Newbie Stuck Fermentation

[Wilco535]

Hi all,

Newbie brewer here, doing one gallon BIAB and having a bit of a nightmare with my first brews fermentation. It's stuck at 1.030 despite re pitching and 3 weeks in the FV but I'll go through start to finish and hopefully someone can see where I've gone wrong.

So the brew is a pale ale that I adapted from a recipe, I mashed 720g of pale malt, 90g rye malt and 45g Munich malt for an hour at 67C in 3.5l of bottled water. First issue I found was maintaining the temp in a stock pot on the hob, I've since seen people flame out and cover with a blanket for insulation, I was turning the gas on and off so it was probably anywhere between 62 and 70

Next I did a minimal sparge with 4 more litres of bottled water that was heated to 70C.

I did an hour boil, not too vigorous, fairly gentle, which I had read was ideal. After 15 minutes I added 2.5 ish grams of cascade pellets, after 50 minutes 4.5g more cascade, then 5 minutes before end of boil I added 4.5g of Citra. I then lowered the temp to 80C and steeped 10g of Citra for 30 minutes. (At this point I thought maybe I'd used rather a lot of hops but that was kind of what I was going for).

I then chilled in an ice bath for 20 minutes and got it to 35C, at the time thinking that getting the beer into the FV asap in case of infection was more important than pitching the yeast at the optimum temperature I then put the beer in the FV, shook it to aerate for a few minutes then pitched a quarter of a pack of dry safale S-04. OG was spot on at 1.050 which the recipe suggested after my alterations on the beersmith app, my fg should end up at 1.013.

I think pitching at this temperature was potentially my biggest downfall?

After 3 days it seemed very little was going on, a bubble in the airlock every hour or so and no krausen. So I got nervous and pitched another quarter pack of dry S-04 and left it for a week and a half but did add 8g of Citra as per recipe at day 7. Then I tested it at 1.030, pitched some more dry yeast and left it for another week, praying the reading would drop.

Which brings me to last night, a week after the second re pitching, I took another sample to see how things are coming on and still 1.030

Having done a little research I took a fresh pack of S-04 and re-hydrated the yeast in some cooled boiled water at 35C, after about 15 minutes, added some sugar dissolved in cooled boiled water and that got things bubbling in the yeast, so I was confident it was alive, I then pitched this into the FV and after about 12 hours things are still looking quiet...

I am starting to think it is done and for whatever reason there aren't enough fermentables in the wort (possibly too high mash temps?). I just don't want to bottle it and get exploding bottles everywhere

If anyone has any tips I would be most appreciative

 

[Bertie Doe]

Hi Wilco and welcome aboard. When you took the sg at 1030, did you have a little taste ? Halfway through the ferment, I once turned a gallon of Southern Vineyards' Italian White - into vinegar.

 

[Wilco535]

Hi and thank you, I had a taste at the two week mark when it should have been finished, it tasted a bit sweet but otherwise was pretty good, bitter in a hoppy way and it has always smelt good when I open the fv, probably should have tried again yesterday but I was keen to get it measured, re pitch and seal it back up.

I'm kind of expecting it to be at 1.030 or not much lower anyway in a couple more weeks, would it be safe to bottle if that is the case?

 

[dad_of_jon]

If you decide to bottle use at least one plastic bottle as a carbotation tester - when it goes rock hard the beer has carbed. re: pitching temp - a lot of yeast is rehyderated at 30-35 so you'd not have killed the yeast off. high temp pitching would be more likely to give off flavours. I've never bottled above 1.022

I'd have thought your yeast might not be so viable, you can get the odd duff packet. try a more potent yeast to finish the beer off?

 

[dan125]

Does sound odd. I think the high pitching temp could have led to the yeast burning itself out too quickly before finishing the job but I'm surprised your 2nd & 3rd pitch didn't make a dent in gravity & like doj says you'd expect noticable off flavours from a very hot fermentation.
aunsure....
If you do bottle it might be a good idea to put it all in plastic bottles just in case.

 

[Dutto]

Welcome to The Forum!

I would NEVER bottle a beer with a SG of 1.030!

Any time that I am unsure as to whether or not a brew has fully fermented out, I stick it in a PB with a pressure relief system and with the minimum (as little as 2g per litre) of sugar.

Alternatively, I would check that my hydrometer was reading correctly and if it was then I would go into "stuck ferment" mode which, in my case, would involve:

• Ensuring that the wort was at 22*C.
• Lifting the lid on the FV and battering the wort with a paddle to re-aerate it.
• Adding a teaspoonful of Yeast Nutrient.
• Sprinkling in a sachet of Wilco Ale Years on to the surface of the wort.
• Shutting up the FV and leaving it for at least a week before checking the SG again.

Hope this helps.

 

[Wilco535]

Thanks guys for the responses, for the latest pitch I did buy another packet of S-04 just in case the first was a duff.

I think if I can't get the SG down any further I'd be tempted not to bottle, ditch the batch and try again. I will give it at least a week since the last pitching before checking the SG. I might get a different yeast to try to give it one last chance if there's no movement but I expect by that point with all the messing around while the beer is in the fv I might have other problems.

Thanks again for the responses

 

[Jakeyboi]

How are you testin your gravity? If your using a refactometer you need to convert it as it will give false readings due to the alcohol.

