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the_mox

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Hello all!
I'm brewing my fist batch of beer, but i think i have a problem. I got a recipe kit (one of those brewers best kits, the English Ale one) well I pitched the yeast, put the lid on the container, filled my air lock 1/2 way with water, and nothing is happening (i did this all tuesday night, so 2 days ago (its friday). Now reading the instructions on the back of the yeast packet, it says i should put the yeast in water, then pour it in. I didn't do that because the instructions that came with the kit, just said to sprinkle the contents of the yeast on the beer. could that be my problem? I didnt put the yeast in water first? either way, is there anyway i can fix it? should i just wait it out? should i get another packet of yeast and put it in water first, then poor it in? or should i count it all as lost and start over? thanks guys for the help!
 
Chances are it's fermenting. Give it a few more days, then check the gravity. If there is no change, then you can pitch some more yeast. Sprinkling the yeast without rehydrating is fine. All is definitely not lost, just wait, it'll all be fine.
 
Are you using a bucket or carboy? If you are using a bucket, maybe the lid isn't on tight. If air is leaking somewhere, you will not have bubbles in the airlock.
Also, there are a ton of threads here that prove that bubbling or not bubbling is no indication of fermenting. Check your hydrometer, that will tell you.
 
First, if you're using a bucket, make sure the lid is on tight enough. The only real way to know if fermentation is happening to so take gravity measurements. It can take more than 3 days for fermentation to really get going, so you might want to wait another day or two before checking.
 
What temp is the room the beer is located? Temperature is half the battle when it comes to ferementing as planned. Another thing you may want to consider in the future is putting vodka in your airlock instead of water. Wouldn't change it now and chances are you will be fine but vodka kills any bacteria that could try to get into your beer.
 
I had a similar problem recently and it started bubbling on the third day

+1 to the hydrometer, that is the only sure fire way to tell if it is fermenting
 
Something else to consider is the temp of the wort when you pitched the yeast. If it was too hot when you pitched, it could've killed the yeast. If that was the case, repitching would be all that you needed to do.
 
hey guys, thanks for all the advice! came home from work today and its bubbling like crazy! thanks for calming my nerves down! I really appreciate all the advice. cant wait to get enough knowledge under my belt to return the favor some day!
 
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