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worried.

econolinevan

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I just returned to brewing this past weekend after a four month break from the action.  I brewed the Indian Red Ale from the recipe in Radical Brewing.  I used all organic grains and the only thing I changed was the yeast. It asked for an American Ale and I used White Labs Californian Ale.  Seems American enough.  After I knocked the rust off, my brew session went without a hitch and I actually came out with my highest ever efficiency out of the mash and boil.  My pre boil grav was 1.056 out of the mash, which if I'm using bs right came out to 81.19% and a grav out of the boil was 1.068-70 for a  79.16% efficiency.
I cooled the wort rapidly as I could to the 70 degree range and  transferred to carboy, rolled for ten minutes, added some oxygen, rolled some more, two more shots of oxygen and pitched the yeast.  No, I didn't make a starter, I've never had to with White Labs.  I've always had good success without a starter.
I've maintained  the carboy and contents to 68 degrees, but 52 hours later I don't have happy yeast. Not one bubble, just a thin layer of inactive foam on top.

Suggestions?  Should I pitch some more yeast?  Help
 
Ironically, I never do oxygen, but I make starters from previous batch second runnings.  Since doing that, I get rapid starts with thick foam within a few hours.

Is it possible your white tube was bad?

Did you take a FG reading?

Have you swirled it since or tried to raise the temp slightly?
 
SOGOAK said:
Is it possible your white tube was bad?

If you trust your LHBS's handling of their yeast, and the mfg date on the tube was OK, perhaps it is just slow starting, given the slightly high gravity?  I'm assuming 5.0 to 5.5 gallons, so that much of 1.069 OG is a little beyond a single tube with no starter.  You got foam, which is better than nothing, so perhaps the yeast took a while to consume the ample O2 and is slowly beginning to eat sugars. 

Assuming 5 to 6 gallons, I'd recommend at least a small starter on any OG over 1.060, if just to ensure there were no handling issues in transit. 
 
It's going on into sixty plus hours now. This a.m. there is no change.  The lhbs keeps their yeast refridgerated and I got the most resent yeast in the cooler a few days before brewing. What happened to the yeast prior to getting into the cooler is unknown,
Yes this was a five gallon batch.  Should I add more yeast?  Should I make a starter? Swirl? Raise temp slightly? It's a pretty hoppy brew, but will it be ok bacteria wise, to wait for a starter?  How long before I have to start panicing about brew failure?
 
In my opinion you should start worrying. 1.060 isn't too high of a gravity for the yeast to go into osmotic shock. Especially the California ale yeast. That yeast is a monster, and will ferment almost anything, under any circumstances. A 48 hour lag time is the most I will wait to see active fermentation before I repitch. This has only happened to me twice however. The first time even after repitching I lost the beer. The second time everything was A-Ok. This is where a microscope and methylene blue come in handy. But I digress. I would recommend pitching more yeast asap. Pop the airlock and smell it. If there are no signs of a vinegar type smell you should be ok. A starter wouldn't be a bad idea. Make a .5L starter of 1.050 wort. Shake it up every couple hours to aerate it. It should be ready to pitch within 24 hours. Good luck!

Darin
 
Or use dry yeast S-05, which supposedly is the same strain.  Rehydrate properly.
 
Ok, thank you for advice.  This is what i so appreciate from this forum.  I just returned from the hbs and have brought home a package of wyeast american ale activator smack pack.  I hesitated to purchase whitelabs there because of the failure to launch with last one.  I have smacked and have it swelling up at around 72 dgrees, the same temp as my carboy is now showing.  My next question is, do you think the ca ale yeast has bellied up and sunk, never to revive?  Or did it just go dorment till the party begins?  Will it coexist with the different strain?
 
If you didn't have any action in 60 hours with the white labs tube I think the stuff was pretty much dead when you pitched it.

As far as white labs cal ale co-existing with wyeast american ale... they are the same yeast.  White Labs Cal Ale = Wyeast 1056 = Safale US 05 = The chico strain.  I'm sure there are some very minor differences but they are all really close.  Again, it's my opinion that the first pitch of yeast was not viable.  Most of it is probably sitting at the bottom of your fermenter.
 
Alright, the update..... I smacked the wyeast activator american ale up, pitched it 2.5 hours later.  three hours later I went to check the temp of carboy and I have bubbles in the airlock.  I guess I am now sold on getting a starter going before brewing, to ensure viability of the yeast.  Although this is the very first time my non-starter yeast has failed to launch.  If there was anything in the white lab tube undead, it surely would have taken off in this sweet wort.  Again thanks for the thoughts and suggestions.

BB
 
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