Can't get fermentation started!

What went wrong? Was this supposed to happen? Should I throw it out? What do I do now?

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brewfeller
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Can't get fermentation started!

Post by brewfeller »

I brewed the BYO Hop Rod Rye Recipe.
I aerated by sloshing the wort pretty good with the immersion cooler copper coil and also sloshed around in the bucket a bit before pitching a vial of the White Labs California Ale yeast. after 3 days nothing, so I pitched another vial of the same.
5 days later still nothing. I am concerned.
I am fermenting in a temperature controlled refrigerator using a Johnson Controls
A419 controller set for 68 degrees. The fermometer strips on the side of the bucket confirm correct temerature.

Do I aerate and pitch another? would aerating at this point cause weird off flavors?
I really think I can save this, but I need some helpful advice.
Do I keep pitching yeast? that gets expensive in a hurry.
I have another bucket of a different recipe fermenting right beside it that is working fine using the same yeast. Can I borrow some from that bucket using it like a starter?
Do I need to do something to the "bad" wort first? :(
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slothrob
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US-05

Post by slothrob »

If you have access to a pack of US-05 dried yeast, I'd pitch one of those. It's essentially the same yeast for 1/3-1/4 the cost.

If the other beer was finished fermenting you could use a cup or 2 of the yeast from that batch, but I wouldn't steal yeast from that batch while it's still working.
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