Pitched yeast 4 days ago, still not bubbling

[JoeyJ20]

I brewed my first stout 4 days ago.. Its at about 68 degrees and idk if something's gone wrong but it's still not bubbling.. I'm not gonna worry about it cause it is what it is and I'm not gonna be able to si anything anyways... Thoughts and/or reasons behind this would be appreciative.

Thanks a lot!

 

[tjpfeister]

Lack of positive-seal at your bucket lid- open the lid and check for krausen to prove this theory. If no krausen exists, then you can consider jumping to conclusions more akin to the "Oh poop" variety.

 

[bad67z]

Do you have a hydrometer? If so, have you taken any readings?

 

[RIC0]

What kind of stout?

What was the OG?

How much yeast you pitch?

 

[histo320]

What kind of stout?

What was the OG?

How much yeast you pitch?

In addition:
What temp did you pitch at?

What type of yeast did you use?

 

[JoeyJ20]

Haven't taken OG.. Had a kit so followed instructions. The whole packet went in at about 75 degrees. I will check for krausen, what do I do if there is none?

 

[tjpfeister]

what do I do if there is none?

I bet there is one. But if not, taste/smell the wort. If you cannot detect any problems, pitch a new packet of yeast.

 

[strohbrew]

I bet there is one. But if not, taste/smell the wort. If you cannot detect any problems, pitch a new packet of yeast.

I brewed a toasted coconut porter a few months back. This brew produced next to no head in fermentation. Convection was almost non-existent (at least invisible). There was just faint evidence of slight bubbling on the top. I called a couple of home brew shops to get some "tech support." They encouraged me to be patient - as long as even faint evidence of fermentation was evident, leave it alone. I did see slight sediment building on the bottom - very slight. I checked the final gravity, and it did work. It ended up great at about 6% abv. "Tech Support" advice was also to check the gravity to see if there was evidence of activity. I'd say that if it's not below 1.040, then repitch. Even if you didn't check the OG, it should have been above this number. If the yeast is working, it should get below this pretty handily.

 

[JoeyJ20]

Ok that's helpful for sure, what kind of slight evidence did you see so I can look for those?

 

[strohbrew]

Ok that's helpful for sure, what kind of slight evidence did you see so I can look for those?

I saw just slight bubbling on top - not enough to hear the airlock bubbling except for maybe once or twice. Normally during the most vigorous fermentation, the airlock will bubble quite often and in a pretty good rhythm. I also saw VERY FAINT signs of convection - but only when I shined a flashlight on the carboy. There were particles floating around, but they were SO SMALL that they were almost invisible to the naked eye. I use a carboy instead of a bucket, simply because I get so geeked on watching the convection process. It also allows me to observe more easily without risking contamination through taking off the lid.