I brewed a batch of NB’s American Amber Ale 4 days ago and I have not noticed any yeast fermentation, but there is a layer at the bottom of the carboy which I assume is yeast???
My first reading was 1.40 I took another reading tonight and came up with 1.46 (carboy temp was 64deg F). There was some bubbling in the airlock. I was told that fermentation may aleady be done, it this possible.
I plan on keeping it in the Primary for 2 weeks then bottle for 3.
Should I be concerned this batch is ruined? I did buy some dry yeast tonight just in case I need to re-pitch.
If the gravity is still at 1.046, you haven’t fermented anything yet.
But if it’s starting to bubble, and theres a nice layer of yeast cake,it should take off pretty soon.
Check into making yeast starters, it will shave 3-3 1/2 of those days off of your lag time.
I used a Wyeast from NB that is recommended for this kit. I did spin the hydrometer as dropping it in the test tube, a couple of times. It was clinging to the side of the test tube.
What I did tonight was give the carboy a good stir then placed in the crawl space to let sit. Will check it in the morning.
This is my second batch, first was a NB Dunkelweiss…tastes awesome! When that fermentated it (Krausen) filled the the space in the carboy, no blow-over thankfully. I guess I was expecting the same type of situation with the Amber Ale.
How well did you aerate before pitching? What temperature was it at when you pitched? How long before pitching did you “smack the pack”? If it has finally started you are good, but if it took 4 days there’s definitely improvements to be made to your process…
The Wyeast was not fully inflated. This I think could be the major issue here. I have a small packet of Dry yeast. Today is the 6th day…no signs of fermenting other than a few bubbles in the airlock.
I’m assuming I need to add more yeast? The original temp at pitching was 68-70deg.
Fermenting at 64* is pretty low. It’ll work… but, I’d ramp the temp up to 68-70max for an amber ale. I"m not familiar with the liquid yeasts yet… so I don’t know what temp they recommend. All the dry yeasts I’ve used are at 68-70 (20C) and they work fine. I’d definitely not go over 70 despite the max recommended range for many of the ale yeasts say 75*.
Also, seems weird that the SG would go UP. Was the OG 40 or 46? I could see 46 going to 40 at a slow rate. Are you fermenting at 64?? If so, the yeast may be having a slow start due to that lower temp… altho it will work. I’d be afraid of other yeasts taking over if the desired yeast doesn’t get a good/rapid start. If it doesn’t pick up with increased temp… I’d certainly consider re-pitching.
Like Demus asked did you aerate the wort? I would think that mid 60’s is a great temp to ferment at for a few days then ramp it up to low 70’s for a couple of days.
I aerated the wort before pitching the yeast. I am guessing it wasn’t long enough before yeast was poured in. There seems to be a layer of “yeast” at the bottom of the carboy. I can move it back to a warmer location in the hopes it’ll trigger something. Temp is at 66deg currently.
at this point it’s been 5+days with little or no activity. I would definitely repitch. The longer you wait, the better chance you have for anything foreign to build up strength. I’d get a package of dry yeast… hydrate it in a cup of water that has been boiled and covered and cooled to room temp. Then pitch it… You’ll see results rapidly.
I’d pitch that dry yeast you bought ASAP. The fact that your airlock isn’t bubbling means that your batch probably isn’t infected and you’re good to go. The Wyeast you bought probably died in transit.
Next time, make sure it inflates when you smack it in a reasonable time. It’s a built-in viability check.
I pitched dry yeast and within 24hrs I saw active fermentation. It’s now coming into the second week and the yeast has reduced. I am planning on giving it another week in carboy, take a hydometer test then hopefully bottle.
