Yes another "My fermentation hasn't taken off" thread...

[aces-n-eights]

OK, i brewed my first all grain (BIAB) a few days ago and everything went fine - no questions or issues. I cooled the wort to 70*-75* and transferred it to my carboy. I used White Labs WLP 005, Best by Jul 2015. I had the yeast out for several hours as i boiled so it was room temp when i pitched it. OG is 1.060. The carboy went into my fermentation chamber at 70*.

12 hours nothing
24 hours nothing
48 hours nothing
At about the 60 hour mark i upped the temp in my ferm chamber to 76* and give the carboy a good swirl
72 hours nothing still

It sure seems i've killed this yeast somehow. What did i do wrong? Is there any recovery at this point?

Thanks!

 

[midfielder5]

Did you take a hydrometer reading or are you looking for bubbles only?

If a hydrometer reading confirms no ferm activity... It might come to life, or it might have been dead before it came to you. It was made in March (4 months before best by date) and I don't know how it got to you in Alaska.
At 1.060 OG, a starter is highly recommended. It even says so on the WL vial instruction. Others however will say one vial is enough to ferment, but you can have long lag times... and a starter would have told you if the yeast was DOA. So, pitch some dry yeast (rehydrated) and report back. If you don't have any yeast, get extras for next time.
good luck!

 

[ong]

I'd pitch dry yeast at this point, too. S-04 would be somewhat close in style.

 

[pharaohpierre]

How long have you had the yeast and how did you store it prior to your brew day. I've used WLP005 before and it took off after around 12 hours, but then again I used a yeast starter.

Also, how is your seal on your carboy? It could be fermenting and the airlock wouldn't be going off because there is a leak. You would know this if there is a Krausen going on, the beer would be foaming on top.

 

[midfielder5]

good point about the seal. is there krausen?
no bubbles in airlock don't equal no fermentation.. since you have a glass FV I figured no krausen since you can see activity.

 

[aces-n-eights]

Did you take a hydrometer reading or are you looking for bubbles only?

If a hydrometer reading confirms no ferm activity... It might come to life, or it might have been dead before it came to you. It was made in March (4 months before best by date) and I don't know how it got to you in Alaska.
At 1.060 OG, a starter is highly recommended. It even says so on the WL vial instruction. Others however will say one vial is enough to ferment, but you can have long lag times... and a starter would have told you if the yeast was DOA. So, pitch some dry yeast (rehydrated) and report back. If you don't have any yeast, get extras for next time.
good luck!

I am watching the wort in my clear carboy and there is no krausen… and no bubbles.

I bought the yeast at my local brew supply store, a couple hour drive away. I kept it in the frig for about a week before i brewed. The label says if the OG is 1.070 or above a starter is recommended so i thought i'd be OK at 1.060. Good call, tho, on doing a starter just to be sure the yeast is viable.

I think i'm going to have to re-pitch with something…

Thanks for the comments!

 

[midfielder5]

whoops, thought label said 1.050. I don't have a liquid yeast here. Sorry!

 

[madk]

Doesn't look like you did anything wrong and it sounds like you've done about all you can do at this point. I'd probably repitch with s-04.

 

[Calder]

Even in a 1.070 wort it should have started. You would just get extra esters and maybe end a point or 2 high.

I know it is in a glass fermenter, and you should be able to see if anything happened. But you should take a gravity reading all the same to be absolutely sure.

I had one one time that I swore nothing happened to. It was 3 days and I was worried. It was Notty, and I wrote to the company to see if my yeast was on the list of bad yeast they had recently recalled.

Yest was good, I checked the gravity, and fermentation was finished. I still can't explain it.