Wort not fermenting.

[Monoxide1355]

I recently purchased a cherry sour kit and brewed it this weekend. It had grain, 3lb dme and 3lb cherry kicker extract with Philly sour yeast. It came with a yeast nutrient pack too.I brewed it on Saturday and it is now Tuesday morning and I appear to have no activity. Og was 1.05 this morning appears to still be 1.05. what are my options here? Is it done and I dump or can I try more yeast? The yeast pack said it was good until 2025. This is my third ever brew all of which have been kits so far.

 

[Monoxide1355]

Not sure why it appears the pic quality is crap

 

[Minbari]

Not sure why it appears the pic quality is crap

When you attach pic, click the "insert" button and post it to the thread

As for the fermentation, what temp are fermenting at? what temp did you pitch at?

The manufacturer says it takes 10 days, but depending on conditions it could take longer. Sometimes it just takes a while if conditions are not ideal

 

[Donoroto]

I have had fermentations that took four days to get started. As long as you don't see any signs of infection I think you should wait just a little bit longer. Worst case, you throw in another pack of yeast. No need to dump it just yet.

 

[Monoxide1355]

 

[Monoxide1355]

 

[Monoxide1355]

When you attach pic, click the "insert" button and post it to the thread

As for the fermentation, what temp are fermenting at? what temp did you pitch at?

The manufacturer says it takes 10 days, but depending on conditions it could take longer. Sometimes it just takes a while if conditions are not ideal

Dropped the wort to 70-75 degrees to pitch and fermentor is sitting around 70 currently

 

[Minbari]

Dropped the wort to 70-75 degrees to pitch and fermentor is sitting around 70 currently

that should be fine. I would give it a few more days. if it is still no activity, pitch another pack. it is posible that the first one was dead. you obviously have sugar in there

 

[Monoxide1355]

that should be fine. I would give it a few more days. if it is still no activity, pitch another pack. it is posible that the first one was dead. you obviously have sugar in there

Ok I will try that. The first picture is Saturday the second is this morning

 

[Monoxide1355]

I have had fermentations that took four days to get started. As long as you don't see any signs of infection I think you should wait just a little bit longer. Worst case, you throw in another pack of yeast. No need to dump it just yet.

What would signs of infection look like?

 

[Donoroto]

Lumps on top that are green, blue or black. Like furry islands.
Or chunks that look like cheese cubes kinda hanging out near the bottom.

Small chunks, stringy stuff, brown or tan floaties, and tiny bits moving* are normal.

(*not if they are actively swimming and have eyes though...;-)

 

[Minbari]

Lumps on top that are green, blue or black. Like furry islands.
Or chunks that look like cheese cubes kinda hanging out near the bottom.

Small chunks, stringy stuff, brown or tan floaties, and tiny bits moving* are normal.

(*not if they are actively swimming and have eyes though...;-)

I will add, most infections will also eat the sugar. since your gravity hasnt moved at all. you dont likley have one

 

[Craigerrr]

Patience, stop taking samples, and let it be for a few days. Meaning for fermentation to get started, plan to leave it for a good 10 days.

 

[Monoxide1355]

Is it still going to be

Patience, stop taking samples, and let it be for a few days. Meaning for fermentation to get started, plan to leave it for a good 10 days.

Good to re pitch after 10 days?

 

[Megary]

So you are seeing no signs of fermentation a full 4 days post-pitch? No krausen, no air-lock bubbles, no temperature increase in the wort? Nothing?

I've never used Philly Sour but I find this hard to believe. You didn't pitch the yeast into the wort while it was still hot did you? Dry yeast is pretty close to indestructible.

Others may disagree, but if the wort has been sitting at room temperature for 4 days and you haven't had any fermentation, I'd play it cautious and would start all over.

 

[Monoxide1355]

So you are seeing no signs of fermentation a full 4 days post-pitch? No krausen, no air-lock bubbles, no temperature increase in the wort? Nothing?

I've never used Philly Sour but I find this hard to believe. You didn't pitch the yeast into the wort while it was still hot did you? Dry yeast is pretty close to indestructible.

Others may disagree, but if the wort has been sitting at room temperature for 4 days and you haven't had any fermentation, I'd play it cautious and would start all over.

