TwoWheeler

Recipes 

I recently brewed a Cranberry Braggot from the Sam Calagione book.

It fermented pretty vigorously, came down about halfway and stalled. I repitched, it came down a little more and stalled again, so I said "screw it" and kegged it.

(Sorry, my notes are home, so I don't remember OG and FG. Pretty sure I made a starter).

Initially, because I was unfamiliar with the temps that Pasteur Champagne yeast likes, I thought maybe I'd kept it too warm. (Brew Belt on the bucket).


A couple weeks ago, I brewed "Round the World Tripel" from the same book. I made a starter with one of the recommended yeasts (again, sorry, but my notes are home..). I didn't get a chance to brew when I wanted to, so my starter went dormant. I had a hard time getting the temp down and believe it was about 80 when I pitched the "sleeping" starter. I let it drop to room temp (62-68), intending to put the Brew Belt on after a couple of days (a la "Brew Like A Monk"). When there was no activity after a couple of days, I was afeared that either my dormant starter was no good, or I'd pitched too warm. I pitched a Wyeast Belgian High Gravity smack pack. It took off and fermented at a good clip for about a week, with the brew belt on.

I checked the gravity a couple of days ago, and it's still only 1.050 and it's 'spoda finish at 1.012.

First question: how do I jump start the beer and get it going again? (I hoped to be able to serve it at a party at the end of next month). Should I repitch? Make another starter? Pitch double?

Secondly the recipe listed OG as 1.090, but says after two days to add a pound of brown sugar. When I checked the OG after brewing, it WAS 1.090, so I didn't add the sugar. Some question about where the 1.090 was supposed to be - before the addition or after?

Third, and most important - WTH am I doing wrong? I've never had stuck fermentation before and here I have it, two batches in a row! I use smack pack yeast and make a starter - and use yeast nutrient (if I remember ).

I'm thinking my 1 pt starters are too small.

724b

Recipes 

How are you calculating the size of the starter? The calculator at mrmalty.com is a great resource.

If you have a lot of simple sugars that can stall out the yeast. You can add those over time after the more complex sugars have been fermented.

What about temp control? You can ramp up the temp a bit to keep the yeast active.

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TwoWheeler

Recipes 

For quick and dirty purposes, I used some online instructions. I never calculated the size. Somewhere since, I've read recommended starter sizes.http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html Here is the how-to, but no calculations.

Y'know, that might just be the difference between these two batches and my previous ones. The braggot had honey and the Tripel had a crapload of Chinese rock sugar.

Normally, I brew Belgian styles and use candi sugar, but they're usually a smaller part of the bill.

Hmmmmm.....

I have a heater belt on the fermenter.