Im stuck, do I add more yeast or throw it away?

So i made a British IPA wort, in the process my thermometer broke so I could not tell when to pitch the yeast. I know that the wort was not too hot, however I am worried that it may have been indeed too cold. I still have not seen any action in the capper and its been a few days. I unfortunately went on vacation the day after brewing it and have had friends check on it for me. It will be 7 days in the fermenting bucket when I return, is that too long to try out anything or could I reheat the wort and add more yeast?

It cn take 72 hours to see visible signs of fermentation. Have you checked the gravity?
How cold?

Thermometer broke during the end of the boiling process so I am unsure, it was still warm enough tho as after I added the cold water steam was coming from the pot. Gravity I am unsure at the moment, I have it written down at home, wont be back from vacation until thursday. Today would be 5 days since I started.

If steam was rising you may have cooked your yeast. 80 degrees feels cool . Check gravity when you get home.

Clann said:

Check gravity when you get home.

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^this is the only way you're gonna know if it's fermenting or not. if the reading today is lower than the OG, it's fermenting. if not, you may have pitched too warm and killed or stressed the yeast.

If nothing is happening when you get home, unlikely btw, add more yeast. You would have to kill ALL the yeast to stop it from multiplying. Ya know, they're like rabbits, except they do it solo.

Ok so this is a good sign correct? Also hydrometer read 1.09 today

jstdontgiva said:

Ok so this is a good sign correct? Also hydrometer read 1.09 today

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It does look like it fermented. Do you mean 1.009?

I think you might mean 1.009. 1.090 would be a ridiculously high reading. My IPA's routinely finish around 1.010-1.008....nice and dry, just like I like 'em. Sounds like you're OK...but don't rack yet! Let it sit a few weeks to let the yeast clean up its mess and to let trub begin to settle. Cold crash, keg or bottle, ENJOY!

For what it's worth - I use those stick on thermometers like this - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004B4TS1S/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

yea I meant 1.009, sounds good...was definitely planning on letting it sit for another couple of weeks, what is the best way to cold crash it? Thanks for all the help people!

jstdontgiva said:

yea I meant 1.009, sounds good...was definitely planning on letting it sit for another couple of weeks, what is the best way to cold crash it? Thanks for all the help people!

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Well - I have a few refrigerators dedicated to brewing out in my garage. If you have the luxury of a spare fridge then go for that. If you can't cold crash in a fridge I wouldn't really worry about it. I don't think it's really necessary, I never did for the longest time....but now that I have a pretty solid pipeline it just makes sense for me to keep my beers cold while I'm waiting for room to open up in the kegerator.