 

[Oneflewover]

Sounds like a lovely recipe, and like you can draw a lot of positives from your first attempt.

The stuck fermentation is a mystery to me though I'm afraid! I was wondering if your gravity reading was awry but you said it was sweet indicating unfermented sugars. Is the beer clearing / is there a layer of yeast at the bottom of the FV?

 

[Dutto]

If it doesn't smell like vinegar or very "musty" I don't never throw a brew away!

Just put it somewhere else (preferably somewhere cool and dark) and leave it for a month or so before taking the SG again.

If the SG hasn't moved then either:

1. It has fermented out.
2. Your Hydrometer is faulty.

Throw it away?

It may be the best brew you have ever made so just have some patience with it and check your gear!

 

[Wilco535]

How are you testin your gravity? If your using a refactometer you need to convert it as it will give false readings due to the alcohol.

I'm using a hydrometer

The stuck fermentation is a mystery to me though I'm afraid! I was wondering if your gravity reading was awry but you said it was sweet indicating unfermented sugars. Is the beer clearing / is there a layer of yeast at the bottom of the FV?

There is, about an inch thick

If the SG hasn't moved then either:

1. It has fermented out.
2. Your Hydrometer is faulty.

Throw it away?

It may be the best brew you have ever made so just have some patience with it and check your gear!

I guess if the SG doesn't move I'm just worried about bottles exploding so if it doesn't I could condition in some sanitized coke bottles with less priming sugar? And put them in a bucket with a lid...

 

[Wilco535]

Sounds like a lovely recipe, and like you can draw a lot of positives from your first attempt.

The stuck fermentation is a mystery to me though I'm afraid! I was wondering if your gravity reading was awry but you said it was sweet indicating unfermented sugars. Is the beer clearing / is there a layer of yeast at the bottom of the FV?

Regarding the clarity it's very hazy, that could have a lot to do with the amount of yeast that's been pitched but also all the hops went straight in the boil and for dry hopping, no hope socks, so that could also be contributing to it. Will probably need a cold crash before bottling to help it along but I was always expecting it to be hazy.

 

[Dutto]

The 25mm thick layer of trub at the bottom of the FV is a great sign that the brew has fermented properly. (Sometimes I can go the full two weeks without a bubble coming out of the Blow-Off Bottle and the only indication I get is a build-up of trub at the bottom of the FV.)

Bottling the brew in plastic coke bottles will be fine; but don't forget to sanitise them first.

May I also suggest that you run some water out of the cold-water tap in your home and then drop your hydrometer into it?

The water supply in Skegness is currently running at +/-20*C which is ideal for testing hydrometers. If your hydrometer isn't reading +/- 1.000 with tap water, then there is something wrong with it ...

... and if it is reading something like 1.020 then we know where the problem with your brew comes from!

Let us know how it goes!

 

[Martybhoy]

Is it possible that you mashed too high? That would impede a good fermentation.

Shaking the FV for aerating may not be enough. I used to do this, then I started using a paddle and stirring the hell out of the wort till I had a fair amount of foam. Got better ferments doing this.

I always go for as vigorous boil as my hob will allow. Not sure of the science behind this but it has always worked for me.

What temp did you ferment at?

With all the yeast you've thrown at it, I think all fermentables have been converted to alcohol.

 

[GerritT]

I'm.. just very interested in the outcome!

Mystified here!

 

[Wilco535]

Is it possible that you mashed too high? That would impede a good fermentation.

Shaking the FV for aerating may not be enough. I used to do this, then I started using a paddle and stirring the hell out of the wort till I had a fair amount of foam. Got better ferments doing this.

I always go for as vigorous boil as my hob will allow. Not sure of the science behind this but it has always worked for me.

What temp did you ferment at?

With all the yeast you've thrown at it, I think all fermentables have been converted to alcohol.

It is possible that the mash was a bit warm, I was turning the gas on and off to try and maintain the temperature and something I will be doing for my next brew is once I'm at the right temp, put the lid on, flame out and wrap with a blanket. I'm also thinking of getting hold of a small cooler to mash in instead of doing it in the kettle.

Will try a more vigorous boil next time, can't see how it would hurt.

Ferment temperature may have been a bit cold to start, I haven't got a stick on thermometer yet (on the list for the next brew) but I put the FV in a pan of water with a towel around it to wick the water up and help keep it cool. Since I re pitched I have just had it sat in the coolest room in the house which is probably no lower than 21C with the weather recently so not ideal as if fermentation was happening I imagine the beer would have been warmer than the room.

 

[Martybhoy]

The water and towel trick is quite effective.

Have you tried your hydrometer in water - should read 1.000. just in case it's not working?

Anyway, I'd be reluctant to bottle at 1.030.

Let us know how it goes, whatever you decide to do. And don't let a troublesome brew put you off

 

[Wilco535]

Going to test the hydrometer tonight, if it's all good, I'll wait another week and re test.. and hopefully bottle it up!

 

[Oneiroi]

If you’re doing small pan stovetop batches I have heard of people putting their mash in the oven to maintain temps, if it has a reliable thermostat at low temps anyway...

Sounds like a good overall process for your first brew though, don’t get disheartened by a few pitfalls along the way!


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[GerritT]

Build a tea cosy from reflective material. Shouldn't cost you more than 2º per hour.