Can you successfully prime after a stuck fermentation?

[BrewHouse]

I made a ridiculous mistake of not aerating the wort on a recent bog standard IPA and ended up with a fermentation stuck at 1020. Schoolboy error . I tried rousing, repitching, upping the temp etc to no avail.
My question is - if the yeast is so exhausted that it can't finish the job in the primary, is it likely to do anything with the priming sugar?
I have the option of force carbing in a corny but was intending to use a PB as it is a 23L batch. I am only looking for very low levels of carbonation. Will the yeast come out of its coma with the priming sugar?

 

[nigelnorris]

I'd imagine that you're on a loser if it does because if the yeast gets going on the residual 1020 you're going to end up with hand grenades rather than beer bottles.

 

[BrewHouse]

Thanks Nigel, I am not risking bottles for that reason. In a PB it will self vent if it does really take off and the corny can also be vented if it really gets going again. The question is more to do with whether the yeast, that is obviously in a pretty poor state, is going to have enough ooomph left to get through a bit more priming sugar, or whether I should ditch the extra 4 litres and go straight to a corny.

 

[nigelnorris]

Thanks Nigel, I am not risking bottles for that reason. In a PB it will self vent if it does really take off and the corny can also be vented if it really gets going again. The question is more to do with whether the yeast, that is obviously in a pretty poor state, is going to have enough ooomph left to get through a bit more priming sugar, or whether I should ditch the extra 4 litres and go straight to a corny.

So sorry, I really should read posts properly. I'm surprised to hear that nothing at all will restart it, but I've never been in that position so at least I've learned something today.

 

[Fil]

have you double checked the hydrometer?? test it reads 1.000 or therabouts in cold water, washing in too hot water can weaken and loosen the glue holding the paper grade tube in place so a slight jar can shift it..

if so the transfer into the pb and a repitch of yeast is a last resort, and if successful will result in a much heavier deposit of sediment which could encroach on the pour/draw??

at this stage if you have a 2nd clean and sterile FV i would suggest decanting the brew into that with fresh yeast (hydrated in advance ) would be more preferable as if successful in the pb the extra sediment will both take longer to settle and be a constant pita when pouring ..

 

[Drunkula]

Gash Slugg on youtube dealt with a stuck ferment by taking off some of the wort and trying it with a small repitch to see if it would brew out. If it does then that's almost like a little starter you've got after and pitch it and the extra yeast back in.

A few articles said alcohol already in the brew isn't a great place for yeast to start and sometimes a large starter is needed to get it going again.

I had a stuck ferment that wouldn't restart after a repitch, multiple rousings but did after I aerated again - but I got mocked for saying that so it clearly doesn't work. :)

 

[Dutto]

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I had a stuck ferment that wouldn't restart after a repitch, multiple rousings but did after I aerated again - but I got mocked for saying that so it clearly doesn't work. :)

Not by me you didn't! I class a "stuck brew" as wort (as opposed to beer/lager) and aerate it accordingly. It works for me!

 

[BrewHouse]

Thanks guys,
I didn't aerate the wort again as I thought this was a big no no. I will try it if this ever happens again. Strangely, I was listening to a Podcast last night where a guy from one of the yeast companies actually said that it was a good idea to ALWAYS re-aerate the wort after 12-24 hours if you are doing a really big beer (8%+). I have never heard that before. Anyway, what's done is done.

Unfortunately I am away from home for most of this week and so had to get it sorted last night. I ended up racking into a PB with some priming sugar and will see what happens. I was aiming for 5.3 % ABV and will end up with closer to 4. It is obviously going to be sweeter than planned but was quite heavily hopped and so it may counter balance ok. I have a ton of piss head nephews who will drink anything without lumps in it and so this will be their 'special' brew.

What I have done, is bought some of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gas-Ball...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2648 It seems a good way of hooking up a PB to the CO2 cylinder.

LESSON LEARNT (Although probably not!)- Don't get pissed on a brew day. I did this brew with a neighbour and we cracked open a keg of 7% Chocolate Stout that had been in the keg for 6 months. It was soooo good. By the end of the session I didn't really know which way was up and so it is hardly surprising things didn't go quite according to plan.

 

[Dutto]

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LESSON LEARNT (Although probably not!)- Don't get pissed on a brew day. ............

..........

I don't drink on Brew Days until the wort has been cooled down and it's in the FV ready for the yeast to be pitched. But it took a scalded left foot to convince me that this was a good idea; and while I was at it, not to wear Crocs either!:thumb1:

 

[ericmark]

When I read up on stuck fermentation, it seems yeast can communicate with each other, so if the yeast detects bad conditions is closes down waiting for conditions to improve. So add new yeast and the old yeast tells the new yeast to shut down, if you transfer to a new fermenter removing as much sediment as possible you have removed most of the yeast, so then adding a reasonable quantity of fresh yeast will often work.

This means when you bottle you also leave dormant yeast behind, and the yeast in the brew could consider conditions are now favourable so could start up again. However really hit and miss, so as said you could end up with bombs, even with no priming sugar, I have only had ginger beer stick, all other brews may have slowed down but never stuck. I ended up binning the ginger beer.