Home Brew Forums - Stuck fermentation, champagne yeast not helping

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Stuck fermentation, champagne yeast not helping

We brewed our St Bernardus Abt12 clone with a OG of 1.118, pitched with Wyeast Trappist High Gravity.
It stopped at 1.040 which is 10.2%ABV
I pitched a champagne yeast 4 or 5 days ago, and have seen no change. It's sitting in a 60* fermentation cabinet, but I believe that is an OK temp for champagne.

Any ideas?

What's the EXACT recipe? All grain? if so include your mash schedule, with exact temperatures. Also confirm you've calibrated your thermometer used during the mash.

Its possible you mashed too high and had less fermentable sugar than desired...leaving you stuck at 1.040 no matter what yeast you throw at it.

But that is just one possibility.

Code:



BeerSmith Recipe Printout - www.beersmith.com

Recipe: St Bernardus Abt 12

Brewer: Brandon

Asst Brewer: 

Style: Belgian Dark Strong Ale

TYPE: All Grain

Taste: (35.0) 



Recipe Specifications

--------------------------

Batch Size: 5.00 gal      

Boil Size: 6.41 gal

Estimated OG: 1.099 SG

Estimated Color: 62.7 SRM

Estimated IBU: 12.3 IBU

Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.0 %

Boil Time: 60 Minutes



Ingredients:

------------

Amount        Item                                      Type         % or IBU      

10.00 lb      Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM)             Grain        54.1 %        

3.00 lb       Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM)              Grain        16.2 %        

1.00 lb       Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM)                  Grain        5.4 %         

0.50 lb       Carafa III (525.0 SRM)                    Grain        2.7 %         

0.50 oz       Challenger [7.50%]  (60 min)              Hops         10.1 IBU      

0.25 oz       Styrian Goldings [5.40%]  (20 min)        Hops         2.2 IBU       

3.00 lb       Candi Sugar, Dark (275.0 SRM)             Sugar        16.2 %        

1.00 lb       Cane (Beet) Sugar (0.0 SRM)               Sugar        5.4 %         

1 Pkgs        Trappist High Gravity (Wyeast Labs #3787) Yeast-Wheat                





Mash Schedule: Temperature Mash, 2 Step, Medium Body

Total Grain Weight: 14.50 lb

----------------------------

Name               Description                         Step Temp     Step Time     

Protein Rest       Add 18.13 qt                           135.0 F       15 min        

Saccharification   Heat to 145.0 F                          154.0 F       35 min     

Saccharification   Heat to 165.0 F                          165.0 F       25 min        

Mash Out           Heat to 172.0 F                         172.0 F        5 min

All-Grain, Multiple rests with a RIMS Mash tun, Lots of candy sugar. I think there should still be plenty of fermentables

The recipe called for starting primary fermentation at 70* and slowly raise it up to 80*. Which we did. Then cold condition at 60* which is where it is sitting now.

When you add new yeast, you have to make a small starter and pitch it in high krausen phase.
Yeast are reluctant so eat partially digested wort (yuck!), you have to make them going.

I am currently looking for a clone recipe for this beer. Can you help direct me?

Sorry, the recipe wasn't showing up for me earlier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fl460 (Post 1027520)

I am currently looking for a clone recipe for this beer. Can you help direct me?

The recipe is posted above - 3rd post from the top.

You can try adding BEANO that will generally convert much of the unfermentable sugars

Pitching yeast directly into beer does not work. You have to build a starter.

You start with a small starter of some high-attenuating yeast like Cali Ale. Get about an 8 oz starter going. After it reaches krausen, add equal portions of fresh wort and your beer to it. After a day or so, add some fresh wort again but add double the amount of your beer to add you did before. Then wait a day and pitch the starter into your beer. Since the yeast are now somewhat adapted to your wort (and to alcohol) they should continue to ferment your beer and give you a higher attenuation.

Another option which has been discussed at length is to do a small batch of beer with a high attenuating yeast strain and just pitch the whole yeast cake or rack your beer onto the cake. The yeast will have just finished attenuating another wort so they will be ready to roll and will easily churn through 8-12 gravity points before going back to sleep.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saccharomyces (Post 1027991)

I'll probably pick up some Saison Yeast, and try one of these methods.
Thank you!