Safale US-05

[royco]

Just brewed a 30L (around 33qt?) Amber Ale using dry Safale 05. Pitched 3 packs instead of 2 and ambient is 74°F. Expecting a nuclear blast I only used a 1" blow off hose, no bubbler. After 24 hours almost no activity. At 54 hours slight movement and small clumps of yeast starting to drop to the bottom. Very thin krausen. At what stage should I start to panic? OK, I know; should have rehydrated, but read up on the forum and found compelling evidence regarding dry sprinkling.
If by the 3rd day (tomorrow) the ferment has not become more vigorous should I pitch more yeast, or do you think the horse will have bolted?

 

[RM-MN]

I think you should get that beer somewhere cooler. At 74 degrees it is likely to become an explosive fermentation and leave you with fusel alcohol and off flavors. Put it in a tub of cold water and use a blowoff tube. Other than that, don't worry about the yeast. 3 packs should be plenty of yeast but they sometimes take their time to get started.

 

[IslandLizard]

Hydrometer is fine, I have two thermometers so temp is OK. It tastes fine and it's clear as far as I can tell - it is a stout so it's hard to tell! I tried swirling with no results so I just sprinkled another packet of 05 on the top...I'll let you all know what happens.

If it tastes "fine" and is clear, the beer maybe done. 1.036 is still high for a medium OG beer, and it will taste quite sweet. Check your hydrometer!

I thought the comments in the thread were clear enough that sprinkling yeast on top of wort is not a good method, killing ca. half the yeast cells. Now they were dumped in beer that also contains (some) alcohol. Don't expect miracles.

To resuscitate a stuck fermentation, if that's what this is, you would make a "starter" or a small batch with the new yeast and pitch that when it is at high krausen. At least you know the yeast is very active and there are many cells to chomp down on those leftover sugars, provided they are fermentable.

Again, it looks like something went wrong in your process, such as high mash temps, and/or lots of unfermentables from crystals. Check those thermometers!

 

[Hollers]

If it tastes "fine" and is clear, the beer maybe done. 1.036 is still high for a medium OG beer, and it will taste quite sweet. Check your hydrometer! I thought the comments in the thread were clear enough that sprinkling yeast on top of wort is not a good method, killing ca. half the yeast cells. Now they were dumped in beer that also contains (some) alcohol. Don't expect miracles. To resuscitate a stuck fermentation, if that's what this is, you would make a "starter" or a small batch with the new yeast and pitch that when it is at high krausen. At least you know the yeast is very active and there are many cells to chomp down on those leftover sugars, provided they are fermentable. Again, it looks like something went wrong in your process, such as high mash temps, and/or lots of unfermentables from crystals. Check those thermometers!

My thinking is that another packet of yeast, with the batch close to FG would work sufficiently. I don't need a full fermentation after all, so if half of it bites the dust when it hits the wort it should be OK. A half billion cells should do the trick, right? We'll see. I'll check it when I get home tonight. I've never not rehydrated dry yeast (but then again I've never pitched more yeast 14 days in! It could just be done, in which case I'll have a super sessionable sweet beer I can put in my Cheerios.

 

[k_mcarthur]

My thinking is that another packet of yeast, with the batch close to FG would work sufficiently. I don't need a full fermentation after all, so if half of it bites the dust when it hits the wort it should be OK. A half billion cells should do the trick, right? We'll see. I'll check it when I get home tonight. I've never not rehydrated dry yeast (but then again I've never pitched more yeast 14 days in! It could just be done, in which case I'll have a super sessionable sweet beer I can put in my Cheerios.

Unless you raised the fermentation temp to over 120° or poured bleach in there, your yeasts are not dead and pitching more is just a waste. If rousing and raising temp has not worked then the sugars left are in fermentable. Too high of mash temp is usually to blame. Mistakes happen, live and learn. Bottle this batch and move on to the next. Just pay extra attention to mash temps next time.

 

[boydster]

Unless you raised the fermentation temp to over 120° or poured bleach in there, your yeasts are not dead and pitching more is just a waste. If rousing and raising temp has not worked then the sugars left are in fermentable. Too high of mash temp is usually to blame. Mistakes happen, live and learn. Bottle this batch and move on to the next. Just pay extra attention to mash temps next time.

Need "like" button on mobile.

 

[royco]

I think you should get that beer somewhere cooler. At 74 degrees it is likely to become an explosive fermentation and leave you with fusel alcohol and off flavors. Put it in a tub of cold water and use a blowoff tube. Other than that, don't worry about the yeast. 3 packs should be plenty of yeast but they sometimes take their time to get started.

