Yeast Question

KyleCrocodile

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I brewed a 2.25gal IPA yesterday which ended up with a 1.066 og. I'm fermenting with one Wyeast 1318 slap pack (no starter) with a mfg date of 12/18/17. After about 12-14 hours there's about 1/4 in. layer of foam on top so there's at least something going on. The Wyeast 1318 is recommended for up to 5 gal. of 1.06 og so I'm wondering if I should pitch additional yeast today/tomorrow or just let things go and see how fermentation plays out?

Any help would be appreciated!
 
Last November I made a high gravity Holiday Ale. I forogot that I normally buy 2 dry packs of yeast for that. I pitched only one pack. It fermented out. And it was a dry pitch. You know how shampoo directions say lather, rinse, repeat? The “repeat” is to get you to buy twice as much. Maybe there’s an element of truth to that with yeast. That said, I will buy 2 packs for that particular recipe the next time I make it. If I remember.
 
This is only the 3rd batch I've made and I was aiming for around 1.06, but ended up a bit higher. I haven't had to pitch more than 1 pack of yeast yet so I was a little worried. Next time I brew this recipe I'll most likely pitch more to be on the safe side. I'll probably see what activity is going on when I get home from work. Thanks guys!
 
I wouldn't waste the money on pitching more. The pack is made for 5 gallons of 1.06 gravity wort. You're brewing half that amount so there are more than enough yeast cells for your batch.
 
I brewed a 2.25gal IPA yesterday which ended up with a 1.066 og. I'm fermenting with one Wyeast 1318 slap pack (no starter) with a mfg date of 12/18/17. After about 12-14 hours there's about 1/4 in. layer of foam on top so there's at least something going on. The Wyeast 1318 is recommended for up to 5 gal. of 1.06 og so I'm wondering if I should pitch additional yeast today/tomorrow or just let things go and see how fermentation plays out?

Any help would be appreciated!
I think you're guilty of the beginner sin of not following the Sage's advice: RDWHAHB. We have all done it, sat raptly watching the airlock for the first burp of gas, in an absolute panic because after ten minutes we don't have a four-inch krauesen, wondering what went wrong, will we get a five gallon batch of swamp water, oh no, it's ruined! The sage's advice is relax, don't worry, have a homebrew. The only more sage advice is she's called SWAMBO (She Who Always Must Be Obeyed, replace the "S" with "Spouse" or "Significant Other" at need) for a reason. If you don't have a homebrew yet, RDWHAB - Relax, don't worry, have a beer. Yeast have been domesticated for thousands of years. They know what they're doing and they will do it with acceptable results under a wide range of conditions (with differing results, naturally). Your beer will be fine. By the time you've brewed a few, the 15-minute check will be replaced with something like dang, did I check on that beer this week? The arc of a brewer....
 
I think you're guilty of the beginner sin of not following the Sage's advice: RDWHAHB. We have all done it, sat raptly watching the airlock for the first burp of gas, in an absolute panic because after ten minutes we don't have a four-inch krauesen, wondering what went wrong, will we get a five gallon batch of swamp water, oh no, it's ruined! The sage's advice is relax, don't worry, have a homebrew. The only more sage advice is she's called SWAMBO (She Who Always Must Be Obeyed, replace the "S" with "Spouse" or "Significant Other" at need) for a reason. If you don't have a homebrew yet, RDWHAB - Relax, don't worry, have a beer. Yeast have been domesticated for thousands of years. They know what they're doing and they will do it with acceptable results under a wide range of conditions (with differing results, naturally). Your beer will be fine. By the time you've brewed a few, the 15-minute check will be replaced with something like dang, did I check on that beer this week? The arc of a brewer....

Haha I would have to agree! I feel a little better about everything and I'm sure everything will turn out alright. Just impatient is all.

Thanks for the replies everyone!
 
I'm sure it will be fine. We've been there few times before and always in a panic!! One piece of advice...We used a yeast starter for this most recent batch we made and what a difference. It's almost like be careful what you wish you for!! Thank God I came home early that first day and quickly pulled out the airlock and put in a blow off tube, it was going crazy. It's REALLY easy to do a starter with liquid yeast, just need a little pre-planning. You don't need all the gear. We used an old 8 cup mason jar, some sanitized foil, left it on the counter and shook it every few hours. Fermentation took off running within a few hours. Here's more info: https://www.brewersfriend.com/2009/08/19/how-to-make-a-yeast-starter-og-1040/

Cheers.
 
Did you aerate before pitching the yeast?
 

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