Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: Weak Fermentation?  (Read 1371 times)

Offline manyguns

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 18
Weak Fermentation?
« on: October 28, 2018, 12:02:57 pm »
More help for this rookie please, I'm learning. Very weak looking kreusen. I did not aerate very much at all when I pitched the dry yeast on Oct 25th. Can I stir it up with a sanitized bottling wand? I don't have any yeast on hand to add. Or should I just leave it alone? Sorry for all the questions, but I don't want to screw up any more than I have. Don't know how to add a picture.

Offline Steve Ruch

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1752
Re: Weak Fermentation?
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2018, 12:14:44 pm »
You don't need to areate when using dry yeast.
What yeast did you use?  Not all yeasts produce lots of kreusen.
Leave it alone.
I love to go swimmin'
with hairy old women

Offline Robert

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4214
Re: Weak Fermentation?
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2018, 12:16:49 pm »
Leave it alone.   Once fermentation has started you don't want to introduce any more oxygen.  And you know that it has started fermenting, I gather.   Moreover, dry yeast doesn't really require aeration, it has been grown in such a way that it brings with it everything it needs.  The appearance of the kräusen is influenced by a lot more than just the vigor of the fermentation.   At this point, follow the mantra:  RDWHAHB (relax, don't worry,  have a homebrew.)
Rob Stein
Akron, Ohio

I'd rather have questions I can't answer than answers I can't question.

Offline manyguns

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 18
Re: Weak Fermentation?
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2018, 12:34:04 pm »
Thanks guys. The yeast was Safale s-04
I'll leave it alone. It's working, I was just concerned because of little foam.

Offline Robert

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4214
Re: Weak Fermentation?
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2018, 12:41:26 pm »
S-04 doesn't seem to make a big head of kräusen.   And it's a fast fermenter, so after 3 days it may be winding down.  You could easily have missed seeing the peak activity if you blinked. 
Rob Stein
Akron, Ohio

I'd rather have questions I can't answer than answers I can't question.

Offline manyguns

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 18
Re: Weak Fermentation?
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2018, 12:43:56 pm »
Well that could be. There is a kreusen line that is a little above the foam.