Beer Forum

Brewed a Hefe last night and pitched WLP300 at about 80F. I put the carboy in a cold water bath and got it down to about 62F...trying to get less banana and more clove. Anyway, it's been almost 24hrs and no sign of fermentation . I brought the temperature back up to 72F and gave a little swirl but again nothing. This is only my forth brew so I haven't gotten into starters just yet...I will now. Should I go back to the brew shop and get another vial of the goodies or just be patient? Thanks!

I would pitch another vial or two... Did you oxygenate your wort? The yeast may still be in a growth phase or because of the under pitching there may not be any visible signs of fermentation yet...


Josh

I don't have an oxygen system yet so I tried the best I could. I transfered the wort from a spare plastic fermenter into the primary via the spout on the bottom of the bucket...allowing the wort to splash off the bottom. Looked like good aeration to me.

I'm only concerned because I brewed a Hefe about 2 months ago and the fermentation was so intense the first few days that it basically blew off the the air lock.

Just a guess but maybe it was oxygenated better than your first try at it?
I don't have an oxygen system yet either so I rack into the carboy and shake the hell out of it. I'm usually seeing activity in 6-8 hours or so.
I would still pitch more yeast and I think it should take off. I've heard the guys on the session talking about pitching 4 vials or more to make up for a starter that they didn't make...

BTW under pitching could lead to a surplus of the esters and phenols you wanted to supress.

Maybe some of the bigger brains around here will chime in soon to help!


Josh

I would just be patient and let it go. You pitched too warm and then crashed cooled it. This pissed off the yeast. Just let it warm up and the yeast will begin fermenting. Just because you don't see any active fermentation doesn't mean fermentation isn't happening. This is why it pisses me off when people look at/count the bubbles. This gives you an indication of gas escaping, not fermentation. I could shake the hell out of a bucket or carboy with no yeast and get bubbles to come out of the airlock! It doesn't mean it is fermenting.

Your pitching rate to some degree depends on the age of the vial and the gravity of the wort. If the vial is fairly fresh and the wort is below 1.050 one vial should do the trick. I would just leave it at 72F and let if ferment out and chalk this one up to a learning experience.

Depending on your yeast strain you may be fine. Some are just sluggish starters. Some don't like it when they're treated roughly. Without a starter its not uncommon for it to take up to 72 hours to show signs of activity. If you're not there at 72 hours, then maybe consider another pitch, otherwise I'd just let it hang out. You can use the time to build a stir plate and order an erlenmeyer flask and air pump.

+1 to Hoser.

Stop changing the temperature. Once yeast are active/pitched, they only like their temperature to go one way...up. Just give it another GENTLE swirling/agitation to resuspend the yeast and let it sit at a constant temp. You'll be fine.

Thanks guys. I checked it this morning and it's looking good. Crisis averted. Looking back on everything I think I need to improve the handling of the yeast...create a starter, cool my wort down to a lower temp before pitching, try to aerate as much as possible, etc. Thanks again