Drat, no fermentation!

DH and I are back to brewing after a long abscence. For this batch, we wanted to forgo wasting a pool full of water by using the wart chiller, so he added ice instead of water to the wort to cool it. We cooled it down too far, though -- but then I looked at our yeast and it was not fresh, so we decided to let the wort return to room temp overnight, go get some fresh yeast and pitch it the next day.

From our local brew supply store we picked up some British Ale Yeast from White Labs and pitched it into the 72 degree wart, after the tube of yeast itself had warmed to room temperature (during which time we couldn't help but shake it and look at it).

Here are are 24 hours later without a single bit of activity.

My questions:

1. Does something happen to the sugar molecules when you cool it too low, or leave it sit overnight, so that the yeast can't get its party on?

1. Should we try pitching another thing of yeast in it; could the yeast have been dead?

2. Should we just trash it and start over?

Amy

No

It's possible the yeast wasn't very viable. You should ignore the marketing hypoe that says the yeast is "pitchable" and ALWAYS make a starter. Not on;ly does it increase the yeast population to a usable amount, it;s a way to verify the viability of the yeast.

No...24 hours isn't a long lag time, consdiering you underpitched it. Did you aerate the wort? If not, do that next time, too!

----------->Denny

How about aerate immediately. It's not too late, and would still help, wouldn't you say? Ken

I think I'd be concerned that fermentation is already under way..at this point, I'd just leave it alone for another day or so and see what happens. I've ruined beers by taking "corrective" action, so I'm a bit gunshy!

----------->Denny

I say this because I've given lagers (typical slow starters at 52F) a second jolt of O2 18 hours after pitching. Seems I read somewhere that it's an ok thing to do. Ken

Yeah, I've heard that, too, although I've never done it. I think as long as you're sure fermentation hasn't started, it's OK. Probably even if there's been a little fermentation, the yeast would consume the O@ and you'd still be OK. I know Dan Schultz does it, and he makes some fantastic beers.

------------->Denny

I've waited days for that foam to surface on somewhat stale yeast. No biggie.

Depends if you've learned german high, or german low

-gc

I hate to be picky but it's called wort (pronounced 'wart')

Sorry, I had to.....

Actually, it's pronounced "wert"...

----------->Denny

Hmmm... This reminds of a recent thread about changing light bulbs. ; )

Really???

I feel a bit stupid now :(

If this is true I'll have to find a new LHBS, I have been grossly misinformed......

No need...a lot of people apparently mispronounce it!

If that's the worst of the misinformation they give you, it's not bad!

------------>Denny

I wouldn't worry about the LHBS. A lot of us on the 'Net have never heard a lot of these words pronounced - only written!

Here is a basic explanation from this group back in 1997 (Google!), plus some others of interest. Note that wort is from Old English, not from German! The Old English spelling (wyrt) probably explains the pronounciation:

Wort is a liquid formed by soaking mash in hot water and then fermenting it to make beer. The word comes from the Old English wyrt, meaning root or herb and is akin to the Old High German wurze, or brewer's wort.

Brewers remove trub, a haze that forms on wort during either its boiling or its cooling phase, from the liquid. Why? Well, a look at the word's etymological ancestry might explain: trub comes from German and is related to words meaning dim, murky, turbid, muddy, dirty, and dregs.

Some brewing terms perform double duty. Wort that is fermenting is known as krausen. The same term is also used as a verb refering to the process of adding strong, newly fermenting wort to beer to produce natural carbonation. Krausen comes from a German verb meaning to curl back from the edge, a description of the beer's foam during this process.

A beer made in one brewing is called a gyle, and fermenting wort added to ale or stout is also called gyle. Gyle is another Germanic word; it's derived from a Middle Dutch word for boil or ferment.

Derric

Here's a good place to hear a lot of brewing terms pronounced (as well as a lot of other great info!).

---------->Denny

I'd always thought that too until I got jumped on by someone in this group. Even

however

suggests otherwise.

I've also read that 'krausening' or apparently the more correct 'Speisegabe' (ie late addition of unfermented wort [gyle!]) can be done to also 'clean' up the beer. Apparently the late burst from the yeast (due to the addition of more sugar) also allows the yeast to metabolise other components (presumably not so desirable in beer) leading to a better beer. Can anyone add to this? cheers rb