As you can see, you don't give up on a yeast, you don't swish yeast, you don't re-pitch yeast, you don't worry about yeast UNTIL, you take a hydrometer reading...
That's first and foremost of anything you do, or think of doing, including posting a "what to do thread" online.
Fermentation is not always "dynamic," just because you don't SEE anything happening, doesn't mean that anything's wrong, and also doesn't mean that the yeast are still not working dilligantly away, doing what they've been doing for over 4,000 years....
The only way to truly know what is going on in your fermenter is with
your hydrometer. Like I said here in my blog, which I encourage you to read,
Think evaluation before action you sure as HELL wouldn't want a doctor to start cutting on you unless he used the proper diagnostic instuments like x-rays first, right? You wouldn't want him to just take a look in your eyes briefly and say "I'm cutting into your chest first thing in the morning." You would want them to use the right
diagnostic tools before the slice and dice, right? You'd cry malpractice, I would hope, if they didn't say they were sending you for an MRI and other things before going in.....
Your hydrometer is not your LAST resort in your mind after the thought of pitching more yeast, or shaking or doing anything...It should be the first thing you grab, if you are worried about your beer...even before posting an "is my beer ruined thread, or asking if something is wrong on here.
Unless you bought liguid yeast through the mail in the heat of summer, or added your yeast into boiling wort.
your fermentation will happnen.
Yeast just don't not work anymore, that is an idea that came from the bad old days before homebrewing was legalized in 1978 when yeast came in hard cakes that travelled in hot cargo holds of ships and may have sat on a store shelf for god knows how long...But since 1978 yeast science has been ongoing and
the yeasts of today, wet OR dry are going to work in 99.9% of the situations we have, if you give them the time to do so.
If you look at ALL these supposed stuck or not started fermentation threads you will see that over 90% of them are REALLY threads were the brewer equated airlock bubbling with fermentation, OR didn't wait long enough.....AND didn't use his hydromter to see what was going on....and over 90% of them, when the brewer took a reading he then was relieved to see that fermentation did indeed happen.
Your hydromter is really the only answer to knowing what is going on, and you will find you will have less worries when you use it, and trust that the yeast know what to do...and are in charge.
within 24-48 hours, so I am a little worried about this one. This was a Brewers Best Extract kit.
