Not fermenting 3.5 days in...

Hey all,

I just did a partial mash, SN Celebration Ale clone on Thursday and I haven't really seen any signs of fermentation yet. I used Safale US-05. I have never used a dry yeast before but I read good reviews for US-05. When it was down to temperature I put the yeast in a small sample of the wort to let it get started before stirring it into the (oxygenated) primary.

Another thing I have never done before was I left the hops in the primary.

Within the first day or so it looked as if there was some pressure build up in there but it has never bubbled. I've checked the seals it seems like everything is pretty tight.

It looks like all the hops are just kinda floating at the top. Could this slow the yeast down or possibly even prevent them from getting enough oxygen to survive? Should I try and scoop out what's on top? Should I re-pitch? Other thoughts?

It actually seems fine- sometimes there aren't any noticeable bubbles or at least not many- but I'd gently open the fermenter and take an SG reading to see if fermentation has occurred.

I'd definitely NOT move the hops around or anything like that to risk oxidizing it. The hops won't keep the yeast from working!

If you have foam and lots of hops its possible it could clog the hole in the airlock if its going full force,if it does this in the future just put a blow off tube on it,wide enough tube to contain chunks. But for some people it has built up enough pressure when clogged to send the airlock to the ceiling.Before they know it.
Its possible you still have airleaks without knowing not a big deal though.You may have a lot of headspace in your fermenter also??

WHat's your gravity at now? Unless you can answer that, then you don't know whether you have fermentation or not. Looking for other signs doesn't really help. Only what your gravity is.

Thanks for the replies, all. I'll take an SG asap.

So I took an SG reading and it has dropped from 1.050 to 1.013. I'm glad it has definitely been doing something. I had so many hops on top that there was about an inch to inch and a half of crap that I had to go through before I reached beer. However, it didn't clog the airlock. But needless to say, I used a lot hops. I'm wondering if that thick of a layer on top was preventing any of the CO2 from escaping?

Also, this is a slightly related question. I accidently melted the plastic tube for the hydrometer during the boil (got too close to the burner... no counter space here in Japan!) so I just dropped it into the primary to take the readings. I know there is a higher risk of contamination that way, but I didn't have a choice. Anyway, what I don't know is am I getting the same reading as I would in the tube? Or is the displacement of beer different in a much larger container than it is in the tube and therefore giving me a completely inaccurate reading?

Thanks as always!

Hydrometer in the fermenter itself isn't an issue if it's been sanitized.
+: you will not waste any beer taking your sample.
-: you will not get to sample any beer you'd otherwise waste.