

When using liquid yeast you should use a starter and aerate good. This could be the issue

Does that mean it can’t be saved?

 

[PCABrewing]

Does that mean it can’t be saved?

No, there is still hope.

 

[Immocles]

I’ve had 029 be quite slow at taking off, especially with an underpitch. Like 60-72 hours slow. It wouldn’t shock me if you saw things start taking off tomorrow morning

 

[hotbeer]

I'd never write it off, at least not if there isn't black fuzzy moldy stuff growing in it. If you have the temps stabilized and not bouncing off the extremes, then I'd be ready to re-pitch tomorrow if it doesn't get going.

Personally, I'd do dry yeast so you don't have to aerate and risk contamination any more than necessary. Also, if you do re-pitch, then get an SG reading just so you'll know whether it did do anything but didn't leave visual evidence.

 

[Deadalus]

Does the Fermonster have ribs like a glass carboy, seems so? Your pic is possibly a little grainy but in the ribs and generally in the lower half there appear to be the beginnings of yeast activity. All your trub would be mostly settled down and collected but not necessarily compacted. Seems like some yeast on the walls there.

I use that yeast myself but always with a starter. I'm not sure where I have kept this one at temperature wise, on the lower side but I am bad about recording temperatures during fermentation. I just picked up two tools to do that though recently. I do cold crash my Kolsch at the end and then lager it for three weeks, around 40F. That always clears it up nicely.

 

[FlabbyRoach]

I'd never write it off, at least not if there isn't black fuzzy moldy stuff growing in it. If you have the temps stabilized and not bouncing off the extremes, then I'd be ready to re-pitch tomorrow if it doesn't get going.

Personally, I'd do dry yeast so you don't have to aerate and risk contamination any more than necessary. Also, if you do re-pitch, then get an SG reading just so you'll know whether it did do anything but didn't leave visual evidence.

No black fuzzy stuff as of this morning.
Temp is stable at 68
I am going to my LHMS to pickup some yeast later today.
I don't think they carry dry WLP029 but I can ask.
If not I may use some 05 yeast just to get things started.

 

[FlabbyRoach]

I’ve had 029 be quite slow at taking off, especially with an underpitch. Like 60-72 hours slow. It wouldn’t shock me if you saw things start taking off tomorrow morning

I have never had any yeast take this long.

 

[wepeeler]

Here is my setup
i think the temperature was too cold for the yeast
do I repitch more yeast, warm and shake wort again, I gotta leave it for one more day since LHBS is closed

As long as nothing froze, the yeast should wake up if you get them into the mid 60s. Same idea as cold crashing a starter. I've read that WLP029 doesn't like temps under 62 after fermentation slows, so that might be some of it. The times I've used WLP029, I didn't get a ton of krausen. You might have had a mild fermentation. Also, are you 100% there's no leak?

 

[TestTickle]

If you only used one pack, you definitely underpitched. How much of an underpitch depends on how old the yeast was. but with that particular yeast at that OG, at the very least you should have pitched two packs or made a starter.

It should start fermenting eventually, but it's going to put a big strain on the yeast which will probably result in some off flavors. If your LBHS doesn't have this particular yeast, you should still be able to save it by pitching a pack of US-05. It'll be a different beer, but it should still be a drinkable beer (and who knows? maybe an amazing beer?).

As for the temp, as @wepeeler mentioned, temperature could also be an issue, but it was definitely underpitched. I use WLP029 frequently and usually pitch around 64 and let it free rise and ferment at 66 for a nice, clean Kolsch. Pitching additional yeast and leaving it at 68 should be good.

 

[FlabbyRoach]

As long as nothing froze, the yeast should wake up if you get them into the mid 60s. Same idea as cold crashing a starter. I've read that WLP029 doesn't like temps under 62 after fermentation slows, so that might be some of it. The times I've used WLP029, I didn't get a ton of krausen. You might have had a mild fermentation. Also, are you 100% there's no leak?

Nothing froze but the wort has been at 68 degrees for a full two days now.
I still have not seen any activity, small or otherwise.
100% sure of no leaks