Strange fermentation.

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mattymatumbo

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I've searched the threads (and google for that matter) about my problem, but no luck. My Stout has been in the secondary fermenter for 5 days, and is a total of 10 days old. What is strange is that when I checked the gravity, it read normal. OG: 1.44 Current gravity: 1.10, which my recipe says is straight on. When I tasted the beer, it was sweet, like green apples, which I've read means it's too young. It only bubbled for about 4 days before the yeast slowed down to almost nothing. Anyone know what is going on/should I repitch my yeast?

This is only my second brew.
 
Hi,
if you're saying the o.g. was 1.044 and ended at 1.010 then your attenuation is 77% which is fine. The green apple is typically a flavor component related to a yeast by-product called acetaldehyde. There is no reason to add more yeast as the beer has been fermented. You may need to just give the beer some aging time to clean up some of the off flavors and mature a bit. Young beers tend to have a 'green' or 'green apple' quality to them that can be remedied with a little patience. Good luck
mark
www.backyardbrewer.blogspot.com
 
I'm sorry, but it sounds perfectly normal to me. If your current gravity is 1.010, it sounds like it is done, or just about done- you certainly do NOT need more yeast... they have done their job! Leave it alone for a couple more weeks to allow the yeast to clean up after themselves. I don't see anything out of the ordinary in your post.
 
So, just be patient? I'll rest it, currently at a stable 67-70 degrees F, I'll post back in a few weeks to let you know how it goes! So stoked for this.

Thanks guys!
 
Seriously Matty, nobody is being a smart ass just to be a smartass. But a few days is nothing. Some airlocks will continue to show activity for weeks... usually because it is either still fermenting or CO2 is coming out of solution or like the good Rev said, "the cats bumped against it," or simply because the barometric temperature changed. What Revvy and Ryush are basically saying is that the airlock is not a fermentation gauge... it is just an airlock. Heck, some people have the opposite problem where the airlock shows no activity yet the beer is completely fermented. The airlock's only purpose is to allow gas to escape, but not to let crap in... thats all, nothing else. Always go by your hydrometer to gauge fermentation... not airlocks, not krausen, not the color, just the hydrometer. But I understand you are new and you have the new brewer jitters, but really, your beer is going to fine 99% of the time. If its at 1.010, your beer is fine... now let it sit for a week or two before botting or kegging...no matter what the airlock is doing (well I suppose if it starts talking to you, then you may reconsider). Your beer will appreciate your patience and reward you with 5 fgalllons of goodness!
 
Thanks Big B, Tomorrow is the 2 week mark in the secondary, I used the spigot to get a little for a taste. It is still a little sweet, but the bitterness and malty-ness have come out. When i do the priming sugar in the bottles, will that get rid of the sweetness by reactivating the yeast?
 
Adding the priming sugar and getting a refermentation in the bottles won't necessarily get rid of any sweetness. But what you will find is that carbonation adds a dryness - which in itself, reduces sweetness. So the net result is usually a reduction in perceived sweetness. Leave that beer sit for another week and then bottle it. Your yeast may very well have done their job by now, but another week will be sure they have had a chance to clean up their mess before you bottle. Some beers will continue to be a little on the sweet side, but it really depends on your recipe. Not all stouts are dry, some are quite sweet, some are inbetween. Whatever you do, don't think that Guiness is what all stouts are supposed to taste like. Many don't taste anything like Guiness, but are stouts just the same.
 
Bottled and discovered that I can set my space heater to low and keep my closet between 70-72 degrees. Still sweet, to no one's surprise, however, Big B was right, the carbonation does help and I assume that refrigerating will help a lot too.
 
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