Ginger & Fruit Juice - Slow Start?

Hi Guys,

I've been brewing for about a year now, and have been getting some friends interested by giving them samples of what I've been making.

Today, I said I'd help a friend make a batch of ginger beer. He wanted to add some fruit juice. I said that was OK but to be sure not to get stuff with preservatives as they could kill the yeast. He got some Innocent Apple & Berry Juice, which I suppose makes it into a bit of a cider. The mixture is about 20% juice, 80% water. We added sugar (dextrose) until the hydrometer reading said it should end-up at about 6%.

Well, I showed him how to make a starter, got it bubbling a bit, and chucked it in the buckety before sealing it. A few hours later, the airlock still hasn't budged. I wonder if I managed to kill the yeast somehow, so I make another starter, get it bubbling, and chuck that in. Another few hours later and still no sign of fermentation...

Is it possible that something else is interfering with the fermentation process? Is it worth adding more yeast? Could the acvidity in the juice be hamperring the yeast? How would you go about fixing this?

Cheers for any assistance.

Hey man,

Just a couple thoughts for you:
-give it some more time, sometimes my beers take a full day to get rolling
-make sure the temp isn't too cold or the yeast will stay dormant
-are you sure the lid and airlock are tight on the fermenter? Maybe you have a simple air leak so the co2 is bypassing the airlock
-if the pH is WAY off it can definitely affect fermentation, but I'm not sure how you'd specifically combat this, nor what the acceptable ranges would be
-what ate you making the starter from?

Cheers