I pitched the dry yeast around Sunday afternoon. It is Wednesday morning now and the airlock has not budged. What should I do?
i would get another pack of the same yeast - rehydrate it, get it close to the same temp your wort is and pitch it.
A little more info would be helpful to give you a more educated answer.
Recipe? What are you fermenting in? What temp was the wort when you pitched?
Bubbles in the airlock are not necessarily a reliable indicator of fermentation.
If you are fermenting in a bucket pull the airlock. Sanitize around it first. Hold a flashlight to the side of the bucket and look for the presence of a krausen. Buckets will often leak CO2 around the rim.
As stated above, don’t just go by airlock activity.
First thing I do is press on the bucket lid. If there is any preasure inside it will casue gass to bubble the airlock. If nothing happens, you probably have an air leak.
Take the airlock off and look inside if you are worried. You should see some activity, and you should smell fermentation.
If it looks very still you may have to repitch. Not to worry, you usually have at least 3 or 4 days within to work before repitching so you are still good.
Well, I pulled the airlock and there is no doubt that it was fermenting just fine. I wish I did this before I re-hydrated another packet of dry yeast.
It is an imperial IPA kit from northern. I used a bucket for fermentation. I think I might start doing my primaries in a carboy to monitor the fermentation process. Thanks for the advice guys. I think this beer will turn out just fine.
[quote=“556man”]Well, I pulled the airlock and there is no doubt that it was fermenting just fine. I wish I did this before I re-hydrated another packet of dry yeast.
my bad…i did not even consider you may not be able to see the beer. Kudos to those that thought of that :oops:
I’ve been there, usually pressing a little on the bucket lid will help the airlock to work, I’ve had the three piece stick before to the point where the gas was just seeping out around the lid. I usually just wait a day or two then hold a small flashlight against the lid and look through the side to see if I see evidence of the krausen (the foam cap that builds during active fermentation). If I see that, despite what the airlock may or may not be doing, I know all is well and the yeast is doing it’s thing.
Of course, I suspect it will be an easier task to relax during the brew and fermentation once I get a stockpile of homebrew to enjoy. Right now I’m about out of my first brew (Chocolate milk stout) and my second brew is going to need some extra aging (unexpected, but I guess that’s what I get for playing with a recipe).
