No Krausen

[Duff]

Moved to Sydney last week and yesterday set out to fill up all my empty bottles. I went to ESB and bought 2 fresh wort kits, Amber Ale and Lager. Pitched the Amber Ale @ 20C with WLP005 British Ale, and the Lager with WLP830 German Lager (the lager is in my fridge). This was around 1.00pm yesterday.

Just checked it before (6.30am), Ale @ 18C, and lager a bit cool <10C, and there is no krausen on either. Adjusted the fridge temp to slowly raise slightly. If any, it may be 4-5mm, with a yeast cake starting to form on the base. They are bubbling, albeit slowly, but on the Whitelabs info it states 5 - 15 hours before fermentation starts.

It just seems a little strange but these are my first brews with liquid yeast. With the packs of Saf, fermentation seemed to start alot faster with a high krausen formed overnight. Am I worrying about nothing?

Puzzled.......Duff.

 

[jgriffin]

Did you make the yeast into a starter, or just pitch the tube?

I've found that unless the tube is really really fresh, you need to make a starter of at least 1L for ales and 2L for lagers (some people say 2 & 4).

Also, i've found that you need to aerate those fresh wort kits like hell.

 

[Bobby]

has the yeasy multiplied?? look at the bottom of the fermentor to see if the yeast is active.
amber ale with wlp005 on tap is a fave of mine.

 

[MCWB]

Well White Labs say their tubes are pitchable, but fermantation certainly takes off much faster if you make a starter beforehand. I've only pitched straight from the tube once, and it took a day and a bit to take off IIRC. In any case, there's nothing you can do now, just RDWHAHB (even at 6:30 ) and check that you're getting some activity within a day or so.

 

[Trough Lolly]

Perhaps your yeast is still in the adaptive phase (multiplying like mad in solution and getting ready to do some bottom fermenting as a good lager yeast shall). The yeast starter mentioned by John is an important step - the tubes pitched straight into the wort may have shocked the yeast cells - was the yeast tube the same temp as the wort at pitching time? If not, that is often a reason why the yeast is taking a long time to adjust to its new home - there may have been a fair bit of carnage when you pitched the tubes and now the yeast is slowly getting its act together. The yeast starter is an important step that allows the yeast cell walls to be revived and ready to process some more wort - that's also applicable to dry yeast - rehydrating dry yeast in water (not 1040 wort as some recommend) allows the yeast cells to reconstitute and they need the water and oxygen to make the cells nice and ready to start filtering the wort that you pitch the yeast into - anyway enough of that - I'm drifting OT!!

Give it another 12-24 hours and keep an eye on your fermentation temps - try not to adjust the temps too much, let the yeast cells adapt to their new home (temperature and wort composition wise).
If you have no luck after another 24 hours - get busy with a paddle or long spoon...rip off the cover and rouse the yeast into action - yes, stir gently, don't splash the wort, just stir up the bottom and get the yeast back into the main body of the wort.
Did you use pellet hops? Sometimes the yeast cells will be stifled in their early stages of fermentation with hop residue covering the yeast cake on the bottom of the fermenter.
I've saved many a dead looking ferment with a good rousing - make sure anything touching the wort is sterile beforehand and don't oxidise the wort (you should have given it a good stirring up when you started the fermentation - you should not introduce any more oxygen after the first 12 or so hours of fermentation.

Cheers,
TL