4 days and still at OG

[NomoMoMo]

On Saturday I brewed a Porter extract kit from Midwest. I used Wyeast 1028 London Ale yeast, took the pack out of the fridge when I started brewing, smacked and shook and let it sit on the counter for 3.5 hours while I brewed and cooled. Pitched the yeast at 70* with the OG at 1.044. I did not see any activity so tonight I decided to take a hydrometer reading. Guess what it read, 1.044 It appears my yeast went on strike.

I did place the fermentor in the basement on the ground, the thermometer on the bucket is hovering around 60* ( I think when I checked earlier, it may have even been 58*) The Wort smells and tasted like it did when I brewed it, so it still appears to be uninfected.

My question is, with the Wyeast temp range being between 60-72F should I move it to a warmer part of the house to see what happens, or should there have been some activity and drop in gravity which would indicate a dead yeast strain and pitch the spare Mutons dry yeast spare I bought, just in case.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Veronis]

Did the smack pack swell over that 3.5 hours, or when you pitched was the smack pack as floppy as it was before you smacked it?

If it swelled, it's just the basement floor temp. Once it gets warmer it'll take off. The basement floor bringing the fermenter below 60 is almost definitely the cause.

If the smack pack didn't swell, then it could be an issue with the yeast, yes. But my money is on the low temps/basement floor right now.

Once you warm it up past 60-62 ish, give it a couple days and fermentation will most likely kick off.

 

[NomoMoMo]

Did the smack pack swell over that 3.5 hours, or when you pitched was the smack pack as floppy as it was before you smacked it?

If it swelled, it's just the basement floor temp. Once it gets warmer it'll take off. London Ale Yeast has a temp range of 60-72 for fermentation, and a basement floor bringing the fermenter below 60 is almost definitely the cause. Source: http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=4

If the smack pack didn't swell, then it could be an issue with the yeast, yes. But my money is on the low temps right now.

Once you warm it up past 60-62 ish, give it a couple days and fermentation will most likely kick off.

Thanks for the quick reply.

I guess I will look for a warmer area in the house and see how that goes. Now to find somewhere that the SWMBO won't have a problem with.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I'd raise the temps into the mid 60s and see what happens before pitching the Munton's. If you have no signs of infection then you did a great job on sanitation and it will be fine for a couple more days to give the 1028 a chance.

 

[NomoMoMo]

I got the ok to put the bucket in the guest bedroom. No kids, no cats and a balmy 67F. It's spring break for the yeasties...

Update to follow.

 

[GASoline71]

Be prepared to use a blow off tube.

I take it the wife/girlfriend/significant other is not in favor of beer brewing...

Gary

 

[NomoMoMo]

Be prepared to use a blow off tube.

I do not ave a blow off tube. I'm using a 6.5 gallon bucket so I'm hoping that the head space will suffice. I may need to put down some additional towels just in case (and a bucket and water if the air lock blows off!)

I take it the wife/girlfriend/significant other is not in favor of beer brewing...

Gary

No, the wife's OK with it (though she wasn't too happy about the smell after brewing on Saturday, I may have to invest in an outdoor stove), It's just that she would prefer the bucket isn't in the spare bedroom, unfortunately that's the only place besides the basements that the cats can't roam. Knowing my cats, I'll probably find the airlock under the couch.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

I do not ave a blow off tube.

No, the wife's OK with it (though she wasn't too happy about the smell after brewing on Saturday

Knowing my cats, I'll probably find the airlock under the couch.

Blowoff is simple. Pick up a few feet of 1/2" clear vinyl tubing at any hardware store. You can leave the airlock body, remove the cap and floater, slide the tubing over the center post, stick the other end in a container of Starsan. Done!

My wife hates the smell of boiling wort. Bayou Classics SQ14 burner. If you have an Ace Hardware it ships free to the store and they had one of the best prices on the interwebs.

I would love to see the video of your cats "watching" a bubbling airlock!

 

[Veronis]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I guess I will look for a warmer area in the house and see how that goes. Now to find somewhere that the SWMBO won't have a problem with.

You don't need a warmer place in the house, most likely - if the basement's ambient temp is the low/mid 60's, the basement is fine. Get the fermenter off the floor. Even if you set up a little TV tray or something, that is enough. A cool basement is better anyway as it keep your fermentation temps (bucket temps) in the mid/upper 60's during the main ferment, give or take. These are more ideal temps than a 70ish spare bedroom will do. The beer will taste cleaner, etc. Do research on temp as it affects fermentation/flavors.

I keep my fermenters in the basement with ambient temps of 63-66, and they all take off fine and the fermenter registers around 68 during the most violent parts of fermentation in those ambient temps. The basement floor is a different story; what you described is a very common problem, directly related to putting the fermenter on the basement floor, which itself is often closer to 50-55. Temps like that will put ale yeast to sleep pretty quick, before the bucket even drops that low (the bottom of the bucket was probably colder than what your temp sticker said, and most of the yeast was probably down there).

Regarding the blowoff, you may be OK without a blowoff with that gravity/6.5gal bucket, but even smaller beers can surprise you with a mess. To compensate quickly, get a black scentless trash bag and stick the whole fermenter in it if you're concerned about a mess. If during early stages of fermentation any of the krausen starts creeping up into the airlock, you need to take action.

 

[duboman]

You don't need a warmer place in the house, most likely - if the basement's ambient temp is the low/mid 60's, the basement is fine. Get the fermenter off the floor. Even if you set up a little TV tray or something, that is probably enough.

I keep my fermenters in the basement with ambient temps of 63-66, and they all take off fine. The basement floor is a different story; what you described is a very common problem, directly related to putting the fermenter on the basement floor.

^^This^^
If you bring the vessel up to a room that's 67 then your beer will actually get 5-8 degrees warmer during active fermentation and that would have a greater chance of off flavors developing

 

[NomoMoMo]

Thanks for all the advice. Right now it's still in the guest room surrounded by a garbage bag, just in case. Didn't have time to get a blow off tube made. Checked this evening and the bucket temp has climbed to around 64F with an ambient temp of 67F. No activity yet, but I didn't expect any since the yeast has been dormant for a while. I gave the bucket a couple of shakes since the wort was aerated 4 days ago. I'm going to keep an eye on it through Saturday, and if no sign of fermentation, I'll check the gravity and see where it stands. If its still at OG, I'll pitch the spare yeast. If I start to get activity, hopefully it will start to take off over the next 24 hrs, I'll move it back downstairs and off the floor.

 

[NomoMoMo]

Good news, there be bubbles in the airlock [/Scotty]

I think everything should be fine now. Thanks to everyone who offered advice. Time for some homebrew!

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Awesome! Good luck with it.

 

[Veronis]

Good news, there be bubbles in the airlock [/Scotty]

Congrats!