Death to my first brew?

[cbzdel]

72 hours ago I finished my first batch of home brew

I started off with the Hanks Hef kit from Midwest, extract.
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/hank-s-hefeweizen.html

Followed the directions exactly, but I did a full boil and added a Whirlfloc tablet at the end, and used a copper coil wort chiller, but when I got to the re-hydrating the dry yeast (good until 2014) it was a bit unclear what to do on on the package, it just showed a cup of water with a temp, then a stir, then a time. So I heated up 4oz of water, pitched the yeast and stirred it in for 30 seconds, then waited 15 minutes and pitched it into my fermenter which was temped somewhere in the low 70s to high 60s. Come to find out that is not exactly how to rehydrate yeast. There was no foam to my yeast "starter" at all it just looked like flour mixed into water.

3 days later I still see no bubbles, videos on youtube had the airlock going crazy with the exact same kit and dry yeast in under 24 hours. So I popped the bucket top, no krausen, no bubbles in the airlock, nothing.. Its in a dark room temped in the high 60s

I know the general consensus is wait it out but after 3 days I am a bit worried at this point thinking i may has lost my $30+ I spent on the kit.

What should I do at this point? Add more yeast? I have two local brew shops close to me where I could get some.

 

[gcdowd]

Re-hydrating is different than making a starter. What you did was Re-hydrate. What temp was the water when you put the yeast in? If it was too hot, you may have killed your yeast

 

[cbzdel]

I do not recall the exact number, it was in the high 80s low 90's as the package called out. Maybe my tiny kitchen thermometer is not calibrated correctly? The package appeared to be in good condition was good until 2014.

 

[jmh286]

That isn't hot enough to kill the yeast. What temp are you keeping your fermenter?

 

[cbzdel]

It is in the mid 60s, temp strip on the bucket read 65 this morning, and that was after a night of no heat, might be closer to 70 during the day with the houses heater system on.

 

[JRapp]

Dont worry too much yet! All you are doing when you rehydrate is let the yeast get a long drink of water before it starts eating in the sugar heavy environment. Its a lot more difficult for the dry yeast to get wet again if you just take it from the pouch onto the wort. No bubbles necessary

Though after 3 days I would be concerned also. But feel secure, the beer is not going bad in the bucket. Should be able to add another starter with no concenquences

What temp did you heat the water for the starter up to, what temp did you add the yeast to it, what temp was the yeast starter at when you added it to the fermenter, and when you added it to the fermenter what temp was the wort at?

You might of cooked the yeast in the starter, might of added a much warmer or cooler starter to the fermenter and maybe shocked the yeast.

Are you able to take a small hydrometer reading?

 

[jmh286]

I would wait it out a few more days, and if you get nothing, pitch more yeast.

 

[cbzdel]

Yeah I can take another hydrometer reading tonight to verify no activity, I did not have the time to break out all the equipment and clean it before going to work this morning.

I heated the 4oz of yeast water to 80s/90s, stired in yeast, waited 15 minutes, no action from yeast at this point, I seen most foam?? But directions said pitch after 15 minutes. Wort was in the low 70s as was the yeast water when I mixed them.

A guy at work said I just just go get a vial of white labs hef yeast and dump it in the bucket and call it a day, he is anti-dry yeast to begin with though haha..

 

[Clonefan94]

Is there any Krausen formed yet? I had this happen on my last brew. I always have airlock activity. Always and usually within 8 hours of pitching. So, when I didn't see any after 2 days, I got a little nervous. I put a flashlight on the top of my bucket and could see that a Krausen had formed, therefore yeast activity had started, despite not having any airlock activity.

If you are fermenting in a carboy and can visually see nothing is happening, then nothing is happening. If it's in a bucket though, don't assume nothing is happening because you don't see airlock activity. If you are really nervous, just pry the lid and take a peek - don't take it all the way off, just enough to see if anything is happening.

 

[cbzdel]

I popped the lid today, zero krausen, it looks like a bucket of wort to me, nothing floating on top at all, no signs that there ever was either.

 

[ioo]

A guy at work said I just just go get a vial of white labs hef yeast and dump it in the bucket and call it a day, he is anti-dry yeast to begin with though haha..

I have never been a fan of dry yeast either. If it were me I'd get a white labs vial or wyeast smack pack and dump it in.

 

[Clonefan94]

IMO, I'd definitely get another packet of yeast. If nothing has happened tonight, you'll want to get new yeast pitched. You should have seen something by now.

 

[LLBeanJ]

Yeah, that's not a good sign. At this point, I'd pick up more yeast and re-pitch.

 

[cbzdel]

I know a million different things could of gone wrong, but from what I have posted it doesn't sound like I screwed up the process does it, it sounds like I just had a dead yeast pack??

How do I go about adding in a liquid yeast? Just dump it in and cover it back up? Or do I need to make a starter or stir it into the wort at all?

 

[LLBeanJ]

Your process seems to be fine, from what you've described. Maybe the water was hotter than you think it was when you re-hydrated, which could have killed off your yeast.

Normally, I'd recommend a starter when using liquid, but in this case, just get a liquid vial of WLP300 or Wyeast 3068 and pitch it directly.

 

[gcdowd]

Yeah, your method seemed sound. Anything could have happened to the yeast though....sometimes crap just happens. You could pitch a liquid yeast, I always make a starter but I've heard of many people who don't and they get beer just fine. What was your OG?

 

[cbzdel]

OG looked right looked right around 1.060, hard to read though the foam, recipe said to shoot for 1.052, so with the foam plus the margin of error of the hydrometer I am probably pretty close.

