My first batch of porter and it's not fermenting

The key question is how long have you been waiting? Maybe you need to give things a little more time. Also, did you activate the yeast?

How do you know that it's not fermenting? Have you taken gravity readings?

If you're answer goes along the lines of "the airlock isn't bubbling" then I wouldn't worry too much just yet, give it another day before getting concerned. It sounds like you didn't make a starter for your yeast which means that it's going to take a little while longer for the yeast to start producing CO2, have a look at

Patience is the key. Give it 3 days before you think about pitching more yeast.

__Stephen

Don't throw it out just yet. You don't mention if the liquid yeast was proofed? One of those break the vile Mylar (metalized polyester film) packaged wonders? Did the package expand?

Another neat trick is pouring the cooled concentrated wort into a carboy and not mixing it with the water or aerating it. It is possible to have the denser concentrate stay at the bottom of the fermentor if it isn't mixed (rocking the carboy). Fermentation will be slow or non-existent in that case.

I use dry yeast almost exclusively. I proof it in some wort or corn sugar and water. I'll usually get it pitched around 5PM and it will be in vigorous fermentation (blowing off) by midnight. Evening the next day, fermentation will subside enough to put the airlock on.

The airlock or blow off tube may have a leak if you are relying on bubbles to tell you it is fermenting - The cheap plastic airlocks will frequently have mold marks on them that prevent sealing in the rubber stopper if that is your type of lock . . . Scrape them smooth with a knife or use a bit of food grade silicone grease on the stopper.

You should see the fermentation in the carboy. Foam on the surface?

If this is your first ever batch; relax. Troubleshoot. It is always a good idea to proof brewer's yeast before you pitch it. Some of the liquid varieties are slow starters and start times do vary quite a bit. That is one reason I prefer dry yeast.

Nothing like having the wort ready to go and the yeast isn't cooperating.

Thanks for your comments. The bubbling started the next day. The type of liquid yeast I used was in a plastic vile. It was called Ale Yeast (I don't know what brand). The more we read, the more we learn. This is our very first time making beer. Since my husband likes Guiness so much, we thought we would start off with a Porter.

Anyway, thanks a lot.

L>>

One of the reasons for proofing is it gives the yeast a head start (and also checks its viability). The head start is desirable because it overwhelms any wild yeast that may have gotten into the wort, so you get the flavor you want.

The liquid yeasts do have better and more varied flavors; the down side is they cost a little more and seem to be slow starting. I like to proof the liquid (in the Mylar package) a day or two before - if it starts working before I'm ready to pitch, it goes in the refer to wait.

My first ever batch was nothing to brag about . . . I brewed it in plastic and didn't rack it to a second fermentor and didn't use a blow off system. It took me a while to catch on (and the "Complete Guide to Home Brewing" helped a lot - now all the info one needs is on the Internet)

Major pruning

Karl, the yeast plugged the airlock? Never had that happen (but never used Listermann's). Is the flocculation so firm that it can clog the airlock?

I did blow a stopper or two when I tried putting pelletized hops in the carboy (cold hopped).

Took the carboy out on the deck and pulled the stopper, when the blow off tube stopped bubbling first time it happened- and decorated the ceiling when I didn't catch it in time.