Failed fermentation - have i killed the yeast?

[wiredchild]

Hello, this is my first post, it's nice to be here.

I've brewed a few batches of beers, from homebrew kits, which have actually turned out quite well.

Just over a week ago i started a stout kit and being a little clumsy chucked the yeast in with some very hot water, before topping it up with cold to reach a good temperature.

Unlike usual there's been no bubbling sound as the gas is pushed up through the airlock, which makes me think there may have been no fermentation occurring. It does however, have the deposit on the top of the fermentation bin that has appeared in the past.

Is it possible that i could have killed the yeast by putting it in water too hot? And, if so, could i buy some more yeast and chuck that in to start it off?

I've uploaded a couple of photos for people to take a look:





Any help appreciated.

 

[BigYin]

If the yeast got too much of a shock when you added it, that may well have been the end of it :hmm:

Certainly won't do any harm to chuck in a pack of yeast (S04 probably) and gently stir it in. If there are sugars in there to be eaten up by them, they'll get on with it, if not, they'll just settle to the bottom.

 

[Mark1964]

doesnt look great add more yeast as above next time pitch yeast at 22-24 deg c

 

[Dieseljockey]

Hi Wired & welcome .. :thumb:

From your photos there seems to have been some activity by the look of the lid...but if you say that there is not...well maybe you did cockup with the hot water...there looks to be a "tide mark" on the inside of the FV...
IMHO I would take a hydro reading....and be prepared to make another starter and bang that in.. :pray:

Best of luck.. :clap: :clap:

 

[Moley]

Something has obviously been happening as it has hit the lid and left a tidemark around the side. Unless you know you've got a bucket with a gastight lid, in my opinion bubblers on buckets are a complete and utter waste of time.

Could it have finished? What does the hydrometer say?

 

[wiredchild]

Thanks very much for all the replies.

Unfortunately, i don't have a hydrometer. I'm going to get hold of one for future use but until then i'm considering buying some more yeast and chucking it in. As BigYin said, it won't make any difference if it doesn't work anything and just sink to the bottom, right? If i do this, what yeast do i need? How much do i need? And is there anywhere common where it can be bought? (I live in Manchester in the UK if anyone coincidently lives there).

Thanks again for the replies.

 

[Moley]

Thanks very much for all the replies.

Unfortunately, i don't have a hydrometer.

Well what makes you so sure it's dead as opposed to finished, what does it taste like?

I'm sure someone will be able to tell you where there's a homebrew shop in the Manchester area, but you can buy basic beer and wine yeasts from Wilkinson's.

 

[luckyeddie]

It's definitely worth getting a hydrometer. Wilkos or your local brewing shop will sell them - Youngs I reckon - for around a fiver. Get a plastic cylinder to float it in as well. It looks as though something has happened from your photos - my guess is that your lid just wasn't sealed, but whack another packet of yeast in anyway, like others have said.

One sure way of stopping those lids sealing is to just lift them from one side - the polythene distorts a bit and no end of petroleum jelly will make it seal again. To remove them, crack it up a bit on one side then work all the way round, lifting a bit at a time. What I do to seal it is first of all put clingfilm across the top of the FV, pushing my finger through to make a hole matching up to where the airlock tube will be. Then a smear of petroleum jelly all around the edge. The next stage in the sealing process when I've popped the lid on is to use parcel tape to hold the lid down in place - a couple of pieces across the lid and down the sides of the FV and then go all around the top where the lid joins the FV and you'll get a really good seal again.

I too like the therapeutic comforting sound of a glooping fermentation.

One last thing - don't use water in your airlock - with a bucket FV it's easy to get a 'suck back' when moving the FV - and that water in your airlock will go straight into your wort - carrying with it any contaminants and foreign spores or wild yeasts. I use a bit of vodka - then drink the rest of the bottle.
:

 

[wiredchild]

OK, so as people have suggested i'm going to get a hydrometer and some yeast. It's easier for me to order them online, will these be OK?

https://www.hopshopuk.com/products/view ... wing-yeast

and

https://www.hopshopuk.com/products/view ... meter-beer

Also, one last question. When i prime the barrel to transfer the beer into once fermentation is definitely over, how much sugar should i use?

[edit]: i'm looking at that website because the Wilkinson's one doesn't list any yeast for beer for some reason.

 

[Muddy Funker]

Around 80g for a normal 40 pint brew length. That should give a nice tingle on the tongue.

 

[wiredchild]

80g of that yeast? So 13 packs...isn't that loads??

 

[abeyptfc]

80g of that yeast? So 13 packs...isn't that loads??

no 80 grams of sugar into your barrell for secondary fermentation, only 1 packet of yeast needed

 

[robsan77]

just to clear a few things up:

you shouldnt need to add any more yeast when priming for bottling.

Definitely get a hydrometer as that will tell you if your beer is ready for bottling or if you do need to add more yeast.

When bottling you can either add the full amount of sugar as stated above post (80g) into another vessel which you then add your beer into. Dont try and add the sugar into the fermenter. Or you can add 1/2 to 1 full teaspoons of sugar into each bottle if you cannot transfer the beer into another vessel.

Hope that helps :thumb: get your hydrometer and then tell us what reading you get. You'll need a measuring cylinder (or trial jar) to put it in to. Its best not to bung the hydrometer into the fermenter. Get a sanitized turkey baster or something so that you can remove a sample and taste it when you've finished, dont add it back.

 

[wiredchild]

Oh right, i forgot i'd asked about the sugar as well, i got confused...duh.

OK well i'll get hold of a hydrometer and report back.

Thanks again.

 

[mickeyt69]

i killed my yeast a few years ago when i started and before i knew of this forum and my dad advised me to throw it all down the drain..!! What a waste!

 

[Dieseljockey]

i killed my yeast a few years ago when i started and before i knew of this forum and my dad advised me to throw it all down the drain..!! What a waste!

We never stop learning as the old adage says....now we have the forum :clap: :clap: