Guys/gals, I'm new to the forum but have been brewing for 20+ years. I have upgraded to all grain brewing in the last year and with stainless equipment. In any event, I've made a few batches. My latest one, an IPA did not seem to ferment. No bubbles in air lock. The OG was 1.052. I started with San Diego Super yeast wet and Safale 05 dry. After 48 hours I added another dry pack, and then added another dry pack 24 hours later. Still no bubbles. I aerated etc. The pitch temperature was 68 degrees. My liquid yeast was sent in very hot weather, and the ice packs were dead when it arrived. It could be dead. I also upped the wort temperature to 71 in case that affected the dry yeast. So, it's now been 4 days since original pitch, and no airlock activity. I check SG. It's now less than 1.020. It seems to be fermenting. Has anyone ever had any experience like this? I have tri-clamp seals and have checked the airlock multiple times. I'm just perplexed. Any responses would be helpful. I'm hoping this isn't going to be a wasted batch.
I had a similar experience and I think it had something to do with having too much sugar when I asked someone about it because it was all grain I may have boiled it for too long and reached saturation with the sugar meaning there wasn't enough water for the yeast to grow in. I don't know all the details but thats what I was told. I'm not sure how valid it was...that being said I did notice when I added some water to the wort, it began fermenting so there may be something there. Good luck and welcome to Beer Advocate. I'm sure other members will be more helpful.
Thanks. I've seen that posted with the dry yeast. I've always pitched it directly into wort. I may start hydrating it. But, it's worked before without a problem.
You saw a substantial gravity drop in 4 days. Doesn't that lead you to believe that fermentation is occurring normally? I don't know what kind of tri-clamp seal you are using but it 100% sounds like your system is allowing a rather easy escape for the pressure. Did you taste your sample and was it alcoholic? Yes to these questions would 100% confirm fermentation.
I did not taste the sample. It smells great and I did everything like I normally do. Most of my tri clamp seals would leave liquid on the floor if there was a leak. There is none. I have a few clamps higher on the system and have rechecked them. I have rechecked the airlock. This is the whole reason for the post. I have done everything as usual and I'm having a different result. I will taste it to see if I can taste alcohol. My system has basically no gaps. Thats's why I'm posting.
I tasted the wort. It taste like it has alcohol. That's not definitive. I'm just confused how something could possibly ferment without bubbles in the airlock. I've done this for a few year and don't know. I guess that I will really know when I get the finished product.
It's possible there is fermentation if there is a leak and that's exactly what it sounds like. If your clamps have leaked before then that sounds like the problem. The leak could be anywhere, like the air lock O-ring. You can try to fix it. Otherwise it may not be that bad of a thing if you bottle soon enough after fermentation is complete. Maybe just keep taking gravity samples until fermentation is done.
It is fermenting. That's the only thing that makes gravity come down. If you had no bubbles in the (properly filled) airlock, you have a leak somewhere. How does the airlock interface with the fermenter?
I re-did every gasket. I rechecked the air lock. Yes, there is water in it. It enters the fermenter through a rubber type cork. I rechecked that too. I agree, the only explanation is a leak, but I can't find it. Thanks for the help. I will just finish it out and see what I get.
As far as the dry yeast goes, I ve done both in the past and now just pitch direct on top of the wort. Seems to work fine for me.
Ok. I feel stupid. I went back and inspected the gasket between my conical fermenter and the lid. On the backside, there was a thin piece of metal that measures the number of gallons in the fermenter. It was causing a tiny gap. So the CO2 was escaping and it was fermenting. Specific gravity doesn't lie. The gap was on the backside which was against the wall. I've never made a mistake like that and hopefully won't again. Appreciate the feedback.
Welcome to the BA site, jcarraher, and to the Homebrewing forum. It sounds like your problem is solved. Good to hear. Hang around as much as you'd like. We've got newbies, well-experienced homebrewers, and some commercial brewers that contribute to this forum. You'll enjoy yourself here as well as the rest of the site. Explore the site as much as you can to discover all of the features.
oversight + no discovery = angst oversight + discovery + resolution = relief We all have the t-shirt. It’s good you decided to sho’ nuff inspect everything, and it sounds like you caught it in time (5 days).
