No activity in primary ;( >>

David Bruno

David Bruno

New Member
I've been on a bad streak of late with my brewing, and I guess bad things come in 3s so,,,
Brewed a breakfast stout clone Sat, used a smack pack that did not expand like it should have. I pitched it anyway as (in the past) I was told there's still viable yeast in the pack even if it doesn't expand. Fast forward 2 days and I'm not seeing any airlock activity. I took a peak inside and am not seeing infection - should I give it a shake or two and cross my fingers or repitch ?? TIA
 
Hey Ryan...OG was about 1.064 - Used Wyeast 1335 British Ale II, reads "MFG 03 MAR 15"
I aerated before and after I pitched using the stirring paddle, though just for a minute or so each time. I'm wondering if the heat on Saturday killed the yeast ? How long will the wort keep ? (I'm afraid I may not be able to get up to BYOB tomorrow). Thanks again
 
A few things...
1st) your OG is too high for a single smack pack without making a starter. They are really only good for about a 5 gallon batch of 1.040 wort when healthy. YES, they will make beer, but you are severely under-pitching.
2nd) the smack packs are only ideal for about 3 months, then the viability of the yeast drops to a point that even if you are making a sub-1.040 batch, it may not work out well.
3rd) if the smack pack doesn't inflate, your yeast are not healthy and your viability is way down. Don't pitch it, or at least make sure you pitch MORE yeast with it.
4th) a minute is really not sufficient time to aerate with a paddle, and the stronger the beer, the more you'll need to aerate. The recommended time for aeration with pure oxygen and an oxygen stone is one minute. I'd have to look up what it would be with a paddle.

Whenever you use liquid yeast you should make a starter. It improves the quality of the yeast, viability, and cell count. It's also a very good idea to keep a couple packs of dry yeast around to use just in case.

As to your current batch...
I would check a specific gravity to see if any fermentation happened. Also taste the batch to see if it tastes infected. If it still tastes clean then go ahead and add some fresh yeast. If possible, try to go to a local brewery (like Iron Hill) and ask for some fresh yeast from their tanks. Fresh yeast from a brewery is healthy and active and kicks butt in the homebrew batches. If you can't get that, then the next best thing would be to pitch a pack of Nottingham Dry yeast. It's a British strain that will help finish the beer out.
Good luck!

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What Dan said.

When I used to aerate by shaking the primary, I did so for ten minutes. Though I can't recall the source of the information that got me to that amount of time, it worked well and it was damned good exercise.
 
Don't waste your time brewing and ingredients by using bad/poor yeast. There's nothing wrong with dry yeast as you get started. But yeast is the most important ingredient when making beer, and you need to take care of it.

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I believe with a paddle or just stirring to aerate, you need around 15 minutes. Pure oxygen is the way to go. And what Dan said. I always advocate for a starter with every batch, even with a smack pack that is inflating. You'll taste and see a difference.
 
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