Should one vial do it, I have been playing around with Mr. Malty and it is telling my for 5 gallons with no starter and the OG that I have I need 1.9 vials without a starter.

 

[mike_in_ak]

I know a million different things could of gone wrong, but from what I have posted it doesn't sound like I screwed up the process does it, it sounds like I just had a dead yeast pack??

How do I go about adding in a liquid yeast? Just dump it in and cover it back up? Or do I need to make a starter or stir it into the wort at all?

One think went wrong: you killed your yeast by putting them in hot water. Or at least killed enough of them to slow them way down.

 

[LLBeanJ]

OG looked right looked right around 1.060, hard to read though the foam, recipe said to shoot for 1.052, so with the foam plus the margin of error of the hydrometer I am probably pretty close.

Should one vial do it, I have been playing around with Mr. Malty and it is telling my for 5 gallons with no starter and the OG that I have I need 1.9 vials without a starter.

I like to underpitch my hefe's by as much as 40-50%.

Edit: Corrected my underpitch estimate above. I was thinking I tend to pitch at 50-60% of the MrMalty/Yeastcalc pitch rate, not underpitch by that amount.

Edit 2: Deleted reference to Brewing Classic Styles. I can't find the reference I cited. Evidently, I'm losing my mind.

 

[woozy]

My two newbie cents:

It sounds like you got a bad package of yeast. It happens. rarely, but it happens.

When you added it to warm water (which should be lukewarm to the touch; you really don't need a thermometer-- just see if the running water is warm, not hot; if your fingers are uncomfortable in the stream of running water, it's too hot) after about 5 to 10 minutes the yeast should have ..., well, not "bubbled" exactly but sort of swelled and gotten sludgy ... like foamy saliva. The yeast, if good, doesn't really need to be hydrated (it could just be tossed dry onto the wort) but if the yeast is bad you can catch it in the hydration stage. Bad yeast will just sit (and eventually sink) and just remain grain-like.

Oh, and dry yeast doesn't really need a "starter". To add yeast get a new package, test it by adding it to warm, not hot, water and seeing if it reacts, and tossing it in.

Sorry about the dead yeast. It's possible your initial water was too hot, but I think it's far, far more likely that the package was dead from the start.

 

[cbzdel]

hydration stage. Bad yeast will just sit (and eventually sink) and just remain grain-like.

Thats exactly what happened it just formed a layer on the bottom of the jar, it looked like flour on the bottom of the jar of water, very odd looking, but it did not bubble or foam at all.

I did did nuke the water, but the thermometer did say it was was within the temp range on the package. So either my thermometer is off or I got a back pack of yeast.

 

[ioo]

Sounds like you know your problem then. Pitch some fresh yeast and you will probably be fine.

 

[woozy]

My experience is that unless the water is really, really hot, like cup of tea hot, it won't kill the yeast. So if you didn't see steam coming off it and you didn't need pot holdesr, your water didn't kill the yeast.

 

[cbzdel]

Alright last night about 8pm I dumped a vial of white labs 300 into it, just popped the lid dumped it then closed it back up... 12 hours later still no activity to report, got my fingers crossed. It was so easy to make I just hope it ferments and the problem wasnt something I did, because I have a second batch I am holding off on making because its a more expensive IPA and I dont want to ruin that one to haha

 

[doornumber3]

im a huge fan of the Wyeast smack packs.....well worth it.

 

[bacchusmj]

Patience. Stop opening and testing as well, risking contamination and oxygenation.

 

[cbzdel]

Only popped the lid twice on it say far, once after 3 days, and then once again to add the new yeast.

I might try making my IPA tomorrow evening, just a bit worried as my luck is not the best with this Hef. I know I know relax, just as with everyone else on here had high hopes as I learned so much and thought I did everything 100% correctly and still no resulst

 

[Shred]

Never trust the yeast that comes in kits. It's impossible to know what they were exposed to. Find a yeast that meets what you're looking to accomplish and repitch. I'm sure your brew will be fine.

 

[cbzdel]

Just wanted to share its bubbling away like a mad man this morning

 

[Shred]

Glad to hear!

 

[cbzdel]

Just sharing my excitment more than anything else, took a flashlight to the bucket and there is about 1" to 2" of krausen in there now.

The airlock quit bubbling, after less than 24 hours but as I keep reading, dont trust the air lock in plastic pails...

So when should I take the next gravity reading?

 

[gcdowd]

Just sharing my excitment more than anything else, took a flashlight to the bucket and there is about 1" to 2" of krausen in there now.

The airlock quit bubbling, after less than 24 hours but as I keep reading, dont trust the air lock in plastic pails...

So when should I take the next gravity reading?

2 weeks.

 

[cbzdel]

easy enough

 

[speeddemon190]

exciting isnt it!!!! I just bottled my first 2 batches.

 

[gcdowd]

I'm kinda jealous. There is no feeling quite like the feeling you get when you drink your first homebrew

 

[Soldevi]

Well, there's always the first time that you get totally wasted on your own brew.

 

[SteveM]

I'll add my experience with dry yeast, which I use almost exclusively. There are people who will advise that you should always rehydrate it. I won't say there's anything wrong with doing this, but I will say, based on my experience, it's not necessary. I have never had a problem with simply sprinkling dry yeast on top of the wort.

I want my processes as simple as possible - simple processes are inherently less likely to have process variations (fewer steps = fewer chances to deviate). I'm a kitchen brewer but I've made hundreds of batches (including a prize winner in the one contest I entered) and have been at it for well over a decade, so it's not as if I just got lucky.