I brewed a surly bender clone and substituted the British ale II with wyeast 1469. It has been over 2 days and there has been very little activity. At the beginning of day 2 there was some bubbles on the blow off but not what I usually see from cal ale. Should I wait it out longer or try rousing? Any recommendations are appreciated. It is in a temperature controlled fridge at 68 degrees.
OG? Age of yeast? Starter?
- No starter. Yeast April 2016. There is a thick layer of foam top but no activity on blow off valve. I pitched on Sunday night.
Relax. Sounds like it’s fermenting. Bubbles are not an accurate indicator, particularly if you’re fermenting in a bucket.
Think about maybe making a starter next time, though underpitching on British ales is supposed to be preferable.
Agree on the lack of bubbles in the airlock or blowoff. Sounds like the gas is escaping somehow. Are you fermenting in a bucket? Buckets don’t always seal well. Either way, doesn’t matter
Thank you for the responses. I am fermenting in a bucket. My buckets have always sealed well in the past and there was some bubbling at the end of the first day and beginning of the second day. I was just expecting a violent fermentation that expelled krausen but that didn’t happen. Should I just wait a few more days at this point then start taking gravity readings?
Shoot. I’d wait a week minimum before taking a reading. Let the krausen drop before checking, for sure.
No harm in being patient.
+1
bit of a tangent, but with this yeast that wait is probably longer than any other yeast I’ve used. Definitely likes sticking around in a thick mat up top.
Thanks
Yes. This one is a classic top cropper. Big heady krausen that stays and stays. Awesome yeast though. Can anyone say “blow-off?”