Let me address your concerns (as I understand them below) one at a time:
[quote=“chmuraman”]hello all!!
-
I follow all the instruction to a T and have a wonderful smelling wort by the time its ready for an ice bath. I put the wort in the ice bath, put my digital thermometer in and wait for it to reach the proper temp…and wait…and wait. after about 45 min my thermometer still reads 109, so i wait about another 15 min. Still reads 109. By this time i am thinking something is up so I wash my hands real well and stick my pinky in to check…its cold as hell (second noob mistake).
-
So I decide to improvise and I know I have to add more water to make it 5 gallons, so I add hot water in the hopes in brings it up to about 70 deg, which was the target temp. I have to estimate because my thermometer is clearly broken, so I think its close and I pitch my yeast. It looked like it was activating to me so I put in my primary fermentor and hope for the best. Lo and behold after 12 hours I get bubbles!! I am happy.
-
Here is where my problem comes in to play. I see in the instructions that it recommends a secondary fermentation so after about 5 days, I re rack to the carboy. I put it back in my closet, where the temp on the fermometer was a steady 64 deg, and wait.
-
No bubbles. Another day, no bubbles. I shake it around to add some oxygen to it, it is pretty foamy, and wait…no bubbles.
-
So I am thinking I should go pick up a packet of yeast and pitch it again?? or should I wait? The liquid in the carboy is somewhat cloudy, and there are chunks of stuff floating on top but it doesnt look like any signs of fermentation.
-
So I come to you guys. Help a noob and I wont bother too much afterwards! I did a search for the topic but results varied, thats why I posted. What do you think, re-pitch the yeast or wait??
:? [/quote]
1. I follow all the instruction to a T and have a wonderful smelling wort by the time its ready for an ice bath. I put the wort in the ice bath, put my digital thermometer in and wait for it to reach the proper temp…and wait…and wait. after about 45 min my thermometer still reads 109, so i wait about another 15 min. Still reads 109. By this time i am thinking something is up so I wash my hands real well and stick my pinky in to check…its cold as hell (second noob mistake).
Following the instructions to a T is a good thing. You sanitized the digital thermometer first, right? Rule 1: nothing touches the boiled wort unless it’s been sanitized. Dipping your pinky in the wort is also not a good idea (see rule #1) but at least you washed your fingers first.
[color=#FF0000]2. So I decide to improvise and I know I have to add more water to make it 5 gallons, so I add hot water in the hopes in brings it up to about 70 deg, which was the target temp. I have to estimate because my thermometer is clearly broken, so I think its close and I pitch my yeast. It looked like it was activating to me so I put in my primary fermentor and hope for the best. Lo and behold after 12 hours I get bubbles!! I am happy.
[/color]
As others suggested, you didn’t need to had hot water and pitching in to cold wort is ok. I recommend adding distilled water in the future. It is sanitized and it adds no additional elements or chemicals to your wort. In fact, best to chill a couple of gallons as wort being too cold before pitching is not usually a problem, but rather, it being too warm. Also, since you added water to make the total 5 gallons it must have been to your primary fermentor, right? And it had a fermometer right? That should have given you a realistic idea of the temperature of your wort. If the fermometer wasn’t at a level to read the wort temperature, prior to adding the water to reach 5 gallons, lower it so that it will pick up the temperature of your concentrated wort. Then you won’t have to guess and “add hot water”. Cliff notes of your instructions should have been (in order): 1. chill wort. 2, add to primary fermentor (with fermometer on the side so you can actually read the temperature of the wort). 3. add water to raise level to 5 gallons. 4. read temperature of the 5-gallons now in your fermometer, 5. pitch yeast if the wort is in the appropriate range. 6. shake the bejesus out of the fermenter to add oxygen. 7. add bubbler. 8. and leave it alone. 9. check SG after bubbling has stopped. If reached FG, transfer to secondary. If not, go to 8.
[color=#FF0000]3. Here is where my problem comes in to play. I see in the instructions that it recommends a secondary fermentation so after about 5 days, I re rack to the carboy. I put it back in my closet, where the temp on the fermometer was a steady 64 deg, and wait.
[/color]
…“steady 64deg”…this suggest a good fermentation. However, without a means to know whether the primary was actually completed you probably did rack it too fast…racking after 5-days was not in your instructions so maybe “to a T” is not accurate. 
IME, you can rack to secondary for most ales after about 2 weeks, not 5 days. In 7+ years, I’ve never had an ale take more than 2-3 weeks to completely ferment out. Lagers, yes, but not ales. so, if you can be patient and you don’t mind waiting 3 weeks, you don’t need a hydromenter or refractometer to determine if your beer is finished. But it is a very good idea to get one or the other and actually check it rather than racking or bottling.
4. No bubbles. Another day, no bubbles. I shake it around to add some oxygen to it, it is pretty foamy, and wait…no bubbles.
Shaking the secondary was also not in your instructions…again, not to a “T”.
There will be no bubbles unless you add more sugar. Shaking and adding oxygen at this point is not good. In the future, if you have a stalled fermentation, you can add more yeast and “swirl” not shake the fermenter. That gets the yeast in solution but does not add enough oxygen to do damage.
[color=#FF0000]5. So I am thinking I should go pick up a packet of yeast and pitch it again?? or should I wait? The liquid in the carboy is somewhat cloudy, and there are chunks of stuff floating on top but it doesnt look like any signs of fermentation.
[/color]
Buy a hydrometer and check the SG BEFORE you pitch more yeast. The cloudiness and chunks are most likely trub in suspension. It will settle out. AFTER you verify it’s current SG then you can add more yeast.
[color=#FF0000]6. So I come to you guys. Help a noob and I wont bother too much afterwards! I did a search for the topic but results varied, thats why I posted. What do you think, re-pitch the yeast or wait??
[/color]
You have made the same mistakes that many of us have made. The key is to not repeat them and by posting here, you’ve come a long way to not repeating your mistakes. Mostly, fear not. You’ve made beer. This batch will not be your best, but it will be beer. Congratulations.
:cheers:
