ATTN Homebrewers! (I have a question)

I cannot see a picture, but have a little faith. In general it doesn't look good in terms of heading towards a good ferment, but it'll probably come out OK in the end.

#1, an air-tight bucket is not an issue unless you get a vigorous ferment and it starts blowing out the sides - nothing is going to sneak up and under and crawl through to get in and infect your beer. If it's covered that's pretty good.

#2, yeast is a living being and wants to live. If it was dead you'd have smelled it, and probably seen a dark color. The problem is that it wasn't nearly as active as you needed it. At this point it's probably best to just let it go and see what happens rather than rushing to the store to get more yeast. So relax, you can always make a 2nd batch that will be better. Even if you have to dump this it was free, right?

Not really #3, but kind of, yeast is probably the number one thing in homebrewing. Everyone's all about "Sanitation! Sanitation!" but pitching a viable amount of healthy yeast at the outset is the way to go. (Yes, you should still practice good sanitation). You can do a starter, or you can just pitch double the yeast. I know that there's an argument that too much yeast will create diacetyl but as a professional brewer I've always over-pitched and never seen that - and I usually have active fermentation within under 30 minutes.

The one question is did you let it cool before you pitched the yeast? If you pitched yeast into hot wort you're screwed because you killed it, but if that's the case you could then try to pitch new yeast now. How did you cool the wort before pitching? I used to transfer to the plastic bucket and put it in the bathtub full of ice and water - not a good way to go, but that was all I had to start with.

Hope it comes out. Good luck.

 

The only way to tell is to take a gravity reading. Buckets are notorious for not being airtight...unless the lid has a rubber gasket. Was your yeast liquid or dry?

Another thought...is temperature in your closet. This time of year, the cold can stun the yeast and make them "go to sleep." I wrapped the saison I brewed last week in a blanket and put it in an insulated bag (and I live in California!). Mine took off in about 4-6 hours.

If you have a homebrew shop near you, pick up some dry yeast and keep it on hand. Sometimes things happen and dry yeast can save you if you're in a jam.

Welcome to Beer Advocate and the joys of Homebrewing!

 

Two weeks of room temperature is not a big deal for dry yeast; your dry yeast is just fine.

For long term storage of dry yeast refrigerated storage is recommended.

Cheers!

 

You need to hang your picture somewhere (like photobucket) that's accessible to everyone. And put the direct link to it in your post using the Image tag button.

 

Welcome to the BA site and to the Homebrewing forum, Frisbybc. If you suspect that your lid is allowing CO2 to escape, then you won't see any bubbles in the airlock. Since you aren't able to post a pic, can you describe what you saw? (You have to upload the pic to a 3rd party hosting site like Shutterfly, and then copy the direct link from that site to your clipboard and use the Image icon on the tool bar to place a pic inside a thread.) I think your dry yeast is okay as long as you had the temp of your wort in the 70 degree range, or that your closet is not under 60 degrees. What is the ambient temp in your closet? Did a hydrometer come with your kit?

 

That stuff sticking to the sides, right above the beer, is what's left of the krausen, which means fermentation did start, reached a peak, and probably has wound down or is winding down now. But without a hydrometer, you can't know for sure when it has finished.

 

On Your yeast
Was it Dry?
Assuming yes since most kits come with a dry yeast

Did you rehydrate it Properly?
Usual Method: water (95-105)

I am assuming you just opened the yeast and sprinkled over the top of the Wort like most kits recommend or did you do a proof?

I recommend rehydrating the yeast according to instructions on the packet and proofing your yeast next time...
Proofing is simply Rehydrating for about 30 minutes (15 unstirred)( stir good to introduce some oxygen and sit Another 15 Minutes)....Covered of course to keep out any wild yeast and other nondesirables such as Knats...And take a Couple of Cups of Wort from Boil and chill to around 70*F and add the yeast proof...Let sit while remaining boil and chill is done to Fermentation Temp and then pitch...

 

I agree with what @VikeMan said, that your fermentation has peaked and is winding down. Your airlock may have bubbled like crazy inside that closet and you missed seeing it. The yeast liked that 70 degree 'sauna' in your closet so much that they had an orgy and ate the entire meal overnight.

If you have a local homebrew store you should pick up a hydrometer because if you continue with this wonderful hobby you'll use it frequently to give you clear peace of mind when determining the status of your beers. For your present situation, you want to be certain that fermentation is complete, especially if you are planning to bottle this batch of beer, and the hydrometer does that for you. (They are only $8-$10.) As a not-so-risky alternative you can allow the calendar to help confirm that your beer is done. Your instructions may tell you to wait two weeks before proceeding to bottling, and that is merely using time to help be certain that the yeast have finished their work as well as that they have had time to clean up any off flavors that they may have created in your beer. So get a hydrometer and test your been now with two readings a couple days apart (the readings will confirm that yeast activity has ceased if both readings are the same), or sit tight for two weeks, and then proceed to bottling.

 

They should add one with every kit along with instructions. When i started i didn't even know you had to check abv.

 

Every Northern Brewer kit I see listed does. Even the 1 gallon.

 

So far, I don't see any indication that more yeast is needed. At this point, adding yeast would be a solution looking for a problem.

 

Do not mess with adding more yeast. We are confident that you have had fermentation and are on the backside of fermentation from the picture you sent. The ring above your beer is the sign. Leave your beer alone for a few days and check your gravity when your hydrometer comes in. Assuming it's close to your FG bottle. Remember to ferment a bit cooler next time.

 

Hi,

Just to reaffirm what the others have said, I agree with all above statements. I've been home brewing for over 10 years and all information here sounds accurate to me too. Welcome to the forum and happy brewing. Look in to the AHA as well

-Phillip

 

Yes, check again in 2 or 3 days. If it hasn't moved, it's done.