Dead Yeast?

[dferron]

I bought and EZ Caps kit a few months ago and have enjoyed the easy wine process. I am on batch 6 I think, and not having much luck with fermentation. My previous batch was light on alcohol, and this one after two days shows no sign of fermentation. The yeast has been kept in the fridge, and I am using the same Ocean Spray Cranberry juice as in the other batches. I shook it up, no change. So I added a bit more yeast. I can tell the yeast isn't working ... not carbonation, and no trub.

I didn't forget the sugar, the room temp is about 68*

Suggestions??

[ezcaps_phpbb3_import2]

It's highly unlikely that the yeast is the culprit (I have some thats been in the fridge for over 12 years and it still works fine). You might try using a starter. Pour about a cup of your juice (or room temperature water) into a separate bowl and add 1/2 cup of sugar and some yeast. Cover and let the yeast multiply, (several hours to a day) and then add back to what you want to ferment. This step isn't usually necessary, but it works well if fermentation is difficult to start for whatever reason.