My First Stuck Batch!

Ok so I made an all grain Halowale this Sun. It has been 48 hours and counting and still no fermentation. Very long from any brew I have made before. I figure I will give it another 24 hours and see where it is. I was just wondering if it does get stuck can I Add a different type of yeast that I have available to start a fermentation? What effects could a different strain have? Any answers would be, as always, appreciated. Thanks.

you can always add more yeast. A lot of strains are hybrids so it would not do anything to the brew you just may find something that you like.

Most of the time it will start. Did you make a starter? Did you pitch at the right temp?

those may be why your having problems. A starter pitched at the right temp should start within hours.

Before we get into deep, how are you gauging the apparent lack of fermentation?

Tell us a little more about your recipe/process/conditions.

This time I did not pitch a starter. Since the yeast was about a month or so away from the expiration date I had thought about, but I was lazy so there ya go. Um I see no indication of fermentation happening when I checked last night. Meaning Nothing moving anywhere in the wort. No Head/Foam/misspelled Karesen, and no bubbling. So if it does not start by tonight I have some American Ale yeast from Whitelabs that I will make a starter with and try that. So you guys do not think that pitching a different strain of active yeast in two non active yeast will hurt the beer? LOL guess I do not really have much to loose.

the temperature of the wort during the pitch, as well as the OG of the wort will play a role in shocking the yeast. I just pitched without a starter into a 1.073 batch and didn't see anything for almost 3 days... Then BOOOM. Bubblin like crazy...

I agree with flyangler, more information is needed to judge if indeed you have a problem. Especially from my own experience batches CAN take in excess of 48 hrs to start fermenting. My latest batch, which was my first AG batch took ~36 hrs to start fermenting, and is doing so very slowly due to my lack of aeration and the fact that I didn't make a starter. Don't get discouraged yet, sometimes patience pays off!

Good luck!

Edit: Yes, indeed you can add a different yeast, but I would add one that works with the flavors of the beer you're trying to accent.

I pitched into 80 deg wort that was at an OG 1045

If you pitch older liquid yeast and do not make a starter and do not aerate well then you have given your yeast a lot of work to catch up. First they have to make babies to have enough help to ferment all those sugars and you may not have given them enough oxygen and nutrients so this makes it almost impossible but they will do it given time. Next time, give them enough help. Pitch enough yeast. Lagers take 2 times as much as an ale. Aerate well. Remember that lagers ferment on the bottom and may not look like anything is going on in the early stages of fermentation. I don't know what you made but it must be an ale as noted by the name. Most likely the yeast was not very viable.

Yeah I think I should have done a starter this time, the yeast had been in the fridge for a while. Most of my batches usually start in 24 hours especially if I do a starter. What is the best technique to use nutriant?

Nutrients are added when preparing the starter wort. Boil nutrient in the wort.

Look up starters on how to brew.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html