Trouble with 3rd kit fermentation

[Peter Beswick]

3 days ago I started my third brew from a kit, Black Rocks Nut Brown Ale. Unfortunately it has yet to start fermenting :(
I thought I would try a couple of different things that I have heard rumors about and some ideas of my own.
Firstly I boiled the extract with some Brewcraft dextrose enhancer and a few litres of water.
I then added this to the fermenter and topped up, it was around 28C.
I also late hopped with a super alpha teabag for a bit more hoppiness.
I had saved some yeast from a previous brew and tried to start a culture with some of the wort in a sterile container for a couple of hours. Both the culture and the wort were 28C when I added the culture into the fermenter.
I put the lid and air lock on and left it for a few hours to see if it would start bubbling, alas, no fermentation had started so I pitched the yeast that came with the kit. (this may have been my downfall?)
The brew is currently on a heat pad in the garage and sitting around the mid 20s but it has failed to start fermenting :(
Any tips or advice would be appreciated, I don't want to have to throw out the lot, but if that is the only option I will, if on;y to get another brew on.
Cheers.

[denimglen]

...I boiled the extract...

Not a bad idea but I wouldn't recommend it with kit beers - you risk darkening the wort and boiling off any of the more volatile hop aroma compunds - but that's unrelated.

...with some Brewcraft dextrose enhancer...

I'd recommend against using these too. Those 'enhancers' are far from what they state. They're about 95% dextrose 5% malt extract and 0.000001% hop matter (and old and oxidised hops at that). Better idea for kit brewing, IMO, is to drop the dextrose/enhancers and use equivalent weight of unhopped pale malt extract and not to boil it. If you're looking for a little more hop character a dry hop in the fermenter will fix you up (again, unrelated to your problem, just my 2c ;-)

...I had saved some yeast from a previous brew and tried to start a culture with some of the wort in a sterile container for a couple of hours...so I pitched the yeast that came with the kit. (this may have been my downfall?)...

Adding extra yeast won't matter - the cells will grow to the correct number to ferment the amount of wort you have. There is a risk of overpitching but you're far from it, also a risk of underpitching too but about 11g of dry yeast will get you spot on for most beers.

I highly doubt all your yeast is dead. If you had only pitched the harvest or only pitched the sachet I would put it down to dud yeast, but with both lots in there you should have enough to do something.

I'd take it off the heat pad (or at least place only a portion of the pad under the fermenter - 21C is probably the highest you should ferment with most ale yeasts, 18 - 20C is a good all-round range.

...I put the lid and air lock on and left it for a few hours to see if it would start bubbling...

It's best not to use the airlock as a sign to whether or not the beer is fermenting. A bubbling airlock only tells you that there's more pressure inside the fermenter than the outside atmosphere. I'd take the lid off and see if you can see any signs of fermentation - bubbling in the wort, krausen or the smell of fermenting beer, it may just be that there's a bad seal on your lid.

Also it's worth aerating your batches if you don't already - just rocking the fermenter back and forth for about 3 mins will do the trick.

Hope that helps mate.

[Ally Mcg]

+1 on everything DG said, but additionally, 28 might have been a little bit high for the pitching temp.

If there's still nothing after a few days get down to yr LHBS and buy some S05 and pitch that at 18-20c and you should get something drinkable

[Peter Beswick]

Great advice, thanks to both of you :)

Checked the brew this morning and it has been at about 20C which is good news.
Don't think 28 for pitching would have damaged the yeast at all.
I took the lid off, DG, and there was a welcomed fermenting smell (perhaps I should have been a bit cautious as it almost blew my head off!!).
Gave it a bit of a rock and the pressure built up in the barrel, so hopefully things are moving on, even if it is some what slowly.......

Thanks heaps again for the advice guys!!!

[John H]

+1 for all the above. Aside from the visual clues (krausen, airlock) the best indication of fermentation progress is a hydrometer reading. After 4 days at your ferment temps you could be close to FG with the Black Rock Ale kit yeast.

While it is usually best to follow the recomnmeded recipe first as a baseline - sometimes doing a toucan and increasing the volume slightly (say to 25L) and sometimes with an appropriate late hop addition gives you a beer with good body and flavour - instead of adding brew enhancers.

But hey - who doesn't like to experiment - beer brewing is a wonderful hobby gives you a great by-product - beer to drink!!!!