High OG. A bit concerned

So I made an oatmeal stout extract kit this weekend. I had some left over light DME that I just wanted get rid of so I just threw it into the boil. The OG was supposed to be 1.064 and I ended up at 1.080. I pitched yeast. It’s in a plastic bucket in my freezer at 62 deg F. The yeast is Nottingham. There is air lock activity but now after almost 2 days it’s nowhere near the amount of activity that I am used to with Nottingham. Usually that yeast is rather aggressive and often I get blowovers. So I was starting to wonder, with such a high OG could the yeast be having a problem thriving? If so is it fair to assume that as long as there is activity it will all be oK, but just maybe take a lot longer than the typical 3 or 4 day fermentation? I would think that as long as there are yeast in the bucket, and food for them to eat that they will take care of business. We often talk of the proper amount of yeast for a batch, but I always wonder about it. If you don’t have enough yeast to start with I would think that the process will take longer. Because it always seems that even after all is done there is always enough yeast to process the priming sugar. So what is it that is a problem when you don’t have enough yeast to start with? Are there drawbacks to not having enough yeast pitched other than a longer fermentationtime?

Everything will be fine. Relax. Don’t worry.

The higher OG could be partly from the sugars in the wort not being thoroughly mixed. Your SG sample may have been from part of the wort that was heavier to sugars.

How much, approximately, DME did you add? The estimated OG can be calculated to account for the added DME.

The wort was well mixed. THe high OG was expected. I am OK with that. My concern is with the slow activity. I am wondering if the high OG is too much for the yeast to handle and that maybe the yeast is not thriving in that environment.

But as Dave says, I probably should not worry at all. I am sure it will all work out fine. But I would still like to know why we have so much concern over the amount of yeast we pitch. It seems that the amount of yeast pitched should not be a big issue

I think its slower due to the 62° fermentation temp. That slows the yeast down pretty well.

Update: It’s 3 days after pitching yeast and the fermentation/air lock activity is nice. I am no longer concerned. As a matter of fact I think I am rather happy. Perhaps I am wrong in my thinking and if so I hope those with more experience will ring in, but if I am correct a slower more mellow fermentation will produce a better final product. I compare it to BBQ, low and slow makes a better meat. patience is a virtue. Haste makes waste. The working range for Nottingham starts at 55 degrees and so I think that keeping it near that temp is a good thing.

Sounds like you’re off and running now :cheers:
Nottingham in my experience can be tricky. I had a stuck fermentation with that strain once. Give it a full 3 weeks and make sure your FG is in fact final.

Yeah, I love Nottingham. I have never had any problem with it. I have used other yeasts and always decide that I am happier with Nottingham. I know that many would say that I am closing my mind to many styles that require other yeasts, but it’s one of those things where I say I would rather find things that I like and design variety around them. Seems I always go back to the Nottingham.

I typically allow every brew to ferment for 3 weeks. It’s sort of my rule of thumb. I am learning that patience is indeed a virtue and there’s no sense in rushing things. It seems that every time I have rushed things I have ended up saying to myself that I should have just taken my time and been patient. From now on there is no such thing as rushing my beers. I will allow ample time to ferment. Ample time to cold crash. Ample time to carbonate. In the end this rule will make me a happier man.