fermenting all grain beer

We are pretty new to brewing our own beer, but went ahead and took a huge step to try an all grain beer.  Unfortunately, we have no bubbling so I'm not sure what we did wrong.  The yeast was fresh so I don't think it's that.  Any help will be appreciated.  Thank you.

---Robin Foster

Need a little more information
Batch size
Yeast and Pitch rate
Time in fermentor
Equipment
Temp
Etc

The more information the better. The first thing to look at is a good tight seal on your bucket if that's what your using.

The batch size is 5 gallons.  The temp where it is fermenting varies from 72-76.  The yeast is direct pitch activation.  However, I just read on the package that if it wasn't refrigerated, it may take longer to activate.  We had it in room temperature.  Should I wait another day or get some more yeast.  The name of the beer we made is called zombie dust gotten from this site.

I would wait another day. See if you can move it where the temp is a little lower. 72 to 76 is a little high for most yeast. If you still don't see activity in the air lock, carefully remove the lid and look for Kraeusen the top of the wort. If its showing active, check the seal on the bucket.

It always is a good practice to rehydrate dry yeast before pitching.

Fortunately it did start bubbling today.  The bad part is that I can't really adjust the temp too much.  We don't have a basement and I definitely can't stand the air conditioning that cold.  So, hopefully it turns out ok.  Thank you for your help.  Also, I'm new to this site as well.  Is there a place I can learn more about OG's, specific gravity, temperatures, and IBU's,  They mention them in every recipe, but I honestly don't know what any of them really mean in a beer sense and why they are so important.  Thanks again.

http://www.howtobrew.com/

How to Brew by John Palmer is a good place to start.  It's clear and concise.

Wrap a damp towel around the outside of the bucket, the evaporation will drop the temp a
degree or two, of course you will have to change it often. As was mentioned it is always
best to make a yeast starter a day or two before pitching it.

I agree with Ozark. When I was brewing in AZ I had to deal with 118 deg F days (keeping the house around 80).  To get around this would: 1) get an oversize keg bucket (the type you can buy at Walmart), 2) place the carboy into the bucket, 3) put about 4" of wafer into the bucket (outside of the carboy of course), 4) wrap a towel around the carboy, 5) place a very small submersible pump into the water, pump water on top of the towel, and 6) place a fan to blow on the towel. 
I was able to hold a 68 deg Ferment for two weeks easily (as long as the water level, house AC, and fan position stayed constant). It can be done.

Robin Foster said:

Fortunately it did start bubbling today.  The bad part is that I can't really adjust the temp too much.  We don't have a basement and I definitely can't stand the air conditioning that cold.  So, hopefully it turns out ok.  Thank you for your help.  Also, I'm new to this site as well.  Is there a place I can learn more about OG's, specific gravity, temperatures, and IBU's,  They mention them in every recipe, but I honestly don't know what any of them really mean in a beer sense and why they are so important.  Thanks again.

Click to expand...

Also if you haven't yet found it, Homebrewtalk.com is a great site for anyone from beginners to experts.

Zormon said:

To get around this would: 1) get an oversize keg bucket (the type you can buy at Walmart), 2) place the carboy into the bucket, 3) put about 4" of wafer into the bucket (outside of the carboy of course), 4) wrap a towel around the carboy, 5) place a very small submersible pump into the water, pump water on top of the towel, and 6) place a fan to blow on the towel. 

Click to expand...

That is ingenious.  All the people using a bathtub could add a small pump.  Homebrewers answer to glycol. 

If there's room in the keg bucket, you could add frozen two-liter bottles to chill the circulating water. 

When I wrap a towel around my fermenter, I don't use a pump.  I put the fermenter in the utility sink in my garage, I then thoroughly wet the towel and let it hang down in the water.  The towel will stay wet, through osmosis.  It will keep wicking water up and keep the entire towel soaking wet with cold water.  The fan blowing on it causes the water in the towel to evaporate, taking heat away with it.  The water in the utility sink, keeps it replenished and soaking wet.  I'm consistently able to keep my fermenters at 66 to 68 degrees F. with this method, even when the ambient temperature are pushing 90 degrees F.

Once I started controlling my fermentation temperatures better, I went from scoring mid 20's to mid 30's at competitions to mid 30's to mid 40's.  My next investment will be a chest freezer for controlling temperatures very precisely.

You don't need a utility sink though.  I use it because my garage is my homebrewery and it's available.  You can just set the fermenter into a plastic dishpan and fill it with cold water.  Works just as well, you just have to replenish the water more often.