English Bitter No Ferment start

[Odysseym]

Pitched on evening of 23rd March at 24C as recommended.....As of to-day March 25th no evidence of fermentation start...no AirLock bubbling and no Krausen or foam.
Should i Hydrate aother sachet of Coopers English Bitter yeast and add to wort?Or just wait?
The Original Yeast used was 11.5gm of Safale s-04 as recommended...just sprinkled on top of the wort.
My wort Temp is currently the recommended 20C exactly in my Brew Fridge.
Any suggestions and help here would be appreciated fellow Brewers!!

 

[sp0rk]

Have you tested the gravity?
Airlock activity is not an accurate sign of fermentation

 

[sp0rk]

also, 2 days is a fairly reasonable lag time for s04, give it a gravity check and report back

 

[Odysseym]

also, 2 days is a fairly reasonable lag time for s04, give it a gravity check and report back

Original SG was 1037 SG as of NOW is 1025

 

[sp0rk]

Sounds like it's fermenting just fine to me
there will be times when you don't get a krausen, i don't usually get huge ones
Also, if there is a way for air to get in/out your airlock won't bubble, as long as nothing is falling into the fermenter it should be fine

 

[Odysseym]

Original SG was 1037 SG as of NOW is 1025

Thanks for your help mate!

 

[Odysseym]

As of today March 29th still no VISABLE sign of ferment.Hydrated a Coopers 7gm English Bitter sachet with 150ml water ,and a tiny bit of sugar and allowed to start fermenting before adding to Wort again.That was 2 days ago!
SG now is 1024...any thoughts anyone???

 

[verysupple]

What was the OG? 1.024 is a very low OG even for an ordinary bitter, so I assume it started higher than that, therefor it's fermenting.

EDIT: My bad, OG was 1.037. It has dropped, so it's definitely fermenting. Don't worry about it.

 

[manticle]

It's fermenting. Relax. Don't worry about the visible signs. Worry about the measured signs and those currently suggest you don't need to worry.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Your hydrometer wont lie. Its your only true way determine fermentation. Not all ferments produce bubbling airlocks or krausen.

 

[carniebrew]

S-04 is notoriously slow.

If you want to be sure, do a forced ferment test. Take a gravity reading, then put around 200-300ml of the beer into a plastic soft drink bottle or jar. For the next day or so, keep it somewhere warm, and shake it every time you're near it. Leave the lid loose when you're not shaking it to let co2 out. After about 24 hours, check the gravity again. Has it dropped? If so, your beer is still fermenting. If not, the yeast is either dead, or the beer is fully fermented (by that yeast anyway).

 

[Odysseym]

Thanks Guys for all the suggestions and comments...I will let you all know how things pan out!

 

[Odysseym]

S-04 is notoriously slow.

If you want to be sure, do a forced ferment test. Take a gravity reading, then put around 200-300ml of the beer into a plastic soft drink bottle or jar. For the next day or so, keep it somewhere warm, and shake it every time you're near it. Leave the lid loose when you're not shaking it to let co2 out. After about 24 hours, check the gravity again. Has it dropped? If so, your beer is still fermenting. If not, the yeast is either dead, or the beer is fully fermented (by that yeast anyway).

Did a forced ferment test as suggested....After 24 hrs forced ferment Refractometer reading is 1023....at start it was 1025.

 

[Odysseym]

Did a forced ferment test as suggested....After 24 hrs forced ferment Refractometer reading is 1023....at start it was 1025.

 

[swilks]

Did a forced ferment test as suggested....After 24 hrs forced ferment Refractometer reading is 1023....at start it was 1025.

Hi - is 1023 a direct refractometer reading, or have you already adjusted for the presence of alcohol?

Did you calibrate the refractometer before starting?

 

[Odysseym]

Hi - is 1023 a direct refractometer reading, or have you already adjusted for the presence of alcohol?

Did you calibrate the refractometer before starting?

It is a rand New refractometer which the instructions say has been calibrated before shipping.It is a Direct reading wih no adustment for alcohol.

 

[swilks]

It is a rand New refractometer which the instructions say has been calibrated before shipping.It is a Direct reading wih no adustment for alcohol.

OK - my understanding is that refractometers only measure sugar content, so you can use the reading from the unfermented wort directly.

Once fermentation has started, the alcohol thows the radings out, and an adjustment needs to be made using the OG reading.

Beersmith I know has an adjustment calculator. - presumably others do also, otherwise google 'refractometer adjustment calculator', then lets see your real reading.

 

[Odysseym]

OK - my understanding is that refractometers only measure sugar content, so you can use the reading from the unfermented wort directly.

Once fermentation has started, the alcohol thows the radings out, and an adjustment needs to be made using the OG reading.

Beersmith I know has an adjustment calculator. - presumably others do also, otherwise google 'refractometer adjustment calculator', then lets see your real reading.

My Refracometer has 2 Scales...one on the left (BRIX) and one on the Right (SG) and the instrument auto adjusts for temperature.

 

[Odysseym]

OK - my understanding is that refractometers only measure sugar content, so you can use the reading from the unfermented wort directly.

Once fermentation has started, the alcohol thows the radings out, and an adjustment needs to be made using the OG reading.

Beersmith I know has an adjustment calculator. - presumably others do also, otherwise google 'refractometer adjustment calculator', then lets see your real reading.

Alcohol by Volume is 1.9

 

[Odysseym]

Alcohol by Volume is 1.9

Calculated using OG of 1037 and 1023 SG now at 26C