2nd Attempt at a Stout, failing!!!!

[d_banger]

I bought an Irish Stout kit a month ago, I did everything according to the instructions and after a week of no signs of Fermentation, I tipped it. Being the idiot I am, and the ol, never give up attitude, I decided to have another crack. This time I spent AGES on it. Smells awesome but, no sign of fermentation. I brewed it last night. I am using the same as the saflager yeasts but in the blue packet (I forget what its called) and it has been at a constent 20 degrees. ME NOT HAPPY!!!!!

[KEG]

how do you know there's no fermentation going on? measured with a hydrometer? what temperature was the yeast pitched at?

[d_banger]

Yeast was pitched at 20 degrees. There is no condensation under the lid, no air bubbles, no settement on the bottom. Lid seal checked, closed firm but not over tightened. I let the temp get to 23 today for a couple of hours to see if yeast would so something, nothing, its back at 20.

[d_banger]

oh, hydro read 1042.

[KEG]

what did it start at? 1042 is low-ish for a starting gravity, i reckon it might've started, albeit slowly.

what sanitiser do you use? do you rinse properly? what was the use-by on the yeast?

all that aside, have a taste. if it's not off, just pitch another yeast. for the sake of a $4 pack of yeast, do not just throw it out!

[d_banger]

Well, I gave it a bit of a roll without splashing last night. I woke up this morning to a brew with foam on the top and a lower hydro meeting. Phew, false alarm. I was stressing, I put so much effort into this one and it smells the treat. I still don't know why the last batch didnt work, maybe it did need a bit of push starting to get going.

Thanks for the support any way guys. I love this forum.

[Trough Lolly]

G'day d_banger...One data point to squirrel away is how yeast behave. If you pitch a sachet of yeast, you will have to wait for the yeast to become acclimatised to the wort that you pitch them into - dry yeast are fine to pitch straight into the wort and they normally have trehalose and other compounds added to give them a kick start when you add them to the wort, or to a cup of 20C pre-boiled water 20 mins before pitching (and proofing the yeast this way will also ensure that you added active yeast to the wort and not used a sachet of dead stuff). Typically the acclimatisation, or more correctly adaptive phase for ale yeast, will take 16 or so hours, depending on temperature of the wort, freshness / viability of yeast and the strain of the yeast.

I know there are plenty of brewers out there who slap on some gladwrap and "she'll be right mate" but the only way to tell if your yeast has transitioned from the adaptive (acclimatisation) phase to the fermenting / attenuation phase, is to take readings that indicate that the sugar content in the wort is declining - commonly via a refractometer or a hydrometer. Looking for bubbling airlocks or foam on the surface is not enough and possibly not there - er, especially if you're using a bottom fermenting lager yeast, but I digress...

A starting gravity at around 1.042 is normal for a kit brew - if you want to brew a stronger beer, and couldn't be stuffed adding any more ingredients, then simply add less water to the fermenter before you pitch your yeast. When I brewed kits, I always had a starting gravity of between 1.046 to 1.050 by adding water, with the cleaned hydrometer bobbing around in the fermenter. I simply stopped pouring in the cold water when I got the desired hydrometer reading (allowing for temperature variation) - usually around the 20L mark. Sure I made less beer, but it was fuller flavoured and much better than overdiluted beer...

Cheers,
TL

[d_banger]

That was a good read trough lolly, thank you

I generally fill up to 20L, I think the beer has a better taste like you said. With your comment about the yeast, putting it in clean 20deg water for 20 min, what will it do. How do you know if it is dead or acting?

[d_banger]

Nevermind,

I found this video tonight, explains/shows the yeast prep

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RENxL0HhRu4&feature=related

[Trough Lolly]

No probs - I haven't seen the vid but there should be a pavlova like pale tan foam build up on the surface. The Trehalose helps give the yeast an adrenalin like shot back to life. The use of clean water is important - you want to re-hydrate the yeast to re-build the cell walls and membranes before you add the yeast to a sugary solution to get it feeding and passing/processing sugars through the cell walls.

Cheers,
TL

[d_banger]

Ok, another question.

My brew has been fermenting at a temperatures around 16-20 degrees. I woke up this morning and all the foam on top has dissapeared. It had about a 3cm layer on top, and in one night, nothing. Is this normal??

[warra48]

Ok, another question.

My brew has been fermenting at a temperatures around 16-20 degrees. I woke up this morning and all the foam on top has dissapeared. It had about a 3cm layer on top, and in one night, nothing. Is this normal??

Perfectly normal, and this is to be expected.
Do not worry about it.