Running out of steam ..........?

[uk1]

First post! Greetings to you all!

I have been fermenting a batch of Muntons Premium Gold for around 6 days or so and keeping it at a constant 18 - 20 degrees. It seems to be running out of gas now but the hydrometer is showing around 1030'ish or so and I'm aiming for it to be below 1014. I've checked the hydrometer with plain water and it seems fine.

So what should I do now? Do I just wait and hope? Is it likely to reduce to a lower reading if I do nothing?

Any pointers appreciated.

Jeff

 

[ni9e]

Hi you could give it a gentle rousing(give a good stir) with a sanitised spoon it might be enough to kick off the yeast again :thumb:

 

[uk1]

Many thanks for such a speedy response.

Thinking of nothing more I could try, I've given it a stir and moved it to a slightly warmer temperature ie 20 - 21 to see if that kicks it.

 

[uk1]

.............. just an afterthought. If nothing happens in say 24 hours or so - is it worth adding some more yeast?

If so ..... how much and any special techniques?

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[ni9e]

Myself I would throw some more yeast in if nothing happens in 24hrs I would just sprinkle the new yeast packet on top give it half an hour then give it another gentle rousing taking care not to put any air in the wort.

Or you could make a yeast starter and put that in I'm not sure on how to make a starter but someone will let you know how to make one.

Hope this helps.

 

[tubby_shaw]

Unfortunately Muntons kits have a bit of a reputation for poor ferments
You could of course add another yeast and see if that works.
Another option is to use dry beer enzyme.
Or alternatively you could accept the high ish finishing gravity and put it down to experience

 

[uk1]

Many thanks.

If I decide to add yeast in another day or so - couple of questions.

Firstly, rightly or wrongly my approach would be as in bread making ie I'd add the yeast sachet to some warm'ish water with half a teaspoon of sugar and whisk it and let it forment for an hour or so before adding it to the beer. I'd give it a good stir. Is that the right approach?

Secondly - will the beer be reduced in quality because of this second attempt? Will the flavour be effected by the additional yeast?

Many thanks again.

Jeff

 

[tubby_shaw]

It completely depends upon the yeast :wha:
If there are instructions on the pack to make a starter then I would follow the instructions.
If not I would simply sprinkle onto the top of your beer and after 10mins stir it in.

The beer quality shouldn't be affected by adding a second yeast but be careful with your sanitation routine :thumb:
Once fermentation has finally finished leave the beer for a couple of days for the yeast to drop out of suspension and everything should be fine. :

 

[uk1]

Many thanks.

I'll report back to add to the knowledge base!

Jeff

 

[BrewStew]

i've found making a start from dried yeast actually lags more than just sprinkling it on the surface and stirring it later.

sprinkling it on top will be fine... you might get the best of both yeast's characteristics too :thumb:

 

[uk1]

Thanks. I'm not certain I'll get the best characterisitcs of both yeasts as they are both Munton's premium yeasts!

Hope it works - there's nothing worst than an aborted brew.

 

[BrewStew]

ah! i thought you used different yeasts... i must skim read more carefully!

it'll be fine :thumb:

 

[Parva]

From much reading all over, re-hydrating dried yeats is a really bad idea and detrimental to the dried yeasts health. Just chuck the dried yeast in. :) I use dried yeast exclusively and have never attempted to use a re-hydrated sample and have yet to see a problem. :)

 

[Frisp]

Try using a sachet of S-04 if you can get it in time. That little darling is incredibly keep to chomp on a wort. Never had one refuse to go work or lay down its little yeastie tools..

 

[uk1]

Added yeast overnight and it's gurggling happilly this morning. Thanks again.