Thanks RM-MN, ambient has dropped a few degrees, but will bottle my Pilsner today and free up the freezer so the ale can go in at around 64~68°F. Maybe too late. Strange thing; just when I thought not much was happening after 3 days, I took a gravity reading and the damned thing is at 1006! The quietest ferment I've had in my limited experience. Will leave it for another week or so and maybe rack to secondary before bottling, although most folk seem to suggest secondary is not needed for ale?

 

[Hollers]

Need "like" button on mobile.

Sigh, looks like you're right, mash temp was probably higher than I thought. Bottling and on to the next one, lesson learned.

 

[brew_ny]

lesson learned.

see that is a good thing in the end, some folks do the same thing over and over and never learn

all the best with your brews

S_M

 

[boydster]

Sigh, looks like you're right, mash temp was probably higher than I thought. Bottling and on to the next one, lesson learned.

There is so much we can pick up on every batch, and the lessons are still usually delicious. Good luck on the next one!

 

[NeverSatisfied]

Three days ago I brewed my first beer using US-05. Before pitching, I attempted to bring the temp of the rehydrated yeast down to the temp of my wort, ~71. In the process I believe I aerated the yest quite a bit by stirring. Could this affect my fermentation? After 20 hours the temp of the wort had come down to ~67 and I had some less than vigorous bubbling going on. Im fermenting in a bucket so its hard to see for sure, and I dont want to take off the lid. About 36 hours later fermentation seems to have stalled and the temp is down to 66. Wondering what I should do, if anything?

 

[RM-MN]

Three days ago I brewed my first beer using US-05. Before pitching, I attempted to bring the temp of the rehydrated yeast down to the temp of my wort, ~71. In the process I believe I aerated the yest quite a bit by stirring. Could this affect my fermentation? After 20 hours the temp of the wort had come down to ~67 and I had some less than vigorous bubbling going on. Im fermenting in a bucket so its hard to see for sure, and I dont want to take off the lid. About 36 hours later fermentation seems to have stalled and the temp is down to 66. Wondering what I should do, if anything?

That's about the typical time for the yeast to slow down and quit producing CO2. It's also when it becomes OK to let the temperature rise as any off flavors are produced during that active phase. The yeast now need time to break down byproducts and those compounds that cause off flavors, say something like another week to as much a 4 weeks. Here's a nice article that describes the life cycle of the yeast. My experience says that the times that are listed in the article are optomistic or done in perfect conditions because my beers always take longer on every phase. http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

 

[NeverSatisfied]

That's about the typical time for the yeast to slow down and quit producing CO2. It's also when it becomes OK to let the temperature rise as any off flavors are produced during that active phase. The yeast now need time to break down byproducts and those compounds that cause off flavors, say something like another week to as much a 4 weeks. Here's a nice article that describes the life cycle of the yeast. My experience says that the times that are listed in the article are optomistic or done in perfect conditions because my beers always take longer on every phase. http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html[/QUOTE

I appreciate the information. Do you think I could have hurt the yeast by aerating it too much before pitching it? I feel like my fermentation should have been more vigorous. Im just worried about my final gravity at this point. But this is my first attempt so I may be overthinking everything and it will be just fine.

 

[RM-MN]

I really doubt that you hurt the yeast. Not every batch reacts the same, even with the same recipe, same yeast and same temperature. Some start really fast, some take a lot of time. Some want to explode out the top of the fermenter while it is hard to tell if others are even starting. Just relax and let the yeast do what they want.

 

[boydster]

You aerated at a time when it was beneficial to provide oxygen to the yeast. I don't think you hurt it a bit by stirring.

 

[royco]

I'm smiling as I just had the identical experience (posted somewhere on this thread a few days ago). First time with US 05, quick-cooled wort to around your temperature, aerated the **** out of it and pitched the dry yeast. Next morning, nothing. That evening, same. After 48 hours hardly a murmur (no bubbler, only a blow-off hose so hard to tell), and I had been expecting an explosion after using 50% more yeast than in the recipe. Was about to toss the batch down the drain but asked the forum members first.
Then I decided to check the gravity and……….can you believe….1005!!!??? after 3 days. It seems this brand works quietly and determinedly. In future I will rather rehydrate on advice from the forum.

 

[RM-MN]

I'm smiling as I just had the identical experience (posted somewhere on this thread a few days ago). First time with US 05, quick-cooled wort to around your temperature, aerated the **** out of it and pitched the dry yeast. Next morning, nothing. That evening, same. After 48 hours hardly a murmur (no bubbler, only a blow-off hose so hard to tell), and I had been expecting an explosion after using 50% more yeast than in the recipe. Was about to toss the batch down the drain but asked the forum members first.
Then I decided to check the gravity and……….can you believe….1005!!!??? after 3 days. It seems this brand works quietly and determinedly. In future I will rather rehydrate on advice from the forum.

Not always. Sometimes it goes wild too.