First Brew Worries: Color and Fermentation Problems

Congratulations on choosing a wheat beer for your first beer. Usually noobs want to brew a RIS, a world-wide stout or dark lord clone.

Did you aerate the wort after cooling, but before adding yeast?

Resist the temptation to mess with your beer. Every beer should get two weeks in the carboy unmolested by human hands.

Airlock activity is a poor indicator of fermentation activity. I have two buckets that NEVER bubble but make fine beer.

You way under-pitched if you made five gallons, but only used one smak pak. You need a starter for liquid yeasts. Next batch, use dry (and re-hydrate). In a few batches, learn to make a starter, then use liquid yeast again. This doesn't mean your beer is ruined tho, but might partially account for a slow start (if that's the problem, if there even is a problem).

Smak paks are somewhat of a gimmick. The nutrient pack shows viability, but isn't necessary for the yeast to work. White labs has no smak pak and their yeasts work just fine.

The sediment at the bottom of a bucket is hops, some various proteins and stuff from the wort, and yes, yeast. But there will be plenty of live yeast, despite plenty of sediment on a complete batch.

Color tends to look darker than it will in the final product. Also home brew tends to be slightly darker than you might think it will be, but this really isn't a concern. Getting really light colored beers is an advanced thing (that many home brewers aren't that concerned with). The flavors and aromas aren't automatically linked to color.

And congrats on not posting a one-sentence thread with no information either. Details, details, details.

 

The aeration of the wort was the main question. Oxygen is added to wort because during the initial stages of fermentation, it helps the yeast build copies of themselves during the reproductive phase of their life cycle. It is only after fermentation is mostly complete that oxygen=bad.

 

Plus One on everything @AlCaponeJunior had to say.

Don't mess with the beer at this stage. A little patience goes a long way, and 24 hours isn't a particularly long time in the brewing process. I would suggest maybe bumping the room temperature a few degrees. I have had beer ferment slowly in the mid to upper 60's F and had it pick up quite a bit at 70 or 71 F.

I've used those "smack packs" before and found one is sufficient to ferment a 5 gallon batch. However I prefer the dry yeast.

I'm not a carboy guy. I prefer buckets or the Mr. Beer kegs as fermentation vessels. When using dry yeast I don't do a starter, I just sprinkle the yeast on the surface of fermentation temperature wort, wait about 10 minutes for the yeast to start itself, then stir the wort vigorously with a large spoon.

And finally I wouldn't sweat the color. I have found wort looks darker than the final product. I guess it is because a lot of the darker particles will settle out during fermentation. I have also had a lot of success with partial boil recipes. My best APA is a partial boil brew, and I think the addition of the extra water gives the beer a lighter character while keeping the flavor.

I agree a hefe is a good choice for a first brew. But don't be surprised if it's not "great." My first batches were better than drain pour material, not great, but good enough to keep me interested in the hobby. I think that is all you are looking for in first batches. Drinkability and familiarization with the process.

Be patient and good luck with that first batch.

 

+1 shameless self-awareness

The standard advice is RDWHAHB; altho...since you're a 1st-timer and there is no homebrew (yet)...just 'R'elax and 'D'on't 'W'orry. 'H'aving 'A' 'H'ome 'B'rew will come later.

 

Don't use baking yeast.

 

Make sure your wort temperature is within the yeast strain's published range (not an absolute thing, but a good idea for beginners). Then wait a little longer.

BTW, what was the gravity of your wort and how old was your smack pack?