i never get to finish

seems like this has been a consistent problem since i started brewing. i have used different recipes, different yeasts, sometimes in the basement, sometimes in a 2 stage controlled fermentation fridge. i always end up right around 1.020 on all my beers.

i have made a pale ale, porters, stouts, hefes, dunkels, all consistently end up at 1.020. some are there in a week and a half, others i have left in the primary for 4-5 weeks and still the same final. i had one that went to 1.018, otherwise they are all 1.020-1.021. and yes i have checked my hydrometer against regular water. and actually i have used two different hydros too. any idea what might cause this? seems weird to me. i guess they are pretty good, so i'm not overly concerned, but there has to be a cause. theroies anyone?

You're doing extract brewing right? There's what is known as the 1.020 curse, where a lot of extract batches tend to peter out at that point. Making sure you have put in plenty of oxygen and yeast on brew day helps. But some beer seem to stick regardless. A lot of that I think has to do with wort caramelization, where both the process of making and boiling the extract produces or converts some of the sugars into unfermentable ones.

That's what she said Sorry had to do it.

Rev,

i had read on that with extracts on here, and i figured that was it. but i went to all grain about 6 batches ago, and its been the same thing. i just did an all grain stout, took a sample last night, guess what. 1.020. so i'm thinking its gotta be in my process somewhere, but i can't figure out where. as soon i get my dunkel kegged tonight or tomorrow i will have another ag batch to check, but i'm expecting the same thing there. like i said, it tastes good to me, but if i try to do a little drier fizzier beer for the wife's family i might want it to finish a little lower.


and mitchar, i've heard it from her too before. guess i should've told her to RDWHAHB

techrunner said:

Rev,

i had read on that with extracts on here, and i figured that was it. but i went to all grain about 6 batches ago, and its been the same thing. i just did an all grain stout, took a sample last night, guess what. 1.020. so i'm thinking its gotta be in my process somewhere, but i can't figure out where. as soon i get my dunkel kegged tonight or tomorrow i will have another ag batch to check, but i'm expecting the same thing there. like i said, it tastes good to me, but if i try to do a little drier fizzier beer for the wife's family i might want it to finish a little lower.

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Need to look at your mash temps, seems like you're creating some unfermentable sugars.

I had this problem, and I traced it back to two things.
1. I wasn't aerating the wort well before pitching the yeast
2. My mash temps were on the high side 158-160.

Since I've made a few beers, mashed at 152-155 and all aerated well. They've all attenuated nicely.

Are you using a refractometer?

Disregard that...I see now that he uses a hydrometer...

Brickwalker said:

I had this problem, and I traced it back to two things.
1. I wasn't aerating the wort well before pitching the yeast
2. My mash temps were on the high side 158-160.

Since I've made a few beers, mashed at 152-155 and all aerated well. They've all attenuated nicely.

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I will add to that and say that if you're trying to control your ferment and your temps are going too high, cooling the beer down to the temp you want will make the yeast susceptible to just dropping out instead of finishing out the last few gravity points. It's better to let yeast gradually rise all the way to the ferment then to swing back and forth. Just another possibility.

Make sure you pitch enough yeast. Conspicuous by its absence in your original post is any discussion of specific strains, pitching rate, etc. As others have noted, mash temperature and wort aeration could be issues as well.

If you answer these five questions, we will be able to pinpoint your problem:

(1) What strain(s) are you using?

(2) What is your pitching rate and temperature?

(3) What is your process for aerating your wort?

(4) What are your mash temperatures?

(5) What is your fermentation temperature?

mitchar19 said:

That's what she said Sorry had to do it.

