1. check your air lock for a leak or crack
2. some yeast will ferment slow.
3. yeast has a shelf life, the older the date on the package the more dead cells could be in the package.
4. temp is very important, if the starter was to hot adding the yeast it will kill it. i like to start my yeast at 80-90*f
5. give it a week so the cells can multiply and see what happens

The OG seems high for "normal" yeast. I'm unsure if the yeast you used can handle that high a gravity.

Did you aerate the wash?

Everything else being the same, is it possible the SG is just entirely too high for the yeast to take off? If you have room in your fermenter I would consider adding enough water to it to bring the SG down in the same range as the second batch and try pitching yeast again.

Again, thanks for the replies!

I aerated the wash by "dropping" the fill water in from the tube at 3' and stirring. Did the same on the second "successful" batch too.

I've been searching/reading about high SG batches...and they seem quite finaky by the reports. Some user reviews of "dud batches" in the yeast review too. I was just exactly following the instructions on the yeast pack itself - it is, after all, supposed to be a very high (20%) ABV producing turbo yeast. It sure seemed like alot of sugar for a 6.5gal (25L) batch.

I've tried the "re-hydrated" re-pitch...no dice. (although I had not reduced the SG at that point) That same yeast has taken off in the separate second batch and is going strong!

Fermenter is full. In an attempt to reduce the SG, I have removed 2L of liquid and replaced with plain filtered water, stirred. SG is now 1.120
75F...still kinda high, but better. 4hrs and still nothing...not a bubble one.

BDB, I'll check again tomorrow and see what's going on, if anything.

Hi Jimmy, I suggest sterilizing a 1 qt glass measuring cup or bowl, or pan, an scooping out 1 qt of the wash that is working and pour it into the one that is not working. If you can raise the temp of the wash up to 80 degrees that may also help the turbo start up.
That much sugar all at once has a very high osmotic pressure on the yeast that can slow it down or stall it out. I've found it best to start with 10 or 11 pounds and add a couple of pounds every two or three days until I reach my goal. Also I add nutrients when I add more sugar.
Another thing about putting all the sugar in at once is it can over stress the yeast causing some bad flavor in the finished product.
An aquqrium bubble rock with a small air pump is a good inexpensive investment for adding air to your wash, just be sure to sterilize it before use and clean afterwords.

Heeler, I worried about that too as I used Dawn soap, new dedicated wash rag, then dilluted bleach as a sanitizer. I rinsed well and air dried. Saved some and put it in a spray bottle and spray/rinse everything that touches a fermenter (thermometer, hydrometer, spoon, etc)

However, it must have worked as I'm happy to report that I work up this morning to TWO bubbling fermenters!! The first batch is FINALLY doing something...albeit slowly. I'm getting a bubble every 10sec or so from batch one, and 5-7 bubbles every second from batch two (it's really going to town!). I don't think I'd call that first batch yeast a "turbo" for speed...

I'm thinking it was an osmotic issue after all. The "Yeasty-boys" have adapted/multiplied and are munching away. I think the dilution down to a OG of 1.120 helped get it going. It might have finally started on its own at 1.130 but I think if I used this combo again, I will start with less sugar and add more several days into the fermentation as suggested here - sounds like a much better plan.

Thanks all for the input and questions. All are helping get me educated and started out right!

I'll keep you posted on how things progress.

-Jimmy

"as your wash is cooled add the rock atatched to the pump. drop in in the wash and let it run for 30 min to a hr. it will add oxygen to the wash to help the yeast be happy. they also make a adapter to a oxygen tank and a SS stone that is alot more sanitary. check the online beer places.

do that before adding the yeast."

Just checking in.

This 8kg "turbo" batch sure is a SLOW fermenter. It's 16 days in and still bubbling 3-4 bubbles per burp in the air-lock every 30secs or so. SG is now 0.990...and still going. I'll just let it keep going until it stops...which looks like next year sometime. ;-)

I've run two of the other 48hr turbos and have started a third int he same amount of time.

This last run was fantastic!

Jimmy

Humm...that very well could be. However, that's the rate it's been going for 2 weeks...slow and steady.

It's still cloudy with tiny bubbles coming up to the top. I'm planning to run it this weekend regardless. Should I use Sparkolloid on it first (I have not on the other batches) and force a clearing.

Well, since I have not done that yet...no better time to try it. Thanks.