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First off, a bit of background:

This is my 3rd batch of homebrew so I am new to this. I'm using the following: Morgan's Golden Saaz Pilsner can of goo, Fermentis Saflager s-23 yeast and a brew booster (Dextrose, malt and corn syrup).

After 2 weeks there was still no bubbling in the airlock so I decided that the yeast must have died and I pitched a 2nd round of yeast and while doing so I noticed a thin rim of krausen on the side of the fermenter. 3 days later there is still no bubbling in the airlock.

I finally realized I should check the specific gravity and noticed it had gone from 1035 down to 1010.

My plan is to bottle a 6 pack and rack the rest off then see how the bottled brew turns out before investing the time in bottling the whole lot.

So, my question(s) is this:

What will the 2nd round of yeast do to this batch? Is it salvageable or should I not waste time with bottling?

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3 Answers 3

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The second round of yeast will just add a yeasty flavor to the beer if it doesn't flocculate out much. But the change in flavor will be negligible.

Depending on the temperature you were fermenting at all the fermentation could have happened when you weren't paying attention. If the beer was warm going from 1035 to 1010 overnight is very likely.

FWIW, I'd just bottle the whole batch. And pay close attention to the amount of priming sugar you use.

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    Occasionally your airlock won't bubble, for a variety of reasons. Brewing Buckets (or "Ale Pales") are notorious for having leaky gaskets where the airlock plugs in. However, this by itself is really not a problem, its just a little bothersome when you expect to see the airlock bubbling away and nothing is happening. Since you added new yeast that needs to settle out, I'd let it sit another 2-3 weeks, then bottle the whole thing. It'll be fine.
    – GHP
    Commented Aug 10, 2011 at 13:13
  • Great answers, thanks guys. I'll let it sit for 2 weeks, add some finings then bottle it that weekend.
    – WT_W
    Commented Aug 10, 2011 at 22:47
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If you have another vessel, like a carboy, I'd rack the beer into secondary for a week or two to really let the yeast settle out. Since it has nothing to eat it will drop out just like your first pitch did. Having the beer in a transparent vessel will help you see when it's clear enough for bottling.

Shouldn't be a problem at all. In no way could this ruin the beer. At worst it just needs a bit of extra waiting time for the extra yeast to drop out. It won't leave behind any by-products, since the yeast isn't metabolizing.

I'm a firm proponent of NEVER throwing away beer, especially if you're new to brewing. I dumped my first few batches due to "problems" which I now know weren't problems at all. Even weird-tasting beer can transform into great beer after months in the bottle.

Only oozing bacterial infections will make me chuck a batch now. Everything else I bottle and at worst stick it away to check back on it in 3, 6, 9 or 12 months! :)

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  • Funnily enough, this batch is being made to replace the previous batch which got infected and has since been thrown away (floating gunk in the bottles and some kind of organism growing on the side of the bottles)
    – WT_W
    Commented Aug 12, 2011 at 4:41
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No matter what you decide to do -- bottle now or later -- the yeast will settle once you bottle and refrigerate. 1010 is a good target final gravity for the style, although 1035 seems a bit low.

No worries, though! I agree with the others to not toss the batch. Even if it's somehow not drinkable (which is pretty hard to do), there are a lot of ways to make good use out of a borderline drinkable batch, such as a bit pot full of beer brats!

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