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It is the first thing I thought when i saw the title:fro:

brickwalker: sounds like a possibility there. my mash temps are usually around 152-154, however i have noticed that when i go out to stir some times the temp reading rises, leading me to believe that parts of the mash are definitely warmer at various times during the mash.

also i dont have a aeration system yet. i have been reading up on that a little lately and thinking thats my next purchase. might have a reason to go get that sooner now and see if that helps this issue.

osagedr: i have used mostly white labs yeast, irish ale, american ale, american hefe, a few others. also used us-05 a couple times with the same FG.

pitching rate i usually do a 1L starter with the vials, and swirl it every time i walk by it.

aerating process is minimal, so theres room to improve there for sure. tie to get an oxygen setup.

mash temps as stated above. probably the actual temp is too high a little.

fermentation temps are generally around 65F. i dont have a fermentation fridge anymore as i moved, so they are more variable now that i am just cooling with the wet t shirt method. i would still say below 70 though.

thanks for all the input guys. i have a little direction now to improve my process. i think the next purchase will be a stone and an oxygen tank and we will see what difference that makes and go from there.

I had a batch of Dunkelweizen (extract) I brewed about five weeks ago. Finally got around to yanking it out and bottling and my FG was 1.020. Now this was the first time this had happened to me out of four extract brews but I distinctly remember being tired and rushed when I oxygenated the wort and did a really crappy job of it. All my other processes remained pretty consistent.

Failure to properly oxygenate the wort prior to pitching definitely seems to be a major suspect.

If you want a cheap aeration system, pick up a cheap wire basket strainer. After you chill and whirlpool, just pour your pot through the strainer into your bucket. It aerates like nuts (think kitchen faucet aerator), and it's cheap and easy. Just stop pouring when you see the beginnings of trub heading towards your bucket.

Ramitt said:

It is the first thing I thought when i saw the title:fro:

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you and the rest of us!!




OP, could be that the lack of aeration causes the yeast to peeter out early. try rousing and warming the fermenter a bit, that may help. proper aeration is crucial to yeast health and really helps out when it comes to dropping the last few gravity points when the yeast are getting tired.

Check your thermometer too. It is more common than you think for them to be off by 4-6 degrees. I had a problem over 3-4 batches a year ago and was doing everything else correctly and tracked it down to my thermometer being off.

MachineShopBrewing said:

Check your thermometer too. It is more common than you think for them to be off by 4-6 degrees.

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Me too. Mine is off by 3 degrees (reads low, so I was mashing high).

Also try using some yeast nutrient if you aren't already. I've always used it in starters and in the last 15 minutes of the boil (I think I have a tube of the WYeast stuff). I usually have the opposite problem as yours, some of my brews end up to dry. Never been too high.

For the OP you did not mention anything about pitching rates or starters. My first two starters were OK (ie if helped fix my problems a bit) but my revelation came when I starting making my own yeast from slants. Since then I have more trouble getting my yeast to stop rather than go?!?

Clem

i do a 1 L starter for almost every batch. only exception was that i tried just washed yeast once and skipped that starter. i usually didn't mess with much aeration other than when i transfer to the fermenter just splashing around a bit. so i will probably get an oxygen stone and see if thats the fix. have been reading up on that and olive oil as options to accomplish the same effect. just considering if i really want to go to the olive oil or not. thanks for all the input. the collective experience here is most appreciated.

I'm not sure I understand why your starter volume is the same every time. The amount of starter prepared should be based on your OG and yeast viability. I would recommend calculating your pitch rate and I would also recommend a stir plate, which will increase cell count and reduce the volume of starter needed.

I'll also recommend checking your thermometer. I ended up being a thermapen just so I'd have at least one thermometer in the house that I can trust.


-- edit -------
being = getting.

mjohnson said:

I'll also recommend checking your thermometer. I ended up being a thermapen just so I'd have at least one thermometer in the house that I can trust.

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Did it hurt when you became a thermapen? I've been thinking about undergoing the transformation myself



To the OP, I have found that I have a hard time getting my beers to fully ferment out if I mash anywhere about 155, something that is very easy to do if your thermometer is reading a few degrees low. If you are using a good yeast like s-05 and mashing sub 152 even with minimal aeration it should be dropping it down to at least 1.015. I would say check the thermo for sure.

ahurd110 said:

Did it hurt when you became a thermapen? I've been thinking about undergoing the transformation myself

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You know, it was tough at first, but you get used to it. It helps to have a supportive family.

lol. good catch.