My first batch… I never saw (and still don’t see after rereading) this step in any of the included directions, video, and the piece of the pack I didn’t throw out (no yeast left in it) doesn’t say anything about smacking the pack, but regardless this apparently is supposed to be done. I just poured the yeast in from the sanitized pack and now a week later I have no evidence of fermentation. Guessing this batch is trash now? Or, is there another step I missed causing this lack of activity? Still salvageable?
So it didn’t do anything for the entire week? Are there signs that it fermented? Brown scum ring around the liquid level?
Not smacking the wyeast pack doesn’t matter, I would say if you had no fermentation at all then you stored the fermenter too cold.
Not so far as I can tell. No foaming and no bubbling in the air lock. I moved the wort to the fermenter when it was about body temp, agitated, and then added the yeast. I’ve been keeping it in a kitchen cabinet and my house kept at about 68 degrees.
You didn’t take a temp check before you pitched the yeast? You may have killed the yeast by pitching it into to warm of wort, body temp is about a 100 deg.
No I didn’t. Yeah I can see it being around 100 degrees when I pitched the yeast. What temp should it be? The video said “about body temp.”
Would I be able to add yeast at this point or is it a lost cause? Not that I have any yeast on hand anyway
100* would be ideal for yeast growth, but not for fermenting beer. I doubt you killed the yeast, unless it was warmer than that.
Smacking the pack just proofs the yeast, it won’t hurt it if you didn’t.
Are you fermenting in a bucket? At 100* (or 98*), you could have had a quick fermentation.
Many people (myself included) pitch and ferment ales in the low 60s.
I would ditch the video and search the forum for temp control and ask lots of questions.
Welcome to the forum. :cheers:
I just noticed you’re keeping it in a cabinet. Is it a 1 gal kit?
Thanks everyone.
Yes I am doing 1 gallon kit of Caribou Slobber.
[quote=“OTBMike”]Thanks everyone.
Yes I am doing 1 gallon kit of Caribou Slobber.[/quote]
If you pitched that warm with a 1 gallon kit, it probably fermented overnight.
Check your gravity.
Thanks for the input everyone.
I don’t have a hydrometer (yet) but it’s on the way
So the concensus is that I either killed the yeast or its fermented quickly. If it was the latter, would this batch even be good?
I’m betting you made beer. It probably fermented fast and finished overnight. Bottle it and drink it. Slobber appears to have enough flavor to cover lots of imperfections.
But, don’t drink it too fast! Fermenting that warm, it will have generated a lot of high molecular weight alcohols - they produce horrible hangovers.
