Lager Hasn't Started Yet...

[Sneddy]

So, I needed to put a brew on, but it's too hot for me to brew an ale (45 deg in Sydney), and my brewing fridge only does lager temps, so I thought I'd throw on an Ale kit but using Lager yeast...

Now, I put it down on Tuesday (Sunday now) and there is still no Krausen.

Ingredients.

1x Brewers Selection Amarillo Ale Fresh Wort Kit.
1x Saflager S23
6 litres of water, charcoal filtered (britta filtered), boiled for 10m, chilled to 15 deg

I threw it all in the bucket/carboy which I had sterilised the same way as I've always done...

Only difference was that this time I decided to re-hydrate the yeast in about 300ml of the water that I had boiled and chilled... Put the yeast in, let it rest in the water (about 15 deg) and left it for 20m. I re-hydrated the yeast just in water cos that's what I read in one of my brew books... Thinking I should have thrown a bit of wort in to make sure the yeast was good before mixing it all together.

Always had everything glad wrapped to keep the nasties out. But 5 days on and all there is on the top of the brew is some random clumps of bubbles on the top. But definitely no fermentation from what I can tell. I haven't bothered to do another Gravity reading, as since I mixed it up nothing appears to have happened.

I'll take a photo and post it up later today. But I'm stumped as to what could have gone wrong.

I haven't been brewing for a long time, but I've never had an infection as I'm really anal about that sort of stuff.

I'm thinking maybe rehydrating the yeast may have done something... So I was thinking I'll go an buy another starter, but I can't see why that would have caused no fermentation in 5 days...

The fridge is set to 13-14 degrees at the moment...

Any advice would be awesome!

Thanks in advance.

Marc.

 

[bignath]

G'day Marc,

the first thing to check is a gravity reading. Some batches (depending on the ingredients - yeast in particular) can have a massive krausen, whilst others very little.

Before you go and throw another starter into, just make sure that the gravity hasn't fallen. Changes in gravity is the first thing that should be checked if suspected stalled ferment. Many brewers (not saying your one of them) think if the airlock isn't bubbling that something is seriously wrong etc....Just sit tight mate, take a reading tomorrow and another the day after. My money is that it's just a slow ferment, and being a lager yeast that doesn't surprise me.

Cheers,
Nath

 

[roverfj1200]

As Nath said check the gravity readings first before a repitch.

S23 cand take a few days to fire when pitched cold. but 5 days is a little longer than I have seen but I have never had S23 fail never......

Cheers

 

[Sneddy]

Thanks for the pointers.

Did a gravity reading just now and it's dropped from 1040OG to 1032. So it's working, just very slowly. Just means it will spend an extra week in the primary before putting it into the secondary for lagering.

You know, my favourite bit about testing the gravity is getting to taste the wort through the process... Probably my favourite thing about the whole brewing process (other than the finished product of course).

Thanks for chilling me out. First brew I've done that has started so quietly...

Last brew was a Chezch Pilsner with S23 and the Krausen on that was mental, although I dry pitched the Yeast at around 20 degrees! So this one had me freaking!

Thanks again!