Might need to re-pitch -- should I re-aerate?

Boiled up some Hobgoblin on Saturday night. As of of this morning (Wednesday), I've seen basically no action in the airlock. When I get home from work I'll take an SG reading to see if anything's been happening.

If I need to re-pitch, should I re-aerate first? I hesitate to add oxygen after it's been sitting for 3 days, but if there's been little-to-no fermentation yet, then does it matter? And if I'm sending in a new troop of yeasts, won't they need O2?

chris.

What was the gravity readings.
Have you got Krausen?
What yeast did you use?
Did you do a starter?
What is the ambient temperature?

If you oxygenated before and zero yeast growth has happened, all that oxygen is still present. But answers to Orfy's questions would be best answered before doing anything like re-pitching.

Maybe I worried to soon. Just got home and checked it and it seems to be doing ok (although still no visible airlock activity). Tested the SG and it's at around 1032, which, I expect, is ok for 3-4 days into fermentation, although a bit on the slow side? (OG was 1062 -- extract/steep version with 3 gallon boil and 2 gallon topoff).

Tasted the sample and it's definitely on its way to beeritude.

At the moment there is a very thin krausen at the top of the wort, but not a big head. That said, there is hop-gunk lining the inside of bucket over an inch above the top of the wort -- evidence that there was a big krausen head in there before?

I used Danstar Nottingham yeast. No starter, just sprinkled the dry yeast in and stirred it in gently. Ambient temperature has been between 68 and 69.7.

So by all evidence, it looks like it's in good shape. I've just never seen so little airlock action before--maybe I've fallen victim to the bad-seal bucket thing I've read about?

chris.

Sounds like you're doing fine, probably the bucket seal as you said.

I have found the buckets to be less than air tight. i think you are going to be fine.

This is the outcome of 99% of these threads.

Yup. Sorry.

chris.

It's not a problem.

We all love our beer (I do any how)

Worried parnet syndrome.

Heheh, the question is, when I become a parent (which will probably happen in the next few years), will I be as alarmist about little things as I can be with brews.

My baby has been sitting at 97.6 degrees F, but the baby-book calls for 98.6. There's a funny smell coming from her and some strange goo growing at the bottom. Did I ruin my first baby?

chris.

I know the OP's problem has been resolved, but the original question "Might need to re-pitch -- should I re-aerate?" is a good one.

I've had three batches in a row now finish fermenting at 65-67 percent attenuation when I was expecting 70-75 percent. In one case I pitched new yeast (dry Nottingham) and it did nothing.

I wondered at that time if I should try to aerate the beer again to the give the yeast some O2 to grow with.

I decided against it. I figured the cell count of the new yeast packet was high enough to consume any remaining fermentable sugar without needing to replicate. And I didn't want to risk oxidation.

So I think a general answer to the question is "No, don't re-aerate." Unless your yeast crap out at something like 40% attenuation when you have more wort than beer, but I've never heard of a case like that.

I'm still trying to figure out my own attenuation issues. The best way to deal with a stuck ferment is not to have one in the first place.