# Us-05 Slow Starter?



## Neill (20/4/09)

So i put down an extract recipe recently, OG was 1046. Used US-05 yeast from the local store, well within use by date. I did not re-hydrate it, just warmed to room temperature for an hour then mixed into the brew. Pitching temp was 24 degrees, over the next 24 hours it dropped to (now) 16 degrees. Still no krausen, and SG is exactly the same. There is no infection that i can taste. It's been over 36 hours now with no action. 

Just wondering about people's experiences with US-05. Do i need to keep it warm for a little longer? Does it HAVE to be rehydrated to work? does it go completely inactive under 18 degrees? I know it said 18-24 on the packet, will it stop below that? Or can it just be a slow starter?

I've just put the fermenter in a warm place (no heating control at the moment) to try and get it up near 20 degrees and see if it kicks off. Otherwise i'm looking at re-pitching with a different yeast tomorrow if there's still no action.

cheers,

Neill


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## raven19 (20/4/09)

I would keep it around 18 - 20 for this yeast, assuming the brew is an ale?

Bring it up to that 18 - 20 mark, leave for a few days, then check to see if gravity has dropped.

US-05 can be sprinkled straight on top of the wort, I have done this many times with no issues. Give it time!


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## brendo (20/4/09)

Neill said:


> So i put down an extract recipe recently, OG was 1046. Used US-05 yeast from the local store, well within use by date. I did not re-hydrate it, just warmed to room temperature for an hour then mixed into the brew. Pitching temp was 24 degrees, over the next 24 hours it dropped to (now) 16 degrees. Still no krausen, and SG is exactly the same. There is no infection that i can taste. It's been over 36 hours now with no action.
> 
> Just wondering about people's experiences with US-05. Do i need to keep it warm for a little longer? Does it HAVE to be rehydrated to work? does it go completely inactive under 18 degrees? I know it said 18-24 on the packet, will it stop below that? Or can it just be a slow starter?
> 
> ...



Hey Neill,

US-05 usually kicks off pretty quick for me - within 24 hours, but I do rehydrate, which tends to speed things up. Rehydrating is a good idea, but I certainly did plenty of early brews by just sprinkling on top of the wort without disaster.

Plenty of people have posted about an up to 48 hour lag time, so i wouldn't stress out too much just yet. The cooler temp (16) will certainly slow things down, 18-20 is pretty much ideal for this yeast. 16 isn't going to kill it or anything, but it will slow it down.

Looks to me that you are doing the right things - warming it up a bit. If you have a heat mat/belt, might be an idea to help it along - otherwise just do the best you can and wrap something around it overnight to help insulate it from temp drops (old sleeping bags work well).

Just hold tight for the minute and keep doing what you are doing.

Brendo


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## Supra-Jim (20/4/09)

I think from memory, that US-05 will operate between 15-24 deg, though the lower the temp the slower the action. I rehydrate mine when i use it and generally fermentation kicks off in under 12 hours, so i've never though of it as a slow starting yeast.

It does not have to be rehydrated to work, it just helps. The yeast can get shocked by rehydrating in the sugar rich wort and this can kill a few of them (mortality tends to be about 30% i think, i've never counted them!). Rehydrating also helps to identify if you have a dud packet, i.e. dead yeast will not rehydrate.

My procedure is to add the yeast (1 pack) to 250mls pre-boiled water @25-30deg into a sterilized container with lid and let this sit for around 30 mins, then pitch the whole slurry into the wort.

:icon_cheers: SJ

Edit: damn it, i type too slow!!!


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## loikar (20/4/09)

Neill said:


> So i put down an extract recipe recently, OG was 1046. Used US-05 yeast from the local store, well within use by date. I did not re-hydrate it, just warmed to room temperature for an hour then mixed into the brew. Pitching temp was 24 degrees, over the next 24 hours it dropped to (now) 16 degrees. Still no krausen, and SG is exactly the same. There is no infection that i can taste. It's been over 36 hours now with no action.
> 
> Just wondering about people's experiences with US-05. Do i need to keep it warm for a little longer? Does it HAVE to be rehydrated to work? does it go completely inactive under 18 degrees? I know it said 18-24 on the packet, will it stop below that? Or can it just be a slow starter?
> 
> ...



I recently added too much water to my brew, and had pitched the US-05 (Rehydrated)
I had to make up a mini-brew to bring it back up to 1043, but that wasn't going to happen to the next day.

I chilled my brew to under 10deg to slow things down a bit.
the next day I had no Krausen at all. I mixed up my mini-brew and dumped it in, gave it a stir to mix it all up and within 5 hours she she has a layer of foam.
thismoring i had about a 7cm Krausen over the top and my airlock was going off like a frog in a sock!

