Porter not fermenting

[mrtona]

Hi
I've mixed up a can of Coopers Devils Half Ruby Porter and a can of CBW Porter.
I put them both in the fermenter with the yeast, but there hasn't been any bubbling out of the airlock.
The drum seal seems to be OK.
It's been in the fermenter at 18C for just over 2 weeks.
What have I done wrong?
Thanks
Tony

 

[barls]

whats your gravities aka og and current.
also the air lock is useless for prediction fermentation. they should only be stuffed with kittens

 

[Hermies]

Did you see any foaming on top ? Is there a crusty looking ring around the inside of the fermenter ? If there was and is its probably finished fermenting .

 

[Coodgee]

Hi
I've mixed up a can of Coopers Devils Half Ruby Porter and a can of CBW Porter.
I put them both in the fermenter with the yeast, but there hasn't been any bubbling out of the airlock.
The drum seal seems to be OK.
It's been in the fermenter at 18C for just over 2 weeks.
What have I done wrong?
Thanks
Tony

Assuming you added the correct amount of water as well as the cans and yeast, we can troubleshoot a few options:

1. The beer is actually finished fermenting: 2 weeks under normal conditions with an ale yeast should be enough time to ferment out a beer. Can you take a reading with a hydrometer? It should be between 1.000 and 1.020 if it's done or close to done. Sometimes the airlock won't bubble if there is a leak somewhere and it is very easy to get a leak (it's not a big deal). Did you see a layer of foam on top of the beer about an inch thick? This is also a sign that the beer is/was fermenting. If the beer is now done the foam (called a krausen to be exact) will have fallen back into the beer leaving a ring of scum on the fermenter wall just above the surface of the beer. Does it have that ring of scum?

2. The beer has not fermented: If the beer hasn't actually fermented or started to ferment in 2 weeks then it might be because it's too cold for the yeast. what part of the country are you in? For this to occur it would probably have to be pretty cold... like less than 14 degrees most of the time. Are you in Canberra? Otherwise these kits are reasonably foolproof. it is slightly possible you could have killed the yeast if you added it to boiling water or something. I suppose it is remotely possible that you got a dud packet of yeast but I have never heard of this.

Report back regarding hydrometer reading, foam, scum ring etc and we can go from there.

 

[mrtona]

There was a crust, which has since decreased.
I'll take a reading tonight.
I am in Canberra but I have the tub in a cupboard with a heater set at 18C.
Thanks for the help.

 

[Grott]

The reading will tell all but unless you originally had something in the barrel that would kill yeast, from what you've said I'd say its fermented.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

How much yeast did you use? Did you just toss it in or make a starter to prove the yeast is viable? The kit yeast (7 grams) you should have used 2 satchels at least. If you do a proper yeast count calculation, taking in yeast age etc it may have needed 4 satchels. Depending on the gravity and batch size? Aerate the wort? (shake well etc). Porter is pretty syrupy and can need these things for the yeast to perform and ferment properly.

 

[AJS2154]

Even yeast are dying to get out of Canberra. It's official, the yeast have left home.

See you, Anthony

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

There was a crust, which has since decreased.
I'll take a reading tonight.
I am in Canberra but I have the tub in a cupboard with a heater set at 18C.
Thanks for the help.

Sounds like it is done

Sometimes you dont get much krausen and just a thin ring of krausen.

After a while the whole krausen will just disappear into the beer.

Your biggest danger now is infection from opening it up

What does it taste like ?

 

[Coodgee]

How much yeast did you use? Did you just toss it in or make a starter to prove the yeast is viable?

do you really think that's necessary for a bloke doing his first kit?

Your biggest danger now is infection from opening it up

I don't think that would be something to worry too much about. It's the same air that we try to mix in as much as possible pre-ferment except now the beer is much less susceptible to infection!

 

[indica86]

2. The beer has not fermented: I.

Wow. If that is the case the cleanliness is AMAZING. There would be something that would do something if the yeast did not,

 

[Coodgee]

Wow. If that is the case the cleanliness is AMAZING. There would be something that would do something if the yeast did not,

If it was sitting in Canberra garage at 4 degrees it might last 2 weeks now we should probably stop shitting up this guy's thread!

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

d
I don't think that would be something to worry too much about. It's the same air that we try to mix in as much as possible pre-ferment except now the beer is much less susceptible to infection!

Well it is how you make beer into malt vinegar

 

[MitchD]

If it was sitting in Canberra garage at 4 degrees it might last 2 weeks now we should probably stop shitting up this guy's thread!

Can confirm Canberra is an excellent climate for lazy sanitation. I regularly leave my hydrometer, full with the OG sample sitting in the garage until it starts to show signs of life. Mid winter this can be a week or more.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

Quote: Danscraftbeer:
Did you just toss it in or make a starter to prove the yeast is viable?

do you really think that's necessary for a bloke doing his first kit?

Well I did!. On my first brew and onwards but I have better knowledge of yeast count now, pitch rate etc.
This Porter example for a first brew is probably the problem being a bit more higher range level of brewing and maybe not a good start point maybe...

 

[mrtona]

The reading last night was 1016 and it tasted Ok.
I'll take another reading tonight to see how it compares.
I didn't bother with an initial reading.

Thanks for you help.

 

[Coodgee]

seems like a pretty good result for a two-can porter. It's definitely mostly or fully fermented. you need to make sure that reading is stable over a few days before you bottle though.

 

[Matplat]

Sounds like it's finished, although if you knew the OG, you would have a better idea! Taking an OG reading is also a good idea if you want to know how much alcohol you have made.

Airlocks are not a good indicator of fermentation, as you have just found out. I struggled for a long time trying to get fermenter lids to seal, when using cling wrap is a much better method.

Just take the rubber seal out of the lid and use it an elastic band to hold a piece of cling wrap over instead, that way you can see in and check out your krausen without having to remove the lid!

 

[Rocker1986]

I agree with the above, it sounds like it's finished or almost there. With the ingredients used the OG was probably somewhere around the mid 1.040s, maybe a little higher, assuming a 23 litre batch anyway.

I used to use an airlock in my FV too, and I think it only bubbled on one batch. I knew it was a leaky seal somewhere so I never bothered trying to get it airtight. One day the grommet perished, and ever since I've just used gaffer tape over the hole in the lid in its place, which also allowed me to fit a shelf in the brew fridge above the FV. This is another method you could use if you're like me and prefer a more solid cover over the FV than glad wrap. My lid is see through though, so that helps with seeing inside it.