Failing Yeast?

[ale_snail]

how can you tell part way through the fermentation process whether your yeast has died?

 

[razz]

Tha's an odd question I haven't considered before ale_snail. Generally speaking as long as the yeast kicks off then it will go the distance. Some yeasts can't handle a high gravity wort so they may stop when so much ethanol has been produced and fermentation is not complete. Why do you ask?

 

[ale_snail]

um not sure why i wondered.. just my new brew had been bubbling nicely and stuff.. then it stopped.. and i wasnt sure wtf was going on..

i left it and gave it a few shakes and shes as good as Gold

im guessing that it could happen right.. that your yeast just dies

 

[razz]

Maybe it's finished. Check its gravity over three days, if the reading is the same then all's good.

 

[ale_snail]

nah its not finished yet

i only put it down on thursday

its still bubbling away nicely

 

[Paleman]

how can you tell part way through the fermentation process whether your yeast has died?

Cant see how a yeast would die halfway through a ferment. If it got going in the first place it must be healthy, and they are hardy little buggas.

I would imagine a sudden halt in CO2, if this happened. :unsure:

 

[Adamt]

Big difference between yeast dying and yeast "sleeping". Yeast may "sleep" if the temperature gets too low, alcohol concentration gets too high for the yeast to handle, or if fermentation is finished. You can "wake it up again" by giving the fermenter a gentle swirl (as opposed to a shake!) and raising the temperature if fermentation is dropped too cold (<16C for a standard yeast).