Expert: John Snyder - 1/28/2008

Question
QUESTION: It has been over 36 hrs and no bubbles have appeared. The temp reads 60 deg because my wife wont keep the house warmer. My neighbor claims the beer kit could be 10 years old. I opened up the bucket and no foam has formed. Is this batch dead do to bad yeast or temp drop? Can I save this batch by adding more yeast or re-vigor it? Hope to hear from you soon John.          Thank you, Shawn.

ANSWER: there are several causes for a fermentation not to start.
I would say the number 1 cause here was the yeast was no good,by your statement,36 hrs.and no bubbles.

Other causes:
lack of aeration
temperature difference at time of yeast addition,and that at which the comtainer is stored.

Temperature at which the yeast is added to the wort should never be allowed to go below that point during the first 24 to 48 hrs.

60 degrees is low for an ale fermentation,but the fermentation will still take place,but at a slower rate

If it were me,I would not continue the present batch,the final product would not taste good,and would be dumped anyway.

Did you proof the yeast before using it?

any more questions,i will be glad to assist

         John

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello again John,I took your advise and started another batch.This recipe is a 3-7 day xx cervesa and has been fermenting for 9 days now. the finishing gravity is 1.007-1.009 for the batch and as of two days ago it read 1.011. The bubbling has been slow but steady. This will eventually stop correct? I will take another gravity check later today. I do not want to bottle until the bubbles have      completely stopped correct?    Thank you Shawn

Answer
You did well,that was a good fermentation.The fermentation is finished,and the gravity looks good.The bubbles won't stop completely,and you don't want that to happen.the residual CO2 purges air.You are ready to bottle.Be very carefull of air pick up,or poor sanitation,when packaging.You don't want to foul up your beer now.

         Again good going