Help with Chocolate Milk Stout

Anybody here have experience with this brew? I’ve had very little krausen and activity seems minimal in the first 48 hours. Is this par for the course? I’ve brewed other NB kits and have had to use a blow-off tube on one of them. Normally I use liquid yeast but i used the dry yeast that came with the package. I ordered it 6 months ago but kept both malt extract and yeast in my garage, a cool environment. Any comments or suggestions?

I’m guessing you used S-04? What was the date on the package? Did you rehydrate or just sprinkle it on top. Normally yeast should be stored in the fridge until brew day. If you’re seeing krausen it just might take some time if the pitch rate wasn’t the same as a fresh package. Dry yeast has a longer shelf life however poor storage conditions can affect viability.

It was S04 but I didn’t look at the date on the yeast package. It’s at least 6 months old because I received it in March. I didn’t hydrate it, just poured it in and added yeast nutrient a day later. I’ve always refrigerated my Wyeast and thought that dry could be left unrefrigerated. If I don’t see any activity in the next 2-3 days would you suggest adding another packet of yeast?

Without rehydrating the one package may have been an underpitch so it may start slow. Another package couldn’t hurt. I would pitch two packs on a 5 gallon or 1 on a low gravity beer. I generally hydrate dry yeast for a quicker start.

I just bottled NB’s second crack peace coffee stout. Used us-04 and it was a beast, had a huge blowoff. Even keeping it in the mid 60’s, and I’ve never had that happen with 04. But my ingredients (this was extract) had been in the fridge for about 2 months waiting. And I did just sprinkle the yeast on top of the wort. Go figure

Cheers,

Ron