My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

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WyldKnyght
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My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by WyldKnyght » Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:41 pm

On the weekend I brewed an all grain batch of chocolate stout. After 2 days I'm only seeing bubbling on the surface of the wort. No bubbles in the air lock.

Should I be worried it's taking longer than expected to bubble?

Details
All grain boil. Partial sparge, no tun.
Cooled wort to 70
Moved to fermenter
Then pitched yeast. WLP002
Was in closet at around 65
Moved it to my kitchen where it's closer to 69-70.
All equipment was cleaned and sanitized with starsan.

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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by Celiacbrew » Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:48 pm

Can you post a picture of what your beer looks like?
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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by WyldKnyght » Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:31 pm


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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by jacinthebox » Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:40 pm

What was the og?
How much yeast did you pitch? What was the date on the yeast? Did you make a starter first?
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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by WyldKnyght » Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:42 pm

jacinthebox wrote:
Tue Apr 10, 2018 11:40 pm
What was the og?
How much yeast did you pitch? What was the date on the yeast? Did you make a starter first?
1 package
I don't remember but not expired or close to expiry
No starter
1.062

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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by Celiacbrew » Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:14 am

Probably time to add a packet of dry yeast. S-04 is a good option.
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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by Tim Gregory » Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:44 am

Check the gravity and see if it's gone anywhere.

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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by WyldKnyght » Wed Apr 11, 2018 9:28 am

Tim Gregory wrote:
Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:44 am
Check the gravity and see if it's gone anywhere.
Thanks Tom I'll check when I get home from work. I was afraid to check before I heard back from people with experience

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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by jacinthebox » Wed Apr 11, 2018 10:17 am

you under pitched with 1 vial regardless how fresh it was.
It should ferment out...it just takes a while to get going with a low cell count and a high gravity (^1.060)

I would use an online yeast calculator to make sure you pitch the correct amount.
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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by WyldKnyght » Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:13 pm

jacinthebox wrote:
Wed Apr 11, 2018 10:17 am
you under pitched with 1 vial regardless how fresh it was.
It should ferment out...it just takes a while to get going with a low cell count and a high gravity (^1.060)

I would use an online yeast calculator to make sure you pitch the correct amount.
Thank you, newbie mistake I won't make again. should I pitch another?

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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by WyldKnyght » Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:13 pm

jacinthebox wrote:
Wed Apr 11, 2018 10:17 am
you under pitched with 1 vial regardless how fresh it was.
It should ferment out...it just takes a while to get going with a low cell count and a high gravity (^1.060)

I would use an online yeast calculator to make sure you pitch the correct amount.
Thank you, newbie mistake I won't make again. should I pitch another?

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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by jacinthebox » Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:46 pm

Not your fault...the vial prob says good enuf for 5gal of wort. Doesn't talk about how age affects cell count.
You can pitch another vial or 2 (depending on what the yeast calculator says)...or just add A few packs of dry yeast.
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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by jacinthebox » Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:49 pm

Look into making yeast starters...you will save money on yeast and ensure that you always pitch the correct amount of yeast...helps with lag time and chances of stress related off flavors.
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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by Halifax_Jeff » Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:13 pm

Pitching the proper amount of yeast was a major step towards better beer for me. That and temp control

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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by Halifax_Jeff » Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:14 pm

http://www.brewunited.com/yeast_calculator.php is my favourite yeast calculator

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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by WyldKnyght » Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:02 pm

My new current gravity is now 1.036. So it's going down. Still no bubbles in the airlock.

Also forgot to mention this was only a 3 gallon batch.

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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by darciandjenn » Thu Apr 12, 2018 8:08 am

Could just be that your bucket doesn't have a good seal and the CO2 is escaping through the lid and not the airlock.

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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by WyldKnyght » Fri Apr 27, 2018 1:46 am

I figured out after the fact the seal in my lid is broken. Hence the air escaping I'll find out this weekend if the batch is ruined when I bottle.. Or not.
Anyone know where I can get a replacement seal/gasket for a 6.5 gallon bucket. Did some searching online and the shipping is 4-5x the price of the gasket

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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by Buccaneer » Wed Aug 01, 2018 2:55 pm

Halifax_Jeff wrote:
Wed Apr 11, 2018 5:13 pm
Pitching the proper amount of yeast was a major step towards better beer for me. That and temp control
I've recently started building up large starters for every batch. The difference in quality and how soon I can drink the beer has been amazing.

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Re: My recent batch is not fermenting as quickly as I thought?

Post by MacMan » Wed Aug 01, 2018 10:50 pm

just as an FYI, CO2 is heavier than air so as long as you don't agitate it too much you should still be ok. I typically don't use an airlock on my primary, only if I use a secondary. if everything is sanitary and there isn't too much temp fluctuation, your probably ok. A lot of Trappist styles are fermented in open fermenters with pigeons roosting on top. :lol: :lol:
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Fermenting: TBD

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