lbcsrw wrote:I am a rookie! I cooked up my third batch of wort, a Kolsch recipe, on Friday afternoon, and pitched yeast around 5 PM. It was a 10 gallon batch, added to two 5 gallon plastic fermenting buckets.

There were several things that may have effected the process:

1) The yeast had sat out for 24 hours. (I forgot to put it in the fridge.) Some of that time, prior to pitching, may have been in the sun.
Was this a liquid yeast, or dry? Either way you're probably ok, but the sun part scares me a little bit.

2) I used bottled water... Evian specifically, for about 2 thirds of the total mix.
I don't see a problem with this at all.

3) I used a no rinse sanitizer from Smart & Final, not the typical concentrated liquid stuff I get from my local brewing supply house. I followed the directions carefully, though, and made sure the concentration was appropriate for the use.
No Experience with this sanitizer. Some sanitizers used in food service are "persistent", meaning they keep working on the surface even after it drys. Not a good thing for brewing yeast.

I've been checking on the buckets every day, and one of the locks seemed to be building up a little bit of pressure, but really no bubbles, no action...
A classic problem with buckets is that the lids don't always seal completely. It can cause unnecessary stress (relax, don't worry).

I would hate to think that, after all that effort and expense, the wort is just ruined. What are my options? Please advise!

lbcsrw wrote:
I wish there were a way to know.