Question for the pros out there...first batch brewed and now in fermenter. I finished it all on Saturday. After 48 hours went by with no bubbling through the airlock, I (by the guidace of John Palmer) proceeded through several measures:
1) Low pitch rate or bad yeast--at 48 hours I carefully rehydrated a new packet of Cooper's Ale Yeast and pitched it into the fermenter. Well, 24 hours later-->no bubbling.
2) Maybe its not warm enough? Well, I put the fermenter in a dark closet and put a heater in there so that the rooms temperature was effectively raised by 6-7 degrees (nearing 75 F)--24 hours later and no bubbling.
3) Maybe the fermenter is not air-tight? Well, I think it is because when I put a bit of downward pressure on the lid, the fluid in the airlock rises--I'm pretty sure its air-tight.
I feel like my whole brew day process was good, I kept records of everything that I did and I can't figure out why I don't see bubbles to help me know fermentation is actually taking place. Like I said, I've been through Palmer's diagnoses and cures and am just stumped--any ideas, or is my very first batch a loss?