If it is too hot (above 105¡F) then the yeast are going to get scalded, and refuse to have anything to do with you and your wort. When you were preparing the warm water for rehydrating or boiling your yeast starter, did you cool it to the proper temperature range? If the water is too cold (below 80¡F) the yeast will be sluggish and have a hard time getting rehydrated.
Or in some cases, that otherwise normal ale fermentation temperature could cause those warm-acclimated yeast to call it quits.Ĭure: Try warming the fermentor by 5¡F it may make all the difference.Ĭause 4: Improper Sanitation Sanitation can be carried too far some times. If the yeast were re-hydrated in really warm water (105¡F) and then pitched to a much cooler wort (65¡F), the large difference in temperature can thermally shock the yeast and cause a longer lag time as they adjust. Aeration, the process of dissolving oxygen into the wort, provides the yeast with the oxygen they need to greatly boost their growth rate and make enough yeast cells to do the job properly.Ĭause 3: Too Cold The fermentation conditions may be too cold for an otherwise healthy yeast population. Both liquid and dry yeast cultures will have a lag time from when they are pitched until they start fermenting in earnest.
The liquid packet needs to be grown in a starter to produce enough cells to take on the job of a full five gallon wort. There are a lot more yeast cells in a dry yeast packet than in a liquid packet. They have been kept in a refrigerator and need to be warmed and fed before there will be enough active yeast to do the job properly. Likewise, liquid yeast cultures also need their breakfast routine. A friend of mine, who insists on remaining nameless, was misled by the term, "pitching", and for his first batch attempted to forcibly throw each granule of dried yeast into the wort so that it would be wetted. The water is instead locked up in the wort, hydrating the sugars.
In a wort with a high concentration of dissolved sugar, the water that the yeast needs cannot be drawn across the cell membrane to wet it. If the dry yeast is just sprinkled onto the surface of the wort, some of the yeast will be up to the challenge, but most won't.Ĭure: Re-hydration of yeast in plain water is strongly recommended because of the principles of osmosis. They need some nice warm water to get re-hydrated in, some time to do some stretching, maybe an appetizer, and then they will be ready to tackle a full wort. Dry yeast are de-hydrated, they're parched, they're in no condition to start work. Yeast need to be treated with care and be given the proper growing conditions. However, if you are using a yeast package that came taped to the top of a dusty can of malt extract, then the yeast may be too old or may have been subjected to poor storage conditions, and will not work for you. If dry yeast has been properly packaged and stored, it should be fully viable for up to two years.
Fix the seal or get a new lid next time.Ĭause 2: Bad Yeast When a batch is not fermenting, the most common problem is with the yeast. Fermentation may be taking place but the CO2 is not coming out through the airlock.Ĭure: This is not a real problem it won't affect the batch. If the airlock is not bubbling, it may be due to a poor seal between the lid and the bucket. Symptom: I added the yeast 2 days ago and nothing is happening.Ĭause 1: Leaky Bucket Lack of fermentation can be due to several things. Things You Can Do Differently Next Time.Calculations for Boiling Water Additions.Using Salts for Brewing Water Adjustment.Manipulating the Starch Conversion Rest.The Starch Conversion/Saccharification Rest.What is Different for Brewing Lager Beer?.Water Chemistry Adjustment for Extract Brewing.