Airlock Not Bubbling

[New2thebrew]

I am a newbie, and after a couple of batches of just can & kg sugar, I called in to my HBS to get some advice, and a couple of recipes to make better beer.

So yesterday I put on the following;

1.7kg ESB Old Ale kit & 1kg Dark Dried Malt in 4 litreas boiling water, stirred for 1 minute, add Fuggles hops (steeped for 10 mins), top-up to 22.5L

The can stated that yeast should be added at 22c, however given the weather in Brisbane, it was way too hot, so I closed the fermenter (without the yeast) and put it in a can cooler with some bottles of frozen water & freezer blocks to get the temperature down. It took nearly 5 hours to get the temp down enough, at which point I gave the wort a stir, let it settle, and then added the yeast, closed the lid & fit the airlock (was about 5.30pm). OG was 1.042.

When I got up this morning to rotate the frozen bottles, the temp was still around 22c. Whilst I note from reading threads on AHB that Ale should ideally be brewed between 18-20c, the can states a constant temp of 22c is ideal, so not too worried, however the airlock is not bubbling.

Am I just being impatient, or is there a problem given how long it took before I added the yeast.

Thanks for helping a naive newbie :beer:

 

[kelbygreen]

it can take a while before the yeast start if you just poured it in I wouldnt worry takes 24+ hours for mine to start off if I just pitch dry yeast at around 20c

 

[bcp]

My airlock has NEVER bubbled, and my beer has always turned out fine. In fact, I've given up on airlocks, and just use gladwrap with the rubber from the lid to seal it.

You should start to see a krausen form - foam on top - but the yeast might take up to 24 hours or more to start. Don't panic. If it's dry yeast it might still be multiplying and recovering from its dormant state. I learnt to make a starter to get the yeast into a better state ready to ferment, but it'll still get there.

 

[New2thebrew]

Thanks for the reassurance, after this brew, I'm going to start using some commercial grade cling wrap & the rubber seal from under the lid (as has been suggested on this forum a number of times) so that I can see what is happening during fermentation.

With regard to the yeast, I read somewhere that people re-hydrate the yeast that comes with the can. Does this improve fermentation & the beer overall? If so, how do you do this?

Thanks again, advice from more seasoned brewers is truly appreciated :beer:

 

[bcp]

This article here talks about rehydrating your yeast. You'll find a lot of great basic advice if you click on the 'Articles' heading above - head for 'kits and extracts.' The articles are great because it helps you start on the basics.
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...;showarticle=13

To be honest, when i rehydrated i stuffed it up and it still took 24 hours to get started. I now use liquid yeasts, but the cooper's dry yeast was great - very forgiving!

 

[dpadden]

Thanks for the reassurance, after this brew, I'm going to start using some commercial grade cling wrap & the rubber seal from under the lid (as has been suggested on this forum a number of times) so that I can see what is happening during fermentation.

With regard to the yeast, I read somewhere that people re-hydrate the yeast that comes with the can. Does this improve fermentation & the beer overall? If so, how do you do this?

Thanks again, advice from more seasoned brewers is truly appreciated :beer:

I would suggest to always re-hydrate your dry yeast. Not only will it confirm the viability of the yeast but will also help get the yeast started much quicker. It is dead easy to do and John Palmer gives a great description (with pics) here ----> http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html

 

[smileymark]

I would be waiting a bit longer before you panic. I often do not notice a change for 36 hours. Maye lid is not sealed properly!

 

[warra48]

Although I brew AG, I often don't pitch my yeast until later on the evening of brew day, or even the next morning. That's to give the fermenting fridge time to get the wort down to my desired temperature.
I've never had a problem doing that, so you'll be fine.

 

[felten]

I had read on here somewhere that John Palmer's latest iteration of how to brew doesn't suggest using sugar to rehydrate anymore. Anyway heres how fermentis reckon you should do it with their dry yeasts, http://www.fermentis.com/FO/pdf/HB/EN/Safale_US-05_HB.pdf sounds like a PITA to me though.

 

[big78sam]

I don't add sugar when rehydrating either. I do this:

1. sanitize my thermometer and a measuring jug
2. add boiled water (10ml per 1 gram of yeast, i.e. 110 ml for an 11g pack) to the jug and let it cool to around 30 degrees
3. sprinkle the yeast on top and leave for 15 minutes
4. stir the yeast/water with the thermometer
5. (optional) depending on teh temperature add a bit of wort to the jug in stages every 5 minutes to bring the temp of the rehydrated yeast to close to the wort temp (it's recommended this is done with Nottingham if there's a 10 degree or more differential)
6. pitch.

 

[New2thebrew]

Update from yesterday, it's now been 48 hours & the airlock is still not bubbling.

Whilst I am not terribly worried about this (given some of the advice I have already received), it is the lack of krausen that has me wondering if fermentation has actually started, or whether I have a problem.

I pitched the dry ale yeast that came with the tin at about 22-24c (tin said to pitch at around 22c), I've managed to keep the temp between 18-20c since, and the lid is sealed tightly.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :beer:

 

[Hatchy]

Has the sg dropped at all? If it's still the same then you probably need to pitch new yeast. I'm guessing if yr using kit yeast then you probably don't have spare yeast. I'd say leave it another day, see if there's a change in sg & if there isn't then rehydrate some yeast, aerate the wort & get some new yeast in there.