 

[Aleman]

From much reading all over, re-hydrating dried yeats is a really bad idea and detrimental to the dried yeasts health. Just chuck the dried yeast in. :) I use dried yeast exclusively and have never attempted to use a re-hydrated sample and have yet to see a problem. :)

Then you haven't read enough! . . . . All dried yeast should be rehydrated before use . . . . Yes you can get away with chucking it in but it is not in any way close to best practice. . . . Can't reply too much got to go to work . . . will rant on further when I get home

 

[uk1]

To be frank ....... I'm new to beer making but an and obsessed experienced bread (and Pizza) maker. I'd NEVER simply add the yeast without hydrating first. It's a pointless risk. It could be a dud or old yeast or in a badly sealed pack. You'd not know this for a few days if you simply sprinkled and during that time the beer isn't imrpving in any way. Yeast also builds character. As a parallel - the whole thing about French bread is the poulish and Italian bread the bigga. That is a basic sour-dough yeast base. It's about a developed yeast. Simply hydrating yeast won't give it time to develop, but at least you'll know it's going to work without any downside I can think off. Rehydrating yeast CANNOT cause any harm to the yeast because that's all you are doing anyway if you sprinkle the yeast on the beer mix raw.

Bitter is called bitter for a reason and when I have some time I'm going to experiment with a naturally fermented yeast similar to a sour dough bread mix. In simple terms I'll add a few grains of yeast to a few tablespoons of malt mix and water and let it ferment for several days. If I have the courage I'll use that for a batch and see what happens. And then I'll use the yeast mix in future dividing it for each batch - if it works. But not today!

I think "simply sprinkling" is a way of the kit manufacturers taking a calculated risk whilst making the brewing process appear easier to encourage newbies. But the downside is an avoidable risk.

So I agree with you!

Thanks.

 

[BrewStew]

i agree with the rehydration, but not a full starter for dried yeasts...

i've tried all three methods with S04, no hydration (just chuck it in), hydration, and full starter... the full starter lagged everytime and i wouldn't get a visible ferment until well into the next day... rehydration always seems to be about the same time as just chucking it in... a reaction withing two to three hours.

never had problems with just chucking it in... i've got a system for using yeasts in the order of freshness to make sure a packet doesnt get left unused in the back of the cupboard.

good point about rehydrating to see if the yeast is good, but to be honest if it aint and you just chuck it in, adding another pack wont do any harm. you'll still have lost fermenting time either way through rehydration or not if the first packet fails though cos you'll have to wait for the second pack to get going if the first one fails.

something else just sprung to mind.... isn't dead yeast a good nutrient for live yeast?

 

[uk1]

I suspect that those that have never had a dud yeast will not see a reason to hydrate until they have their first dud one and believe the cause of their problems was the dud yeast. Some will not be able to work out to their own satisfaction whether it might have been a cleanliness issue or a yeast issue or some other unexplained woe. On the other hand, I also suspect that those that have identified a dud or dead yeast in the past might be more inclined to hydrate before adding.

I'm not aware of any plusses to adding dead yeast and I would have thought that there might only be potential downsides ie a greater and unplanned increase in yeasty taste, and if the yeast was dud because it was somehow contaminated then merely adding it spreads that contamination to the subsequent possibly previously good yeast. I don't see how a bad yeast can improve a brew or indeed anything.

All suggested as someone new to beer making but experienced with yeasts so just a personal opinion ................ :)

 

[BrewStew]

i've had duff yeast on the kits i used to do... what i learned from it was to buy and use a yeast (like S04) other than the one that comes in the box as the ones in the box doesn't tend to be fresh cos they are sat in a warehouse then shop for months. :thumb:

all valid points mate, i'm not knocking it!

rehydrating is the "correct" method... i just dont bother and have never had problems if i make sure i use the freshest yeast i can :thumb:

yeast nutrient is Di-amonium phospate and Autolysed yeast (broken yeast cells). an alternative is Marmite because it's basically the same stuff... some of what makes marmite comes from the fermenters of the Bass brewery in burton-on-trent ... i'm not sure of the process to break the yeast cells in a way that's nutritional to live yeast though, or whether that happens anyway when they die. Steve_Flack or Aleman might be the guys to answer that.