Stiring In The Yeast

[newbrewer01]

Hi all,

I hate to say it but i didn't completely read the instructions and ended up stiring in the yeast into the wort and not sprinkling it on the surface. it has been around 18 hrs and hasn't started bubbling yet.. should i lose hope on this brew?

 

[buttersd70]

Assuming that the spoon used to stir was sanitary, there is no reason why stiring the yeast into the wort will ahve any particularly detrimental effects. There are dozens upon dozens of reasons why the airlock is not bubbling, and very few of these actually indicate any problems. Check for other signs of fermentation (krausen forming on the surface, condensation forming inside the top of the lid, dropping specific gravity), instead of relying on airlocks, which are not an indication of how fermentation is proceeding.

Also bear in mind that yeast won't start up straight away, many yeasts have a lag time before they kick in. Some yeasts are very vigorous when the start; others are not. If there are no indications of fermentation starting (excluding the airlock) after 36-48 hours, then it's time to be (slightly) concerned.

 

[Bakes]

Nah its right. Just leave it and it will do its thing. Some people stir, some dont. Like some fold and some scrunch.

 

[raven19]

+1 for checking other forms of fermentation.

and welcome aboard newbrewer01.

With proper sanitation you cant go wrong... Cheers.

 

[Fermented]

Depending on a whole host of variables, fermentation can take anything up to 36 hours to kick off.

Don't sweat it, kick back and have a drink. Should be OK.

I've found one of the ways to get it well mixed in is to put it in a litre of water at say 25C (cover it loosely with glad wrap) as you're getting your goodies ready for the brew and pour it in last and give it a good stir to spread it out in the wort.

If the wort is well aerated (either by aggressive adding of the top-up water or by vigorous stirring) it will help get things going a little sooner. Yeast loves the oxygen and then gets stuck into the sugars (over-simplification, someone may want to elaborate or you can have a wee read around these forums).

Using the above method with both the original issue yeasts and others (S-04, -05, etc) it kicks off nicely between 12 and 24 hours. YMMV, etc.

Oh - and sanitise everything that will come in contact with the wort - including that spoon, but I guess you already know that.

Lots of luck and welcome to the hobby!

Cheers - Fermented.

 

[flattop]

Agreed, yeast types affect styles of fermentation. More likely your fermenter is not sealed. Give it a squeeze until the airlock bubbles and settles with uneven pressure.
If the temperature was below 30* when pitched and stayed below that then there is really not likely to be a problem.
If the airlock evens out in a minute or two then there is an air leak. The yeast will be fine, i re-hydrate the yeast as explained by feremented, because i pitch a liquid it falls below the surface every time. It is very unlikely that there is anything wrong with your brew. Take an SG reading now and wait 2 days and take another. I am certain in 48 hours it will have dropped, if so all good, but if not pitch more yeast. I have found that yeast is fairly tough and sometimes just takes a while to get going.

Ohh and have a drink... it helps with perspective... a lot of this brewing stuff is all bluster at the start and then 2 weeks waiting... to fill in time download the Neil Morrissey's video and relax and watch tv and have a beer

 

[Back Yard Brewer]

Depending on a whole host of variables, fermentation can take anything up to 36 hours to kick off.


Cheers - Fermented.

If mine takes more than 12hrs I start to worry. The only two that I have lost were as a result of my wort taking to long to start fermenting. Get it in and get it fermenting ASAP thats my motto.

BYB

 

[bradsbrew]

I give mine a real good stir before and during adding the yeast.

When I first started I was told to sprinkle the yeast on top and dont stir it because you dont want oxygen in there.( Bad advice IMO)

But know I stir the absolute living phuck out of it. Main thing is the temp when you add/pitch your yeast.

Cheers Brad

 

[flattop]

Remember, if you sanitized everything and were careful the wort shouldn't get infected even if the yeast is firing blanks!!!!!
You can still re-pitch tomorrow

Oh i farked the start of one brew because i filled the fermenter from the hand shower (seemed like a good idea at the time) it made a huge frothy head on the wort (5-10cm) i pitched on that and almost nothing happened for 2 days. The yeast was active in the foam but couldn't drop down into the wort.
I gave up after stirring it in and pitched another rehydrated yeast directly into the wort, it went off fine.
I have to admit the brew is perhaps a touch yeasty in taste, but that's after 2 weeks in the bottle, a month or two and it will be fine.
Don't panic, have a beer, think about it.
Wait until tomorrow, look for signs of bubbling and a krausen head forming, condensation on the lid, SG dropping. If any one of these are occurring have another beer and look again in 24 hours....
Remember this hobby is supposed to be fun and has the fringe benefit of almost free beer.
Can you stuff it up by leaving it alone....? Unlikely
Can you stuff it up by opening and playing with it? Possibly....
Can you sample a few beers and worry about it tomorrow? YES!

 

[buttersd70]

Just remember one thing about yeast...lack of visible signs of fermentation does not necesarily mean there is no fermentation happening....if in doubt, confirm with a gravity reading. If its dropping, its fermenting, whether you have any of the visible signs, or not. Most yeast strains will give visual indications before gravity drops significantly, but some yeasts are sneaky buggers. I've had more than one where nothing appeared to be happening, and I took a SG, and noticed that it had dropped a fair amount.

 

[Back Yard Brewer]

Just remember one thing about yeast...lack of visible signs of fermentation does not necesarily mean there is no fermentation happening....

Obviously you are talking from experince.

From the 15 - 20 AG's that I have made this year I have not had one where there has been a case of yeast sneakily fermenting. The only experince I can comment on (as I have) are the two that turned out :icon_vomit: were the two that had no signs of fermentation for at least 24hrs. Since then I now pour a very active 1ltr starter and stir it in as I pour. Been not a single problem since. :super:

Back Yard Brewer

 

[Fermented]

Forgot one thing but reminded me after reading butters first post.

If it is a new fermenter, screw top type, it's possible that the o-ring isn't mated very well between the lid and the vessel. Just screw it on rather tightly. They seem to need to 'wear in' to get a better seal.

If the ferment has kicked off by now, and most likely it has you will see foam on top of the wort and condensation on the lid. Don't worry about the airlock not bubbling much. It has a function to be sure, but the one of amusing us when we're starting out isn't too important.

Take care and good brewing.

Cheers - Fermented.

 

[Jase71]

Just on the topic of physical signs of fermentaion, we have had a couple of mini-ferments going for the past week with the oztops system, one being a clear apple juice, and another being a home made ginger beer, both in 2litre PET bottles. The apple juice/cider was foaming like crazy, and was hissing like mad through the air release valve, but the ginger beer showed absolutely no sign of activity. Regardless, after 7 days, there's no doubt that the visually dormant GB has a decent amount of kick to it, alcohol wise, physical effects were observed after a single glass.

 

[buttersd70]

Obviously you are talking from experince.

From the 15 - 20 AG's that I have made this year I have not had one where there has been a case of yeast sneakily fermenting. The only experince I can comment on (as I have) are the two that turned out :icon_vomit: were the two that had no signs of fermentation for at least 24hrs. Since then I now pour a very active 1ltr starter and stir it in as I pour. Been not a single problem since. :super:

Back Yard Brewer

To put what I said into a more meaningful context, I was thinking more in line with KK brewing, byb. Never had the issue with quality yeasts in AG, they go off their nut, with a good healthy krausen and other visible signs. But some of the kit yeasts, in K&K brews were another matter...weak, wierd little generic beasts that can sometimes be a bit hard to pick visually. Usually associated with believing the kit instructions....splashing wort is bad, mmmkay.