Fermentation Didn't Start

[RobShamrock]

Hey Gang, stuck on a Muntons Hand Crafted American IPA (bought a series of 3, Midas Touch, Smugglers Ale, and American IPA)
Pitched yeast on Wednesday Night about 8pm and normally fermentation in my year of brewing kick of at about 24hrs, the Midas Touch which I've bottled already kicked of bang on that but this IPA seems to be either slow or its not going to start.

Shall I leave it abit longer to intervene   Is it goosed completely??   I've some Mangroves Jacks workhorse yeast at home (exp. 12/15)  of a pack of Nottingham too (fresher)   should I just pitch one of those?


Shame to drop down the drain,  first time this has happened in a year of brewing

advice appreicated

Rob

[Pepin The Short]

Your packet could just have fewer active yeast in it . Is there any movement at all in the airlock or blow off tube ? It may be very slowly building up co2 .Unless you`re willing to sit there for a long time looking at it ,you may not notice anything happening .I use a blow off tube in a 2ltr jug on every brew now, that helps since i can see any early movement of gas down the clear tube .

[molc]

Oh way to check fermentation is with a gravity reading. Visually is there any kreustan forming?

[RobShamrock]

I've never bothered with Airlock, just some taped down sterilized tin foil over bung hole, never failed me yet.  No sign of any krausen, my usual method to check fermentation has started.  I'll take gravity reading this evening when I get home, but to many things missing, smell, krausen etc.

unless it kicks off during the day today

[Leann ull]

Pitch temp, and how old was your kit and date on the yeast

[RobShamrock]

Pitched bang on 20/21c or so , kit was brand new   had expiry date of mar. 2017, never checked date on yeast though

[auralabuse]

Has it stayed at that temp?

[RobShamrock]

Yep, been usiing the same room to brew since last Feb.  I wrap it up in an old tracksuit top and have a stick on temp probe, tis sitting happily at 19/20c

[auralabuse]

Might just be a low count of healthy yeast cells, I would be surprised if it doesn't start in the next few days

[RobShamrock]

Will check when I get home tonight, hopefully see some action then, think I only had one other brew that was slow to start but cant remember which it was, think it might have been Bulldog Red Cat

[Leann ull]

Slow starts are not good

[RobShamrock]

Nothing happening when I got home. Pitched the Nottingham yeast

[RobShamrock]

The Notty seemed to do the trick, it kicked off by saturday evening, is the double lot of yeast going to affect this brew at all?? Its a week since I pitched the notty so too soon to bottle and not dry hopped yet so will leave till next weekend for bottling and dry hop next wednesday .

Was half considering racking to another fermenter for the dry hop due to the stalled start but dont know if thats a good idea or not and then I'd also be racking off again for batch priming so is it worth the risk with all this moving about to different f/v's??

[LordEoin]

I wouldn't rack to secondary at all, just let the notty do its thing and it'll drop out with the first pack of sleepy yeast eventually. No harm

[RobShamrock]

many thanks, just what I was hopping for