No activity?!
Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:31 pm
by ALEien
Hey all,
Saturday night was my first time using wet yeast, and as of now there has been no activity. Pulled the airlock off the plastic bucket and there doesn't appear to be any signs of rising.
Any suggetsions?
Oh, and it's a chocolate stout so i'd hate to see it go to waste.
Thanks in advance.
Mike
Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:34 pm
by Big Tex
Mike, Did you create a starter? What yeast did you use?
Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:45 pm
by ALEien
No starter I didn't think it was mandatory and it was by WYeast.
Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:47 pm
by PDub
Do you normally see airlock activity using dry yeast in the exact same bucket? Just trying to rule out a bad seal on the lid...
Wyeast says they are good up to about 1.048. What is the gravity of yours? I tend to not make a starter for beers under 1.050. I'm sure Jamil is cringing somewhere right now.
Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:13 pm
by SunkenBier
What was the gravity of the beer? What temperature are you fermenting it at?
Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:43 pm
by Big Tex
That's a smack pack... Did it puff up prior to pitching it into your wort? Also, what's the date on the yeast? Final question... Did you oxygenate your wort prior to pitching your yeast?
Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 4:05 pm
by Mylo
What was the date on the Wyeast pack? Maybe you got an old one. Let it sit for another day. If nothing by tomorrow morn, go pick yourself up two packets of dry. +1 on the starters - very important. Go to
www.mrmalty.com and read what the Pope has to say about it so you will know for next time.
Mylo
Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 6:42 pm
by ALEien
Chances are we just made a very noobish mistake and did not let the smack pack puff fully enough.
I will be visiting my LBHS tomorrow and ask his advice and quite possibly purchase two dry yeasts.
I'm not sure why, and perhaps this is unusual but our grav reading came in at about 1.100. This could be another reason for the yeast not working.
Fermentation temperature is between 60 and 65 F.
And the seal in the bucket should be OK as we have used it twice now and there has been no problem with the seal. We have seen activity within the first or second day after primary.
And yes, we aerated the piss out of the beer prior to pitching the yeast.
Thanks a lot for the tips. Your help has been amazing.
Final question: after pitching the two dry yeasts, will there be any negative effects on the final product?