help with stuck brown ale

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bacchusmj

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Im stuck at 1.021. Trying to get to 1.010 from 1.045. Cali Ale yeast pitched from a jar of washed yeast.

Im at 12 days from brew day and its been sitting at 1.021 for 6 days. Ive roused yeast, no dice. Im thinking its a yeast issue so Im gonna raise the temp to around 70 and add some more yeast.

Plan: Im gonna take another jar of washed yeast and make a mini starter. Then wait till high-krausen and pitch the starter. Is this a good/bad idea? is it gonna make and difference?
 
It may, it may not;) But it's a good plan.............

Extract or AG? Extract can finish at 1.020, it's a common problem. AG might be done if you mashed higher than you thought or used too many specialty grains in the grist.

It could be the yeast as well if it's been washed several times and has mutated.
 
It was all grain. I'm pretty sure it's a yeast viability issue but I'm starting to wonder if my thermometer isn't a degree or two off, bc I had this problem with a bitter I brewed 3 weeks ago.
 
bacchusmj said:
It was all grain. I'm pretty sure it's a yeast viability issue but I'm starting to wonder if my thermometer isn't a degree or two off, bc I had this problem with a bitter I brewed 3 weeks ago.
Most likely it's off and you're mashing higher than you think but if the yeast has been washed many times I'd also suggest starting fresh:)
 
so I got a starter going and i just shook up my brew and set it out in the garage at around 70 degrees. I figure after 65% attenuation I dont need to worry too much about off-flavors. Hopefully by tomorrow night I will be at high krausen and Ill pitch the new yeast and give it a few days.
 
Oxidized beer actually occurs (as I understand it) once alcohol has been created which is what the oxygen basically binds to; i.e. oxidized alcohol. Shaking a fermenting beer is rarely a good thing, but who cares?

Let us know if the shaking created the typical cardboard/paper characteristic.

What I was going to suggest was a sour brown because that's somewhat of a usual style of beer. I would have suggested pitching the dregs of a sour beer; maybe just brett, or a mix of brett and other bacteria. There are plenty of sugars (and yeast) left for them to work on. Of course, you'd want to like some sour beers before going all in.
 
Oxidized beer actually occurs (as I understand it) once alcohol has been created which is what the oxygen basically binds to; i.e. oxidized alcohol. Shaking a fermenting beer is rarely a good thing, but who cares?

Let us know if the shaking created the typical cardboard/paper characteristic.

What I was going to suggest was a sour brown because that's somewhat of a usual style of beer. I would have suggested pitching the dregs of a sour beer; maybe just brett, or a mix of brett and other bacteria. There are plenty of sugars (and yeast) left for them to work on. Of course, you'd want to like some sour beers before going all in.

All good points, but if the OP could get the fermentation started again, and take it from 1.020 to say 1.010, wouldn't it push some of the oxygen out?
 
All good points, but if the OP could get the fermentation started again, and take it from 1.020 to say 1.010, wouldn't it push some of the oxygen out?

I don't know. My understanding is that the oxygen BINDS to the alcohol therefore making it inaccessible to the yeast; granted, some oxygen which doesn't bind will still be available to the yeast. I think once you get the cardboard then you're stuck.
 
Oxygen is only desirable at the first pitch so the yeast can consume it to multiply, once the lag/growth phase is complete oxygen is no longer desirable and becomes detrimental. Do not add additional O2, simply rouse the yeast by agitating the vessel and raise the temp.
 
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