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[PONYB]

Hello All,
As a new brewer I decided to try a coopers lager brew. I tried one a while back and it wasn’t bad. This time however things are strange. After doing exactly what instructions said I had a OG of 1004 strange as it may seem. It hasn’t appeared to start fermenting after 3 days, I checked gravity today and it’s gone up to 1040. My hydrometer is fine as I checked before in water. Any ideas or should I just bin it ? It was out of date by a few months if I’m honest.
Thank you
Bryan

 

[myndflyte]

My guess is this was an extract brew and you topped off with water at the end? A lot of times the water you added doesn't get mixed well so it can give you a low OG reading. If after a few days it's still at 1.040 then you might have to pitch some new yeast.

 

[kadozen]

Sounds like it wasn't mixed too well when you drew your sample. Not a major issue. Did you get the sample after aerating? That's what I do whenever a do an extract batch.

 

[ncbrewer]

If after a few days it's still at 1.040 then you might have to pitch some new yeast.

Yes, assuming OG was in the 1.040 - 1.055 range, it should be much lower than 1.040 after three days. There's no hint in the OP about a problem with the yeast.
What was the kit stated OG?
How was the yeast handled? Was it liquid or dry?