fermentation

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dave1

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Hi all, new to this so sorry if I seem daft. started a stout 4 days ago, got off to a great start, now seems to have stopped, can I restart fermentation and if I can how ? I need help !!
 
Have you measured the gravity on it? It may have finished fermentation. Some yeasts do finish quite quickly. Even so it will be worth leaving it for another week or so anyway. Take a hydrometer reading is your first port of call.
 
Hi all, new to this so sorry if I seem daft. started a stout 4 days ago, got off to a great start, now seems to have stopped, can I restart fermentation and if I can how ? I need help !!
Take a gravity reading. It's the only way to tell. You might find it has finished the bulk of the job already. 4 days is not unusual at all for airlock activity to stop. If you are at your expected FG then leave it alone for another week or so to let the yeast finish and clean itself up.
 
Ok that's done a lot of work in 4 days then. What are you expecting for the FG? Is it a kit or an AG recipe you've followed?
 
Have a search for Stuck Fermentation threads for detailed responses to previous questions. The advice is usually one of warming the yeast by raising the temperature a degree or two if possible, gently rousing or stirring whilst trying to minimise ingress of oxygen, or adding more yeast. None are perfect or guaranteed to work!

A stout at 1020 isn't the end of the world at all. Milk stouts made with lactose are often designed to finish around this mark. The darker, roastier flavours of stout can cope with a bit of extra sweetness.

I bottled a porter last month that finished at 1020 and whilst it's definitely sweeter than I intended it is still delicious and it's all part of the learning curve.

Good luck and let us know what you tried and how it worked out.
 
Thanks Norman, airlock now going off once every 5 minutes or so. Will just give it time and see what happens. will let you know the results. Thanks all.
 
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