Yeast was pitched around 70-75 degrees and fermentor is in a room covered and at about 70 degrees.
Day one and two - zero sign and no change in gravity.
Day three - I thought I was starting to see a very thin layer of bubbles (possibly krausen) on the top. I did not take another gravity reading.
Day four (today) - it looks like that layer on top is getting bigger so I am hopeful that it's starting to kick off. I still have not taken another gravity reading.
My brew kit uses opaque buckets as the fermentor so it's difficult to actually see what is going on inside. After this brew I will likely look into a glass carboy so I have better visual. I hope what I see on top is indeed krausen and not it growing some bacteria. I have yet to see any airlock bubbles and have not checked temp as I don't have a thermometer in the fermentor.

 

[Megary]

Ok. So that's a bit of a different scenario than I originally thought.

If your beer is indeed starting to ferment, there is really no harm in opening the lid to take a look and see what's going on inside. In your case, I would absolutely do this to confirm you are seeing krausen and nothing nefarious.

You do not need to take another gravity reading to confirm fermentation is active so don't bother with that.

Why you aren't seeing bubbles in your airlock is a bit of a concern, especially if you did see them on previous brews. It's possible your lid or airlock is not sealed properly.

Look into those cheap temperature strips that adhere to the side of the fermenter. They aren't necessarily the most accurate but they do clearly show temperature changes inside the fermenter. They are great for showing when fermentation hits its peak (highest temp) and then when the wort settles back to ambient temp.

Don't bother with glass carboys. They are more trouble than they are worth. Very dangerous, those.

Cheers!

 

[Minbari]

Ok. So that's a bit of a different scenario than I originally thought.

If your beer is indeed starting to ferment, there is really no harm in opening the lid to take a look and see what's going on inside. In your case, I would absolutely do this to confirm you are seeing krausen and nothing nefarious.

You do not need to take another gravity reading to confirm fermentation is active so don't bother with that.

Why you aren't seeing bubbles in your airlock is a bit of a concern, especially if you did see them on previous brews. It's possible your lid or airlock is not sealed properly.

Look into those cheap temperature strips that adhere to the side of the fermenter. They aren't necessarily the most accurate but they do clearly show temperature changes inside the fermenter. They are great for showing when fermentation hits its peak (highest temp) and then when the wort settles back to ambient temp.

Don't bother with glass carboys. They are more trouble than they are worth. Very dangerous, those.

Cheers!

Second all this. Especially the part about carboys. They are dangerous and light is the enemy of beer, so not worth it

 

[Monoxide1355]

Ok. So that's a bit of a different scenario than I originally thought.

If your beer is indeed starting to ferment, there is really no harm in opening the lid to take a look and see what's going on inside. In your case, I would absolutely do this to confirm you are seeing krausen and nothing nefarious.

You do not need to take another gravity reading to confirm fermentation is active so don't bother with that.

Why you aren't seeing bubbles in your airlock is a bit of a concern, especially if you did see them on previous brews. It's possible your lid or airlock is not sealed properly.

Look into those cheap temperature strips that adhere to the side of the fermenter. They aren't necessarily the most accurate but they do clearly show temperature changes inside the fermenter. They are great for showing when fermentation hits its peak (highest temp) and then when the wort settles back to ambient temp.

Don't bother with glass carboys. They are more trouble than they are worth. Very dangerous, those.

Cheers!

Thanks, I will pop it open tonight and check and report back with what I found. There is a possibility the lid didn't seal, it's a really tight fit and i may not have pushed down all the way around good enough causing it to not seal. I'll double check this before opening

 

[BarbarianBrewer]

Thanks, I will pop it open tonight and check and report back with what I found. There is a possibility the lid didn't seal, it's a really tight fit and i may not have pushed down all the way around good enough causing it to not seal. I'll double check this before opening

Plastic fermentation buckets are very prone to leaking CO2. So, don't worry if you don't see airlock activity. But you should see a temperature rise when fermentation is active. Plus you should see kreuzen on top during active fermentation or a ring around the outside if active fermentation has finished.

Although glass carboys have many benefits (hard to scratch, lasts forever, can use most cleaning chemicals, etc.), they do have one huge disadvantage: A drop or a bump against something hard can cause it to shatter into many, very sharp, shards of glass, which might send you to the ER. If you don't want to take that risk (most don't) get something like the Fermzilla All Rounder instead.