Hello out there. I've got a bit of a problem and don't know how to proceed. I brewed an imperial stout on Saturday the 12th and after 36 hours there was no activity. I did some digging and discovered that the US Safale 05 has an alcohol tolerance of up to 9%. However, reading some forums, I saw comments that people have used it up for beers of up to 12%. In any case, at my house it was a no-go - my abv is projected to be about 10%. I bought a packet of Mangrove Jack's M42 New World Strong Ale yeast and pitched it on Tuesday the 15th. It says it can handle up to 12%. Here we are today, the 18th and nada. No airlock, no krausen, no nothing. I could take a gravity reading, but I am sure fermentation has never started. I have the room at 68F, 20C, and the fermenter is wrapped in blankets. Is there a way to get this thing going? Is pitching another packet of yeast going to do the trick? Boil up some DME? Some (maybe) helpful details: Per the instructions, I re-aerated the wort and pitched the M42 dry. No starter The beer's OG was 1100. I threw the yeast packet out before I could look to see if it was expired. I doubt it was - the place I buy from is pretty on the ball. Thanks in advance.
An ABV tolerance limit will not keep fermentation from starting, so if you had no activity, it's not because of that. Also, if fermentation hasn't started, I can't think of a resaon adding DME would help, unless you meant DME for a starter. That might be worth trying. Al least you could prove the yeast before pitching. But first, I would suggest taking a gravity reading.
Well, I could have just taken a gravity reading and saved you the trouble of replying: 1038. This is the strangest fermentation I've ever had. Absolutely no krausen. When I re-pitched, it did foam up a bit when I gave it a stirring. I guess I'll add the bourbon-soaked nibs... Thankful as always for the help.
And once again the saying "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew." has proved itself true. Thanks Charlie Papazian
