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Dead BOMM

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K

Ken2029

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 26, 2015
162
1
0
Made a five gallon batch of BOMM last night and 15 hours later there is zero airlock activity.

4 gallons of water
1 gallon of honey
approx. 2 more cups of honey added to bring the SG up to 1.09
1 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate
1 teaspoon of DAP
2 teaspoons of Fermaid K
Ambient temperature is 75 degrees F
In place of using a starter made ahead of time from 1 smack pack of Wyeast 1388 I used 3 smack packs.
The must was oxygenated for 45 seconds prior to pitching the yeast,

Here are two possible problems:
1) The yeast was manufactured in April of 2017 and I used them in August. However, that was within the manufacturer's guideline.

2) I activated the smack packs about 12 hours before pitching them. The reason I waited was that when I opened the 5 gallon pail of honey I discovered that it was badly crystalized with a very thick block of sugar floating on top of the honey. I Had to warm the honey for quite a while and do a lot of stirring to get the crystallization back into suspension. It never did completely melt.

The airlock and carboy are airtight.
Any thoughts on what the problem was or how I can salvage it?
 
It might just be a long lagphase. Or the lid can have a leak. Its not uncommon. Check gravity after 24h and 48h. If there is no change by then, you can worry

Sent from my Aquaris M5 using Tapatalk
 
You said that you activated the smack packs 12 hours before pitching the yeast. Did they swell up?

Is it in a bucket or carboy? If it's in a bucket, you can VERY gently press down on the lid and see if there's any movement in the airlock, which will give you an indication how airtight it is.

Make a hydrometer measurement tonight. You might also want to degas/aerate it, which is another way (foam from degassing) to see if you are getting any fermentation.

Let us know what's happening, tomorrow afternoon.
 
They did swell up, but it took a very long time.

It's in a "Fermonster" wide mouth plastic carboy. When you push on the sides even a little, it moves the air in the airlock. I will aerated. oxygenate, and check SG tonight and report back. Thanks for the advice folks.
 
Time to feel stupid. (again)

I crammed the stopper in the lid one more time, at my wife's suggestion, and off it goes. It's bubbling like crazy. Thanks again!
 
Yes! The Canadian Sasquatch videos are great. I followed his instructions the last time I made a BOMM and broke my hydrometer. It turned out incredible.
 
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