Stuck Golden Strong Ale

**Brew-boy** · 02-14-2008, 10:18 AM

I made a Golden 10 days ago which started off at 1.081 had really fresh yeast and made a 2000ml starter on my stir plate. I pumped O2 into the wort prior to pitching and fermentation was going in about 8 hours. My problems now it appears to be stuck at 1.027 and the recipe said it should finish really dry at 1.007 the simple sugar add was to get me this low. I used WLP570 yeast, should I pitch more 570 or would a Cal ale that I have on hand work without changing the flavor?

**DraconianHand** · 02-14-2008, 11:40 AM

Give it another 2 weeks. 10 days is pretty short for a large beer to reach FG.

I just racked a Belgian Strong Golden into a keg a couple days ago. I had really active fermentation for the first 1.5 weeks, then not much. After 3 weeks of sitting on the yeast it was 1.010.

brewt00l · 02-14-2008, 12:15 PM

What temp are you currently fermenting at?

**Catfish** · 02-14-2008, 12:15 PM

What temperature is it at? You can bump the temp up a bit a few degrees at this point without much risk of bad alcohols or unpleasant esters.

**cubbies** · 02-14-2008, 02:58 PM

A couple of things I would do is rouse the yeast. Belgian yeasts can be particularly "sticky" so I don't think that a simple tipping back and forth will do it. I would get a long spoon (or your mash paddle if you have one) make sure you sanitize it like crazy, and give the whole thing a stir.

Then, if you are on the lower end of the temp, I would bring it up a couple of degrees. get it into the 70's. My basement ambient temp is 68 and I had trouble with the 570 in there. I had to move it to the finished part (which is about 70) to get it to finish.

Then, wait. Like others said, big beers just take longer.

So, what I would do. Clean and sanitize a long spoon or mash paddle, open fermenter and give the whole thing a big stir; of course avoiding splashing. Then move the fermenter to a warmer spot in the house (if that is available) and give it at least another week before I checked it again.

**Brew-boy** · 02-14-2008, 03:58 PM

I ptiched at 64F and ramped it up 2 degrees each day until I hit 80F. This is Jamil Zainasheff recpie and procedure to this ale. I might try and rouse the yeast and see what happens.

inkslinger82 · 02-14-2008, 04:22 PM

by the way. I had the EXACT problem with that recipe....totally stuck at 1.028. I pitched at 65 and slowly brought up to 78. Still stuck. The guy at my LHBS told me try pitching some dry champagne yeast into it...did that and its been bubbling for over 3 weeks now. Not sure what to do with it...cuz its not changing all that much

**SenorWanderer** · 02-14-2008, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inkslinger82

by the way. I had the EXACT problem with that recipe....totally stuck at 1.028. I pitched at 65 and slowly brought up to 78. Still stuck. The guy at my LHBS told me try pitching some dry champagne yeast into it...did that and its been bubbling for over 3 weeks now. Not sure what to do with it...cuz its not changing all that much

i would seriously question all future advice you get from LHBS guy. yep, pitching some champagne yeast will sure as $h!t dry out your beer, but it will also ferment sugars that beer yeast can't and produce a flavor profile that doesn't exactly make it to belgian strong ale. are you brewing for a tasty belgian beer or to reach a specific number? think about that.

sirsloop · 02-14-2008, 08:05 PM

The yeast are certainly capable... I just had a WLP570 batch hit 80% attenuation on a 1.100 brew, extract no less.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cubbies

A couple of things I would do is rouse the yeast. Belgian yeasts can be particularly "sticky" so I don't think that a simple tipping back and forth will do it. I would get a long spoon (or your mash paddle if you have one) make sure you sanitize it like crazy, and give the whole thing a stir.

Then, if you are on the lower end of the temp, I would bring it up a couple of degrees. get it into the 70's. My basement ambient temp is 68 and I had trouble with the 570 in there. I had to move it to the finished part (which is about 70) to get it to finish.

Then, wait. Like others said, big beers just take longer.

Actually... Belgian yeast like WLP570 do not like to fall out of suspension. After a month in primary both batches I made recently with this yeast looked like chocolate milk. Stirring up the cake will do little because half of the yeast are already in the wort. Really the only thing that clears this beer is cold crashing and time.

The temperature and time thing I can agree with. I started out my batches cold, like 62-65° and let them go until I noticed slowing in the airlock. That happened after like 7 days. As soon as I noticed it slowing I moved the fermenter and brought it up to room temp... 75°. It probably took a few days to get there due to thermal mass, but the stuff then proceeded to bubble constantly for the next 2.5 weeks

**DraconianHand** · 02-14-2008, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirsloop

Actually... Belgian yeast like WLP570 do not like to fall out of suspension. After a month in primary both batches I made recently with this yeast looked like chocolate milk. Stirring up the cake will do little because half of the yeast are already in the wort. Really the only thing that clears this beer is cold crashing and time.

Wow, that puts my mind at ease. My BGSA was really cloudy when I kegged it...more cloudy than my Belgian Wit. I was hoping it would clear up after sitting in my freezer for a number of weeks.