I Think I've Hurt My Yeasties?

[Cristal]

I'm pretty new to AG brewing, so please forgive my lack of holistic brewing knowledge (and acronyms!)...BUT, something very strange has happened to my brew.

I brewed a golden ale last Tuesday, I cubed my wort pipin' hot, cooled it over a couple of nights under the house- meanwhile i was getting my yeast up to speed with a yeast starter. The yeast achieved high kraeusen within 2 days or so (as has happened reliably every time I've done it this way). I had a nice thick yeast cake.

I then pitched my yeast into my ~25L of wort. HOWEVER for some strange reason my O.G. was 1.050 at this point. My refractometer had told me it was about 1.044 on brew day (what I was aiming for)...so I dunno what happened there. Maybe my refractometer wasn't calibrated correctly.

So, I pitched my yeast, and then I waited.

I thought perhaps the lag time was unusually long, but, 4 days later, still nothing.

Temperature is sitting at about 16 degrees.

Did I overwhelm my yeast with my worts sugar profile (and the resulting discrepancy in gravity?)

Can I rectify this somehow? Pitch more yeast?

Cheers

Cristal

 

[pmunny]

I presume you have checked the current gravity?

 

[potof4x]

First move would be a gravity reading now? Maybe both hydro and refrac to get as much info as possible

 

[DUANNE]

How do you know there is no action? Lack of airlock action or lack of krausen on top? Have you taken a gravity reading?

 

[Cristal]

How do you know there is no action? Lack of airlock action or lack of krausen on top? Have you taken a gravity reading?

Good point- absolute lack of airlock activity!

Man, talk about weird...just took the gravity and it's 1.020 now! WTF?

 

[JDW81]

Good point- absolute lack of airlock activity!

Man, talk about weird...just took the gravity and it's 1.020 now! WTF?

Throw away the airlock (or at least don't use it as a guide for fermentation) and don't worry too much about whether or not there is a monster krausen. A gravity reading is the most reliable yardstick on the progression of fermentation. I've had krausen climb out of the fermenter then no apparent activity at all with the same yeast in exactly the same beer.

You won't always get a massive krausen, and no activity through the airlock more than likely means you've got a leak in your fermenter lid (hence it not being that great a sign of action). Each brew behaves differently, and the same yeast in the same wort won't always follow the same pattern of fermentation.

It is an organic process, with a stack of variables, many of which can be controlled, but some that can't. That is the beauty of home brewing.

Relax, have a beer and let the yeast do their work. :chug:

JD

 

[Cristal]

Throw away the airlock (or at least don't use it as a guide for fermentation) and don't worry too much about whether or not there is a monster krausen. A gravity reading is the most reliable yardstick on the progression of fermentation. I've had krausen climb out of the fermenter then no apparent activity at all with the same yeast in exactly the same beer.

You won't always get a massive krausen, and no activity through the airlock more than likely means you've got a leak in your fermenter lid (hence it not being that great a sign of action). Each brew behaves differently, and the same yeast in the same wort won't always follow the same pattern of fermentation.

It is an organic process, with a stack of variables, many of which can be controlled, but some that can't. That is the beauty of home brewing.

Relax, have a beer and let the yeast do their work. :chug:

JD

Cheers JD. That's sounds absolutely feasible!

Thanks for your input!

Cristal

 

[mark0]

Man, talk about weird...just took the gravity and it's 1.020 now! WTF?

yep, it's called fermentation.