Worried about my first partial boil

[Shem]

Hi all,

 I'm looking for some advice.

 I have done 4 or 5 beer in a box brew using mangrove jacks craft series and decided to try move on to the next step. I found this recipe http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/01/homebrewing-pale-ale-for... and followed it as precisely as I could.

A few things to note:

 When I bought the ingredients I was told that dry light malt extract is very expensive in NZ and to just use tinned malt extract instead. So I replaced the dry (2.5kg) with 2 tins of 1.7kg unhopped malt extract (black rock light). I used all of it.

The hydrometer reading in the fermentor was 1.060.

Previous brews were topped off to 23l, this recipe only call for 19l

 I'm already worried that it is not going to turn out. I put down yesterday but one day on there is very little sign of activity from the bubbler

.

 The brew time suggested is 2-3 weeks. (longer than what I have done for the craft series brews)

The temp is between 16c-18.8c (which is lower than the craft series brews)

I did not proof the yeast, I just pitched it in at the end as suggested (temp at the time was 18c). It was well within the use by date. 

Do anybody see any problems with the recipe or my NZ modifications ?

Thanks

Shem

[Grant R Baker]

Nope, looks good. Give it another 12-24 hours... it could be that the yeast is slow to start (or it could be tht your fermenter has a slow pressure leak, I have had this a few times). Crack the lid slighlty and look in.. if your see signs of top fermetation then it is probably fermenting okay.

If really worried, run out and grab a S04 yeast packets (or one of the Mangrove Jacks dry yeasts, too tatse even) and throw that in.

[Hillman]

The airlock isn't a good indicator about fermentation activity -- it can be fermenting nicely without producing bubbles. It sounds like you've done things right. The best thing to do now is be patient.

[Shem]

Thanks guys.

Waiting, clearly the hard bit for me.

It seems to picking up pace now too.

[paul m]

Its always a relief to get the fermentation going. Stirring the wort cold to get oxygen disolved makes a big difference to avoiding a slow start too.