Top Crop and Ferment Stall

Ok Guys and Gals I am brand new to the brewing game and only on my second batch (American Wheat). I brewed and pitched and it was fermenting wonderfully (at 64*) for about 48 hours or so. I used Wyeast 1010 and top cropped some of it for another batch later. There was about 2" of Krausen on top and I took approximately 50% or so. Everything was sanitized and I was careful not to touch anything that did not need to be during the harvest. That was three days ago and now my airlock has completely stopped bubbling. There is a decent layer of Krausen on the top again (as indicated by the photo) but it seems as though there is no activity. Should I be worried about this?

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First off, welcome to the forum! There are a lot of very knowledgeable people here that are always willing to give a hand. So this is roughly 5 days after brewing? This is perfectly normal. There will not appear to be a ton of activity even though the yeast is still doing work. I would leave it for another week at least. I typically leave mine in primary 2-3 weeks depending on what I have in rotation. RDWHAHB. :innocent:

:beers:
Rad

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@radagast Thank you for the welcome and your help!! You are correct, I brewed it late afternoon of the 8th and then cropped the yeast on the 12th. I noticed that there was very little if any activity yesterday evening. I have it scheduled to check FG on the 22nd. I was afraid I took too much yeast and somehow stalled it.

The yeast when highly active in the beginning is quite the show. Just imagine that the yeast is still working behind the scenes cleaning up the stage and putting away the gear… taking fans backstage. The show is not really over but it’s not as much fun to watch. The next part of the brew cycle is important so be patient and wait it out. I average 4 weeks in the fermenter.

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What… Little buggars?
Sneezles61

I guess I’m the typical novice brewer and reaaaaallly wanting time cold crash and bottle. My wife is doing a superior job of keeping me grounded from the bottles. I’ll wait another week or two before I bottle anything.

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@NewMexpedition I would skip the cold crashing entirely with the Wyeast 1010. While personally I never cold crash and let time do that work for me. In particular you, are making a wheat beer with Wyeast 1010 and the yeasty haze is part of the style. So good news! By skipping the cold crash you’ve sped up the process.

@squeegeethree You’re a wise man!

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Ok guys. Ive had that cropped yeast in the fridge since the 12th. It is washed and looks great. My next kit is still a couple of days away from arriving. Will the yeast still be good to use for my next batch?

It should be fine. If you are looking for something to do you could make a starter if you have some extra malt extract. Making a starter is kind of an essential skill IMO

I do make sure the yeast has a beer cap, about an 1"… Covering it…
Sneezles61

@squeegeethree I don’t yet have all of the necessary components to make a starter kit, but will work on that soon. @sneezles61I was unaware of leaving a beer cap on top of the yeast but have about 2" of distilled water on top of it. I hope that works.

I use a hoppy beer… It keeps bugs and other nasties from creeping in and mingling with your yeast… I’ll dump the cap before I do a starter…
Sneezles61