The Pancake's not there?

[fuelline]

Hello first brew attempted in many years.
I have started with a Tom Caxton can and beer enhancer added everything yeast etc at correct time.
It has been fermenting in my airing cupboard for 4 days but there has been no sign of the 'pancake' forming on top. Just a thin head of bubbles and some yeast i believe, on the middle of the lid of the barrel.
Everyting was newly bought and sterilized bfore hand.
Is this a bad sign, I have peaked a couple of times should i have not?

Is this a bad problem or should I persist and barrel after 6 days?

Any help advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks

fuelline

[sparky Paul]

It sounds okay, sometimes you don't get all the foam on the top, depending on the type of kit. So long as bubbles are rising, fermentation will be taking place.

Have you got a hydrometer to test the gravity? That will tell you exactly what is going on.

[stevezx7r]

Have you checked the temperature too? If it's cold it will slow or stop the fermentation.

[fuelline]

cheers guys,
don't have a hydrometer at present was going to get just prior to kegging to make sure it was the right time, temperature...maybe I've been trying to keep the temp constant in the airing cupboard could be the answer
thanks again

will get a thermometer too

ta

fuelline

[Shedman67]

An old post but, on my Caxton kit The pancake won't go away, and I think It's stopped fermenting
I picked the kit up Cheap because it was out of date and had no yeast with it.
I used safeAle04 and it started out fine, foam to the lid then nothing!
I did make a boob with the hop enhance packet, I forgot to add it while it was at the boiling water/sugar/concentrae mix stage. I only remembered half way through the cold top-up stage and dumped it in then.
It has been at 23Deg all the time and I even pitched more yeast after 7 days when I took a Gravity reading (1.026)
I've done another caxton kit recently and it was fine went from 1.045 down to FG of 1.004.
So any ideas as to what made it go wrong, Couldthe cause be:

old out date kit,
Adding the hop enhancer late,

Also before it goes down the drain, Is there anything more I can do to save it?

[BlackBag]

There could be a whole heap of reasons why it's gone to sleep, but it should be easy enough to wake up.
What I'd do is open it up, add a teaspoon of yeast nutrient, good stir from the bottom to rouse it, lid back on, get it warm. Stick some blankets around it or something. Leave it a couple of days then have a check, it should have started up again.
The out of date issue shouldn't be too much of a problem if it's not that far out of date. As you've replaced the yeast with a good Safale it should be fine. As for adding the hops late that shouldn't be a problem either, it just might not take on as much flavour that's all.
Keep us all posted how you get on.