by Lesgold » Tue Jun 02, 2020 7:37 pm
Hi wambat.
If I was in your situation, I would try a couple of things. First of all I would get the fermenter off the cement floor. Sit it on some particle board or polystyrene foam to give some form of insulation against the cold concrete. I would definitely insulate the fermenter as the over night temperatures are really cold. Some form of heating would be beneficial if you want a good fermentation In a reasonable time frame. I would tend to experiment with a small ferment first to ensure the measures that you have adopted will actually work. As for the yeast, place a teaspoon of yeast in a covered container of luke warm water (a cup should do it.) and add about a quarter of a teaspoon of sugar. Stir it up and leave it for about twenty minutes and see if the yeast comes to life. If it doesn’t, you’ll need new yeast.