Stuck fermentation?

[drf]

I've got my first ever brew on the go. It's a Youngs Harvest Yorkshire Bitter Kit with DME as the sugar and S-O4 yeast. It's been in the FV for 8 days, with slow airlock activity for the last few days (a bubble every 5-10mins). I've taken the first hydro reading today and it's reading 1.018-1.020 which is higher than I was expecting. The kit reckons FG would be 1.000-1.006. I'd expect mine to be higher as I was using DME, but I am worried the fermentaiton has stuck. It doesn't taste particularly sweet, it has a little bit of a tang.

I'll be taking another gravity reading tomorrow obviously, but I'm wondering whether it's worth giving it a gentle stir today. The temperautre has never dropped below 18.5 or so, most of the time it's been 19-19.5. I was inititally intending to keg & bottle on Wedesday which would be day 11 but I'm worried now that if fermentation hasn't finished that I'll end up with exploding bottles!

Any advice?

 

[GazOC]

I'd leave it mate, sounds like its moving in the right direction!! :

 

[prolix]

I would never expect a beer to get as low as 1006 let alone 1000, mine finish about 1008 from 1040. But I suppose with sugar rather than malt, which has unfermentables in it.

Yours definately shouldn't have stopped that high unless you started very high. Give it a day or two and see whats what

 

[drf]

Hmmm,

I haven't noticed any further airlock activity since I've taken the hydro reading today. I'll have another look at it tomorrow evening and see if there's been any movement. Trouble is, due to holidays I can't really leave it more than another week and I don't think I'd want it more than 14days in the FV if it has gone as far as it's going to go.

The OG won't have been anything particularly high, though I was unable to test it.

If it's still reading the same tomorrow should I give it a stir and leave it a few more days, or is that risking oxidation at this stage?

 

[prolix]

if you need to shift it give it a gentle rouse now, no splashing. that should do something by tomorrow night.

 

[drf]

I realised a couple of hours ago that the lid of the FV wasn't fully clipped down after taking the hydro reading. Sealing it properly has started airlock activity again, so it must still be doing something. I'll see what the hydro says tomorrow night...