no fermintation in first week

[greg2536]

OK. I brewed last weekend and added the yeast but no bubbling for a full week. I am using Big River Brown Ale w/ White Labs British Ale 005 from Midwest. I've used it before with great results. The yeast had been in the fridge for about a month, it was put in there as soon as I got it. The date on the tube is May 16, 2008. Do I need to wait or be looking at getting fresh yeast?
Greg

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

have you checked your gavities with a hydrometer? if so what was your OG and what is the SG now? Sometimes fermentation can happen without showing bubbling of he airlock due to a small leak in your seal. This is ok if it is the case. The only way you can tell if fermentation is taking place or not is to use your hydrometer.

 

[HOOTER]

Did the wort bubble and foam up within the first few days or does it look like it did when you pitched the yeast?

 

[malkore]

agree with deathweed...you may not have a tight seal on the fermenter, but a hydrometer reading will tell you if its fermented anything or not.

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

agree with deathweed...you may not have a tight seal on the fermenter, but a hydrometer reading will tell you if its fermented anything or not.

 

[Battery Acid Bo]

Take a gravity reading.

I know you do not want to open the lid and risk an infection, but that is the only sure way to see what is going on.

That is just what happened to my last two batches.

My Oktoborfest was probably done in about two weeks, and my Canadian Blonde was done in about a week. The air lock never moved on either one. When I cracked open the lids it looked like a mold ring to me. As it turned out it was the krausen ring. The buckets were new and one batch used.

Get an oven baster, put it in your favorite no rinse sanitizer, stick your hands in the sanitizer solution, and carefully open the lid on the bucket. Drain all of the sanitizer out of the baster, squeeze the bulb outside of the bucket, insert baster into beer and remove the beer to your measuring container with your hydrometer. You may have to do this more than once to get enough volume of liquid to measure.