When to give up on a brew?

[Grunaki]

A friend of mine has just been telling me that she started a homebrew beer batch back in January and it's still not at the right gravity to bottle.

I'm guessing that the yeast died... Other than that, is it still going to be good to drink now?

I told her she should keep it between 18-23C

Any other suggestions?

 

[BrewDan]

Wow that's a long time, how much is the gravity out by, if it's minimal and tastes ok, I'd just bottle it and be done with it. It could have just needed a gentle stir to get the yeast going again.

I assume its not all grain, and its a kit, if its all grain perhaps some non fermentable were extracted?

Could also pitch new yeast if its got a long way to go

 

[pittsy]

some 16 odd weeks in fv ? think i'd chuck it .

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

some 16 odd weeks in fv ? think i'd chuck it .

Me too......... :sick: :sick:

 

[BrewDan]

Without even trying it to see what it tastes like, seems a bit wasteful. I'd be tempted to give it a go, see what the result is, make notes and learn from it. But each to their own

 

[rpt]

She shouldn't chuck it without tasting it, although it is a very long time.

 

[fbsf]

What final gravity is she looking for? Some of the kits suggest not bottling until it reaches 1.006 or lower which unless you use nothing but the kit and brewing sugar isn't going to happen. Any Beer kit enhancer or Dry Malt Extract will give a higher final gravity as some of the sugars aren't fermentable and are left in the brew.

Anyway, in reality if it's been steady at 1.012 or lower for a week or so, it's ready to bottle. If it's higher than this, she may have a "stuck brew" which could have been resolved by giving it a good stir with a santised spoon or brewing paddle - but that should have been checked and done during the first week/fortnight.

If it's been in the FV since January, the chances are that either it will be oxidised, or the yeast would have started autolysing. Or both. Either way, it won't be a nice brew to drink.

I'd be binning this one and starting a new one for the sake of £15 and chalking it down to experience.