final gravity too high/BB RIS 1.030FG

BB RIS extract kit I used and followed all the directions.
http://www.brewersbestkits.com/pdf/1046_Russian_Imperial_Stout.pdf

brew date - Nov. 21, it's been in the primary for 9 days

OG - 1.080
FG - 1.030 and it should be 1.020

fermenter was kept in a dark room wrapped w/ a towel at about 65F and the temp did cycle a bit up to 70F, but not much more than a 5 degree fluctuation. I read that temps fluctuating can cause the yeast to not want to eat. I did have (what seemed to me) a pretty good fermentation. It started bubbling w/i 24 hours and went so good I had to put a blowoff tube on it.

Maybe just let it go another week since it's a high gravity beer?
Can I pitch more yeast and see if it finishes?

I'm kinda new at this and any tips would help. Also, it's my first high gravity beer so I may be trying to rush things a bit. Thanks in advance for and help
-Nick

Leave it alone for another week, then take another reading. 9 days is a little quick to rush to judgment. If it is still stuck at 1.030 in a week, you could add some alcohol tolerant yeast like WLP099 to dry and get it down a bit. Standard ale yeast won't do well in an aleady alcoholic environment.

As a friendly piece of advice, you are rushing things a bit. High gravity beers take time, and won't taste great right away. I brewed my RIS in July, and I'm not planning on drinking it for another few weeks.

If you want to turn around batches quickly, stick to standard gravity ales, be sure to pitch the correct amount of yeast, and ferment at the proper, controlled temperature.

what yeast did it come with and was it just 1 packet?

I pretty much expected and was hoping to here I was rushing it a bit. I'll check her in a week.
Thanks for the reply.

After the FG is w/i spec I plan on adding white oak spirals that have been soaking in crown Royal for 1 month when I rack over to the secondary. I will be aging this batch for a few months as well.

dcp27 said:

what yeast did it come with and was it just 1 packet?

Click to expand...

It came w/ one pack and I do not remember what it was. I guess I should have payed attention to that.

I aerated then pitched the yeast once it was 70F. I aerated using one of these and my cordless drill:
http://www.leftoverqueen.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/strawberry-mirror-cake_mixing.jpg

dcp27 said:

what yeast did it come with and was it just 1 packet?

Click to expand...

yes one packet and I don't remember what it was.

it was whatever was packaged w/ it. I am gonna do a search and see if I can figure that out.

edit: wrong info

can you delete a post?

Edit.

One packet of yeast for 1.080 isn't the end of the line (did it myself in the "early days" of last spring ) but it surely isn't optimal. I've been using MrMalty to calculate my pitches over the last few weeks, and now wish I'd begun doing it from the start.

Starters are really easy to do, require only a little foresight, and have really made a big difference in my process.

All that being said, my guess is you'll end up okay. RDWHAHB... all that.

Keep notes of every beer. Recipe, yeast, temps are the minimum that should be on the list. Without notes, it's tough to learn what went wrong, and tough to replicate a great beer.

That said, without any information on your recipe or process it is hard for us to tell if the beer is done, or if there should still be some mileage in the yeast.

If you used Windsor, you are probably done, That yeast is a low attenuator, and 62% is not unknown for it. If you used a high amount of speciality grains, that could also leave you with a high FG.

I let it sit a week and it's still stuck at 1.030. I re-pitched some Coopers Yeast (that's all I had on hand) and it has not even as much as bubbled once in 18 hours... I admit I really dropped the ball on this beer. I did horrible record keeping. Never again!!!

I did use specialty grains and steeped them for 5 min longer than the recipe said for. So this could be the reason?

Any ideas on how to get it down and if it doesn't drop should I just transfer over to the secondary at 1.030?

I know I must sound like a total idiot, but trust me I have learned from this big time. Thanks for reading and any reply's.

give it more time, pitching non-active yeast into a harsh environment isn't going to show quick results. generally its best to pitch an active culture of yeast (like a krausened starter) or rack onto a yeast cake to re-activate fermentation. just tossing in a pack results in a lot of dead yeast, plus coopers yeast kinda sucks in the first place. in the time being, you can ramp up the temp to around 70F and gently swirl the fermenter to rouse the yeast (try to minimize splashing, adding oxygen = bad)

if in a few more days it still doesnt show any improvement, you could try adding a tsp of amylase (most lhbs sell it).

also, steeping 5mins extra wouldnt change anything

thank you... I was told about the cooper yeast sucking... will not get that crap again. I got a yeast starter that I am gonna dump in there if this doesn't kick off soon. I did warm it up a bit to see if that would help too.

What is your opinion on ld carlson yeast energizer? I picked some up at the HBS and was wondering how much to add to the batch? It had directions for wine, but wasn't sure if that would be the same as beer...

Nothing wrong with Coopers and Munton's, but they are specialized for proper attenuation with a half malt/ half cane sugar beer. Not a good idea for an all-malt beer.

What yeast did you use to make the starter?

Fermentis Safale S-04