So, in summary :icon_cheers: 
give it a *gentle *stir and bring it up to about 16-18deg
It'll kick in, apparently US-05 can be a bit of a tempermental beast and can take a bit to get rolling.

Fingers!


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## Fourstar (20/4/09)

keeping it at 16deg during growth phase of the yeast will increase your lag time, i'd be pitching at 18-20, waiting for activity (decent krausen) then dropping it down to 16 deg. Why do you want it so low? Even though it does work as low as 15 deg (from personal experience, a few cold days in winter.) US05 is VERY clean between 17-18 deg and i cant see the need to go any lower. i haven't noticed a flavour difference between 15-18 deg. even 17 deg is almost too low IMO.


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## buttersd70 (20/4/09)

As noone has asked the obvious, I will; did you aerate your wort? and if so, how?


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## Supra-Jim (20/4/09)

buttersd70 said:


> As noone has asked the obvious, I will; did you aerate your wort? and if so, how?



Just wanting to make you feel needed on this board Butters!  

:icon_cheers: SJ


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## chappo1970 (20/4/09)

Supra-Jim said:


> Just wanting to make you feel needed on this board Butters!
> 
> :icon_cheers: SJ




Who's this Butters guy anyway? Does he know much at all about brew'n stuff? I'm sure he has no idea about how airlocks actually work... h34r:

Edit: Forgot 2c on OT

16C is _way_ too cold in my opinion to pitch especially with one satchet of S05. I reckon it's fallen asleep and needs to brought up to 18C at the very least.


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## Pollux (20/4/09)

No that I am doing AG, and also no-chill, my current technique is to sprinkle the packet into the base of the fermenter, then pour from the cube ontop of the yeast, this ensures it's nice and mixed in and also aerates the wort quite nicely..


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## Neill (20/4/09)

thanks for all the replies so far. it's up to 17 now and hoping to get it to 19 or 20 in the next 12 hours. got it sitting on top of the hot water system 

yep i aerated it good and proper. i've always just run tap water into the fermenter, the tap has one of those aerating nozzles on it and aeration is never a problem!

i deliberately pitched around 24 to get it going, i wasn't sure how low it was going to get (atmospheric temps) and i have no real temp control, i was hoping it would sit around 17 or 18 but must be just a bit cold in melbourne at the moment. i have used this yeast before at 20 degrees and it was excellent.

anyway i think i'll wait and see how it goes tonight, hopefully i can get it up to temp and kick start it. if no action tomorrow morning i might pitch another (different) yeast.


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## flattop (20/4/09)

US-05 is a dead set pearler for me, i have neer had a dud pitch either from the packet or with a re-hydrated sample, even from a yeast trub harvest.
It always fires in sub 24 hours. For me 36 hours is too long for that yeast, could be the temp is too low and it dropped out or more likely the cell count was low (unusual).
Look it will probably come good given time for the cell count to build but a re-pitch will do no harm if you have more around.


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## HoppingMad (20/4/09)

I have two ales bubbling now both with S-05. One fermenter I pitched at around 16 degrees and has been a bugger to start, and the other at 18/19 degrees and has no probs. 

The 18 degree one took off within 12 hours with good solid glugging sounds coming off the airlock. The 16 degree one took around 36 hours and I had to raise the heat up to 18 with a brewpad before it went. If you're struggling to get that baby to bubble, turn up the heat I guarantee it will start. 

Hopper.

Note - different temps are due to fermenters being in different parts of the house.


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## flattop (21/4/09)

I pitched a US-05 beer last night, so it's been roughly 12 hours, it was a cold night and was probably 15*, the wort has the starting of activity, a few patches of small bubbles, as it warms a little today i expect it will take off nicely. I would have preferred to pitch it this morning but no time... i have to work to pay for my grain habit.


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## Neill (21/4/09)

lights, camera....

action!

woke up this morning to find a nice healthy krausen about an inch thick on top of this baby. temp managed to reach 21 degrees overnight, just right for kicking it off i reckon. i'll put it back outside and try to get it down to 18 or 19 for the rest of the ferment. seems like the US-05 is very sensitive to low temps, i'll have to remember that for the future.

cheers lads! another brew saved.


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## brendo (21/4/09)

Neill said:


> lights, camera....
> 
> action!
> 
> ...



Patience and time cures a lot of things in brewing... congrats on the save.

Cheers,

Brendo


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## MarkBastard (21/4/09)

It's been about 27 degrees indoors where I live, even at night, for a few days now.

Seems really odd that it'd be 16 degrees down in mexico!


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