[Chris C]

I brewed Saturday, normal day outside using my new grain mill (got a nice boost in my OG!).  Added Yeast Nutrient at 10 minutes left of boil, used a normal pouch of Wyeast, broke the packet inside, it swelled (not as swelled as normal, but still as much a sometimes it does).  Added the yeast then put it away.  Day 3, there's no bubbles in the airlock, and my Tilt hydrometer is not reporting any change in the gravity.   

I've never had this happen before!  Is my beautiful IPA ruined?  Where do I go from here?

[BrewBama]

What’s the gravity of the beer?

[Chris C]

What’s the gravity of the beer?

1.060 or so.

[Village Taphouse]

Which yeast strain and what was the date on it?  What temp is the wort sitting at right now?

I would totally do this with an ale.  Most of my beers come in around 1.050 and if I have a Wyeast pack and break the inner bubble and I see the pack swell (usually to the point where it looks like it will burst), I generally get good activity quickly.  The one time I tried this with a pack of ale yeast from Omega (no nutrient pouch), I also went for a good 3+ days with no activity but it did eventually take off.  When I make lagers it's always with a starter but I have made many ales the way you're describing here.

[Chris C]

Which yeast strain and what was the date on it?  What temp is the wort sitting at right now?

I would totally do this with an ale.  Most of my beers come in around 1.050 and if I have a Wyeast pack and break the inner bubble and I see the pack swell (usually to the point where it looks like it will burst), I generally get good activity quickly.  The one time I tried this with a pack of ale yeast from Omega (no nutrient pouch), I also went for a good 3+ days with no activity but it did eventually take off.  When I make lagers it's always with a starter but I have made many ales the way you're describing here.

1056 American Ale.  The expiration was in July 2024, so it's still new.  The wort has been at about 62-64.

[Village Taphouse]

It's surprising.  I suppose that I might try to slightly warm it so that it has the chance to take off but your 62-64° temp range is right where I would have it too.  I guess I would also wonder how well the wort was oxygenated but I realize there are some who have dismissed O2 as an important component of brewing.  When I would attempt this (ferment an ale with the contents of one Wyeast packet), I would probably be thinking that some extra O2 would likely help things take off.  I wish I had more but all I can say now is watch it, maybe rouse it a little and keep us posted.  Good luck. 

[Megary]

Can you take a look inside the fermenter?  Are you sure there is no krausen developing?  I’d be stunned if a pack that blew up did not take off.

[HopDen]

I brewed Saturday, normal day outside using my new grain mill (got a nice boost in my OG!).  Added Yeast Nutrient at 10 minutes left of boil, used a normal pouch of Wyeast, broke the packet inside, it swelled (not as swelled as normal, but still as much a sometimes it does).  Added the yeast then put it away.  Day 3, there's no bubbles in the airlock, and my Tilt hydrometer is not reporting any change in the gravity.   

I've never had this happen before!  Is my beautiful IPA ruined?  Where do I go from here?

Relax, patience is in order here.

[Village Taphouse]

Can you take a look inside the fermenter?  Are you sure there is no krausen developing?  I’d be stunned if a pack that blew up did not take off.

Sounds like his Tilt is reporting NO movement.  I agree on HopDen's patience comment but if three days passed without activity I would be rubbing my chin too. 

[Megary]

Can you take a look inside the fermenter?  Are you sure there is no krausen developing?  I’d be stunned if a pack that blew up did not take off.

Sounds like his Tilt is reporting NO movement.  I agree on HopDen's patience comment but if three days passed without activity I would be rubbing my chin too.

Having no experience with a "Tilt", I would just wonder if it's possible to get an incorrect reading??  I guess I'm just saying that it wouldn't hurt to check under the hood to confirm nothing is happening.

According to Wyeast's pitch chart, for 5 gallons of a 1.060 wort a homebrewer should be pitching 1-2 packs of 1056.  Fermentation temp should be >65°F.  So there might be a slight underpitch and temperature is a bit low.  That certainly could cause a slow start I suppose.  But I'm still surprised that nothing is happening in 3 days.  I would expect an expanded smack-pack to do something by now.  Unless it was pitched into wort that was too hot.   

[denny]

Can you take a look inside the fermenter?  Are you sure there is no krausen developing?  I’d be stunned if a pack that blew up did not take off.

Sounds like his Tilt is reporting NO movement.  I agree on HopDen's patience comment but if three days passed without activity I would be rubbing my chin too.

Having no experience with a "Tilt", I would just wonder if it's possible to get an incorrect reading??  I guess I'm just saying that it wouldn't hurt to check under the hood to confirm nothing is happening.

According to Wyeast's pitch chart, for 5 gallons of a 1.060 wort a homebrewer should be pitching 1-2 packs of 1056.  Fermentation temp should be >65°F.  So there might be a slight underpitch and temperature is a bit low.  That certainly could cause a slow start I suppose.  But I'm still surprised that nothing is happening in 3 days.  I would expect an expanded smack-pack to do something by now.  Unless it was pitched into wort that was too hot.   

Read my mind. Has the Tilt reading been verified?

[Chris C]

Can you take a look inside the fermenter?  Are you sure there is no krausen developing?  I’d be stunned if a pack that blew up did not take off.

Sounds like his Tilt is reporting NO movement.  I agree on HopDen's patience comment but if three days passed without activity I would be rubbing my chin too.

Having no experience with a "Tilt", I would just wonder if it's possible to get an incorrect reading??  I guess I'm just saying that it wouldn't hurt to check under the hood to confirm nothing is happening.

According to Wyeast's pitch chart, for 5 gallons of a 1.060 wort a homebrewer should be pitching 1-2 packs of 1056.  Fermentation temp should be >65°F.  So there might be a slight underpitch and temperature is a bit low.  That certainly could cause a slow start I suppose.  But I'm still surprised that nothing is happening in 3 days.  I would expect an expanded smack-pack to do something by now.  Unless it was pitched into wort that was too hot.   

Read my mind. Has the Tilt reading been verified?

I'd question this as well, but there's no bubbles or even inflation on the lid of my fermenting bucket (usually I can touch the lid and it blows air into the airlock)  Still no movement this morning. 

I'll Check for some krausen when I get home.  I usually just try to not moving anything to avoid any contamination!

[Chris C]

I also opened the door to the closet I keep it in because it's usually 5 degrees cooler in there than the outside room, thinking maybe the warmth might kick it off a bit.

[denny]

I also opened the door to the closet I keep it in because it's usually 5 degrees cooler in there than the outside room, thinking maybe the warmth might kick it off a bit.

get a gravity reading with a hydrometer

[ynotbrusum]

Buckets notoriously are leakers…