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This is my second batch of wort. My first went so smoothly I decided to start another in the primary after racking the fisrt over to the carboy. It's been sitting in the primary now for 24hrs and there is no "krausen" forming on the top like my previous batch had done within just a few hours. OG was 1.045 (same as the first) when poured and the temperature has been consistant at 19c-20c (same as the first). There is a thin layer of white foam on the surface which im assuming is the remains of the foam created by pouring the wort and the yeast that was pitched. Also, unlike my fisrt batch there is no temperatrure increse that was caused by the fermenting process, further leading me to believe that there is nothing happening and that something is wrong.

The style of beer is different; The fisrt was a Canadian light beer and this one is a golden blonde ale. I'm not sure if that makes a difference.

Please Help...

UPDATE: It's been about 30 hrs now and the Krausen has magically appeared. There is however a small area where it hasn't formed yet and is about 2" thick everywhere else. I'm assuming this isn't a problem... I'm also assuming, to compensate the late start of the yeast, I should keep it in primary for a little longer then perscribed?

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  • What was the temperature when you pitched the yeast? What kind of yeast was it and how much did you pitch?
    – FishesCycle
    Commented Mar 7, 2012 at 2:25
  • the yeast came in a kit. the temperature was 19-20c on the thermometer strip when the yeast was pitched. Im unsure of the type of yeast as it came with the package and i used its entire contents. I will try to retrieve the package and update if i do.
    – Michael
    Commented Mar 7, 2012 at 2:32
  • sorry for the lack of information but the package reads, "Pure Brewers' Yeast" 15g net and an exp date in 2013. No other information was given
    – Michael
    Commented Mar 7, 2012 at 2:34

2 Answers 2

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The the layer of bubble might be the beginning of krausen, or it might be, as you suggest, the foam left over from pouring the wort into the fermenter. I'd advise giving it another 24 hours. If there's no activity, pitch more yeast.

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  • I'll keep you posted. If i need to pitch more yeast doest it have to be the same type as what was provided in teh pkg? And thank you!
    – Michael
    Commented Mar 7, 2012 at 2:38
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    Nope. Get some fresh brewing yeast from your local home brew store. Sometimes the yeast that comes with kits is old, and the result is long lag times and nervous brewers.
    – FishesCycle
    Commented Mar 7, 2012 at 4:12
  • Warning: may cause nervous brewers. Nice :)
    – JoeFish
    Commented Mar 7, 2012 at 15:46
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One of the things that you can do to really improve flocculation, and yeast viability is to make starters.

Here is a great pitching rate calculator: http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

Making a starter is a very simple process but does require a little pre-planning. There are a lot of resources online explaining the process.

I hope this will help you in your brewing adventures.

Cheers!

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