Martyn Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 This is strange. Put down the Stouter Stout recipe on Wednesday morning but diluted to 23 litres instead of 20 though this isnt the weird bit. It is now Thursday evening and nothing is happening. Yeast (date code 18510, possibly too old?)pitched at 26c, OG 1038 and temp now down to 22c. From what I have read about stouts they go off like a bag of frogs. This one, nowt. Its that stagnant that I can actually see the like yeast blobs on the surface of the wort, not much froth and not much condensation. Everything was cleaned with plain bleach and rinsed as per my normal German like efficiency. Any suggestions? Possibly throw in some more/fresher yeast? Cheers, Martyn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb12 Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Hi, That doesn't sound very encouraging. Have you taken a new density reading; is it still at 1038? I'm sure you know this already, but the only thing you can trust is your hydrometer. I take it that you rinsed your bleach cleaning solution very, very thoroughly? If some of it was left in the fermenter, it may have been strong enough to kill the yeast. You could always try pitching more yeast. Rehydrate some new yeast in some 20ish degrees C water, and let it sit for a while so that it blooms up into a big culture. Then pour it into the vat. It's worth a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeonardC2 Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 The date code is Julian for the 185th day of 2010. So that part should be ok. Pitch temp was too high,a common mistake. Topping off hot wort with even cold water may not be enough to get boiling hot wort to cool down to pitch temp. I'm going to start putting my brew kettle in an ice water bath to cool it down to 70-75F 1st. Then top off in the fermenter. That should work better next time. What you could try is gently swirling the fermenter to get the lil yeasties stirred up into suspension again. It seems like they went through thermal shock from being pitched high,then the temp going down so much. My suggestion worked for me. Try that 1st... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 My thoughts are leaning towards pitching some fresh yeast (after adhering to Leonards advice of course [rightful] ). The yeast you used should be ok but maybe wasn't stored to well before it got to you. Even being pitched at 26C it should take off like a frog in a sock. I always have about 5-10L, depending on the season, of cold water on hand to help cool the wort when mixing ingredients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kearnage Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I routinely pitch at 24 - 26 degrees and then let the wort cool, temperature is not your problem (many people start and stay above 26 deg and the only problem is too quick and vigorous fermentation and off flavours). It is possible that the yeast was stored poorly prior to you getting it. If you still have no action, more yeast may be the answer, as Mr Muddy suggests. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthonyR1525228508 Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 When you mix a stout kit there is a fair bit of froth on top. Maybe this has prevented the yeast from mixing through the fermenter? Two days ago I did a toucan stout - overnight there was some krausen but not very high and something looking like a brown raft of yeast sitting on top. I stirred in the yeast and a few hours later I had a volcano. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Brew Master Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 .........by the way boys it's "off like a frog in a blender" well that's what my boss said. [unsure] Cheers, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 I should listen to myself more often, as it has now gone off like a frog in a bag of snakes in a blender. Patience grasshopper. [cool] When I pitched the yeast there was a lot of froth on top of the liquor so maybe it just took a while to re adjust to its new surroundings. Will be taking a reading next Wednesday to see where I'm up to. I can go to the Clipsal tomorrow a happy man knowing my beer (and yeast) is fine. How long does everyone leave their stouts in the bottle before trying? I'm not a big stout drinker so will prob have the patience to leave it a while. Thanks for your help. Martyn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kearnage Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Good to hear. The 'stouter stout' is a gentler recipe that probably doesn't need the same ageing as the toucan version. Try it after 3 or 4 weeks and see what you think. It will probably keep getting better for a few months. I tried mine early and it didn't improve as dramatically with age as some. You live in Toorak Gardens and the Taxi Race doesn't push you to homicide? Wow! I admire your strength. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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