Uh oh......stuck fermentation! HELP!

[kdbentz]

I pitched my champagne yeast on top of 5 gallons of apple juice that, although it had 1/2 gallon of very hot brown sugar and water mixture post boil added to it, was fresh out of the fridge and was probably about 48-52 degrees.
24 hrs later there is still no fermentation action and I am afraid that it was too cold at pitch......HELP!!! what should I do?

 

[Maylar]

If the yeast was the same temp as the juice it'll start once it warms up. If there was more than 10 degrees difference you could have thermal shocked the yeast and need to re pitch.

 

[Brauer]

Let me get this right...... You dumped .5 gallon of hot brown suga/ water into your must then the yeast on top of that? Or did you dump the yeast into hot brown suga/water mix then that into the must? Or yeast into the must then near boiling mix on top? Did you aerate? A little clarification on the order and temps of each of the ingredients would help.

 

[kdbentz]

I dumped cold juice into the fermenter, then the hot sugar water on top of that, then the yeast on top of that. The yeast was dry red star champagne yeast from the fridge but there was likely more than 10degrees difference

 

[kdbentz]

And yes I did aerate well

 

[brewshki]

I just brewed a batch of cider and never got any sign of fermentation. Take a hydrometer reading and you'll know.

 

[Brewski_59]

what temperature is it now.
You can add yeast again. I wouldn't recommend repeating what you described above. Yeast is fairly forgiving but that sounds like torture to the poor little guys. Generally you want to have the yeast and the must at similar temps when you pitch.

 

[brewshki]

what temperature is it now.
You can add yeast again. I wouldn't recommend repeating what you described above. Yeast is fairly forgiving but that sounds like torture to the poor little guys. Generally you want to have the yeast and the must at similar temps when you pitch.

I can't decide if I feel kinship or territorial about the proximity of our names...

 

[fuelish]

Was the yeast rehydrated or just dumped in dry? Dunno how much difference it would make in this case, but rehydrating is recommended, just sayin'

 

[kdbentz]

It was dry.....i brew beer frequently and pitch dry every time.....is it different with cider? Dont know why it would be.

 

[kdbentz]

Temp now is 64......time to repitch?

 

[Brewski_59]

64 is a decent temp. You may just have a longer lag time and see activity tomorrow. Hard to say. Adding new yeast won't hurt.