Beer Forum

So my airlock didn't start showing signs of bubbling until about 18 hours after sealing it up. The yeast (1968 London from Wyeast) seemed to activate fine in the pouch, so I skipped the starter, mashed, boiled, racked, and pitched. It's an organic IPA from 7 Bridges. Does this seem like a lot of lag time? I am a little worried about bacteria taking hold during that time. I know this is probably a dumb question but I only have a few batches under my belt. Thanks.

are you using carboys or buckets? a lot of times a bucket lid wont seal perfectly and can bleed out ferm pressure instead of out the airlock. it takes a little time to fill up the headspace with co2 anyways. i think your fine, RDWHAHB
-Crut

It's alway a good idea to make a starter. Even though the pack swells, you only have so many yeast cells. A starter increases the number of cells. 18 hrs is not a disaster, but it's enough to be concerned. Did you aerate the wort prior to pitching? Make quite a difference.

My SOP so far has been primary in the bucket and then secondary in the carboy. I swirled it around a bit before pitching, then a little more after I pitched and had the lid on the bucket. I definitely plan on doing a starter next time.

RDWHAHB

brewser wrote:My SOP so far has been primary in the bucket and then secondary in the carboy

Ferment in the carboy with a blow-off tube. No secondary necessary.

If thats the pack that was shipped out I am sure the viability dropped a bit so it will lag a bit. 18 hours is borderline...I think you will be fine. Have a beer and breathe....your good.

I was going to ask yesterday... what is RDWHAHB???