Need help: Ginger beer won't ferment

I'm trying to brew a ginger beer.

Here's the basic recipe I made up:
-3# x-light malt extract (dried)
-3# corn sugar
-1# CaraHell barley malt (toasted and crushed)
-2oz whole-leaf Cascade hops (1.5oz to brew, 0.5oz to finish)
-2oz fresh grated ginger (added last 10 minutes of boil)
-1 package Nottingham ale yeast
-starting gravity = 1.042

At first I put the wort in my fermenting bucket and waited -- no bubbles. I checked the gravity after 48 hours, no change.

I consulted the Joy of Brewing and read that if you use more than 40% additives other than barley you need yeast energizer. Since I'm using ~50% corn sugar, I added 5 teaspoons of yeast energizer. Still nothing after 24 hours.

Then I added one more pack of ale yeast early this morning. Still nothing.

The fermenting bucket is near the wood stove so I'm pretty confident that temperature isn't an issue. Also, I just finished a Scottish ale in using this same equipment a couple weeks ago, so I don't think there is a problem there.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

You could try giving your bucket a gentle rocking, that might arouse some yeast. You should also give that 2nd packet of yeast some more time. perhaps your first Notty pack was expired or something.

phatuna said:

You could try giving your bucket a gentle rocking, that might arouse some yeast. You should also give that 2nd packet of yeast some more time. perhaps your first Notty pack was expired or something.

Click to expand...

How about that -- rocking the bucket worked almost immediately! Thanks for the tip. It's bubbling away . . .