Fermentation has not started after 18 hours

[Brewer88]

I brewed a batch of a dusseldorf altbier last night, and pitched safale-05 dry yeast. I usually brew go to bed, and in the morning there is steady bubbling. This time nothing is happening so far. I always use dry yeast, and use a wort chiller to get the wort down to ~72 degrees prior to pitching. I have a good local brew shop where I can get new yeast from, but I didn't want to make any premature decisions. Any advice? ideas?

Chad

[stadelman]

I'd give it a few more hours before pitching more yeast. I'd say it should start up within 24 hours.

How are you judging whether fermentation has started up? If you're just looking at airlock activity on a bucket or keg, you may not have an airtight seal. Fermentation could be going on and co2 is just escaping elsewhere.

If you've got a glass carboy and can visually see nothing is happening, that's another story.

[Brewer88]

Im using a plastic fermenter and at first I thought that it may have not been sealed well, but I have checked several times for leaks and I don't believe that is the problem.
Thanks the quick response

[stadelman]

Have you opened up the lid and checked for krausen?

I had the exact same experience with a Coopers fermenter.

The most certain way to tell if fermentation is happening is to check the gravity.

[Brewer88]

I did open the lid, and saw little activity. No krausen. I aerated it again, to see if that would do the trick. I will check the gravity tonight, by that point it will have been 24 hours. Do you know what the chances are that I may have just gotten a bad package of yeast?

[stadelman]

I know it happens, but I think it's very rare. I've never had it happen.

[Cliff]

Some questions:
1.) Did you build a starter?
1-a) How viable was it?

2.) Is there no karusen in the primary?
2-a) Is the wort Clear - no foam - on top?
If No to #1 and Yes to #2 and Clear to 2-a I bet the yeast was DOA.
Build a starter and re-pitch

If No to #2 and No to 2-a and Yes to #1 and Very to 1-a then you probably had an aggressive fast ferment and it's done.


It can't hurt to re-pitch and see what happens in any event. Just build a good starter to make sure you got good yeast

[atomicpunk]

+1 - Check your gravity reading

What was the OG? Did you rehydrate the dry yeast? What temp are you fermenting at? I know you pitched at 72 but where are you now?

You most certainly did not ferment out in 18 hours unless you OG was very, very low. Even then I have never seen a beer finish in under a day. And from what I recall you do not need to do a starter with dry yeast.

I ask the above questions to see if you could still be in growth phase. I'd say give it another day. If still no drop in gravity reading then repitch.