Failed beer?

This weekend I made up a batch of Toad Spit Stout, the first beer I’ve made in probably three years. All went well, I had everything sanitized carefully (sanitation is priority one in brewing), ingredients laid out, everything was textbook perfect. The yeast I pitched was Wyeast #1084, Irish Ale yeast, what seemed like a healthy dose.

I say “seemed like” because three days later, there is absolutely no sign of fermentation activity. None. It’s as though I simply poured a vial of water into the wort instead of yeast. Huge disappointment. I’ve never had this happen before; I’ve had some beers that were slow starts, but nothing like this.

So I stopped by The Home Brewer after work and picked up a packet of Cooper’s Ale Yeast—nice and simple, just to see if I could kick-start fermentation. I pitched it this evening, and I should know for sure if something’s happening by tomorrow evening, if not sooner.