Stuck Fermentation Problem?

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RBelanger

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I brewed a 60min IPA clone 3 weeks ago and pitched only the vial of yeast into the wort. I know now that I should always make a starter and that most vials actually only have about 25% viable yeast.

The OG was 1.061 and after 3 weeks, the beer is sitting at 1.020. I tasted the sample and it tastes off. The beer fermented at 68F.

My questions are...
1. Is it too late to re-pitch yeast?
2. Will any off flavours that the stressed yeast produce settle out?

Thanks. I hope to deal with this problem asap
Cheers
 
RBelanger said:
I brewed a 60min IPA clone 3 weeks ago and pitched only the vial of yeast into the wort. I know now that I should always make a starter and that most vials actually only have about 25% viable yeast.

The OG was 1.061 and after 3 weeks, the beer is sitting at 1.020. I tasted the sample and it tastes off. The beer fermented at 68F.

My questions are...
1. Is it too late to re-pitch yeast?
2. Will any off flavours that the stressed yeast produce settle out?

Thanks. I hope to deal with this problem asap
Cheers

Extract or AG? What yeast? Primary or secondary? What off flavor are you detecting?

Answer these questions and fill in your process please for some help
 
AG with WLP041. Its in the primary and has been for 3 weeks today. There's no sign of infection. Still has approx 1cm of krausen on the top. The sample tasted like super young beer but it could of been the new hops that I've never used before that I was tasting. I assumed automatically that I was tasting off flavours from the yeast. Pitched the yeast at 70F and stored it at 68F.
 
I doubt anything bad has happened so far if everything you say is real. You could probably re-pitch with something to get it started again, Safale 05 is recommended as a neutral dry yeast for doing this as the original yeast will have already added its character and you'd want that to come through.
 
lol, everything I said so far is real. My hydrometer test at 2 weeks showed 1.020 so I swirled the carboy and raised the temp by 2 degrees. This has never happened to me before plus its the first time I've used a vial of yeast. The owner at the home brew shop told me to just dump it in....forget that! Im doing starters for everything from now on. The only things Im not sure about is if the yeast did get stressed and leave off flavours, will they age out? And if its too late to repitch? Thanks for the help.
 
More likely it just isn't finished and you're tasting the unfinished flavors. My saison tasted like sour milk the first time I tried it, and that settled out as it fermented further. You'll be fine. Any beer over 1.050 or so needs a starter, and all lagers. That's mostly everything except lighter beers, and nobody here seems to want to make a lighter beer.

It sounds like you have a good handle on what has happened so far. Not everyone does.
 
It's possible you are stuck at 1.020 because you mashed higher than you should have. A higher mash temp will result in a less fermentable wort. As for still having krause it could be that it just needs some additional time and may give you those last couple points you're looking for:)
 
Good point about the mashing temp. I just checked my brewing notes and I mashed in at 149 for 75 min...but I just realized that my final gravity is supposed to be 1.015. For some reason I thought it was 1.012

Is it worth pitching new yeast for those extra points!?!? That would take it to 4 weeks in the primary which is just a little too long for my liking.
 
RBelanger said:
Good point about the mashing temp. I just checked my brewing notes and I mashed in at 149 for 75 min...but I just realized that my final gravity is supposed to be 1.015. For some reason I thought it was 1.012

Is it worth pitching new yeast for those extra points!?!? That would take it to 4 weeks in the primary which is just a little too long for my liking.

The lower temp would actually make a more fermentable wort, IMO give the primary a gentle swirl and raise the temp a bit and see if you can get those last few points since there's still krausen.

BTW, are you sure your thermometer is properly calibrated:) nothing is worse than thinking temps are at one point then finding out they're not:(
 
Ok, I'll raise the temp a bit again and see what happens. I'll let you know how it turns out. Just curious though, what happens to the taste of the beer if it finishes..say 3 points higher than expected or than it turning out sweeter?

Since it was my first time using WLP041, I was hoping not to repitch because I would have to use US-05 and I wanted to wash and save the original yeast. Thanks for all the advise and tips.

Cheers
 
Check to make sure your thermometer is accurate. While you might have thought you were mashing at 149F, it could have been higher than that. That would result in a higher FG since you'll have less fermentable sugars in the wort.
 
How would you guys calibrate a thermometer? with another thermometer...or two? ....Or boiling water?
 
Just checked it in boiling water and it read 211.8-212F for a few minutes.

Depending on your location's altitude, that could be the correct temp. I would also check it against known accurate thermometers at different temperatures. It could have accuracy issues in the mash temp range.

Also, depending on how hard of a boil you have going, you could have an off reading. I've seen my thermometers read higher at harder boils (seen 214 at close enough to sea level to not matter).
 
Wow! I tip my hat to you guys! If I only knew half the stuff I learned from this website when I made my first batch of beer.....
Thanks
 
Just checked your elevation. At ~800 ft above sea level, I don't think you'll have any impact on the boil temperature. Still, I would check the thermometer at other known temperatures, or against one that you know is accurate.

Of course, depending on how you mash, and take your readings, you still could have had a higher mash temp.

With an OG of 1.061, as long as the yeast vial was fairly fresh, you should be ok for fermentation. Of course, without knowing how you oxygenate the wort, you could have hampered the yeast there too.

I've gotten into the habit of checking the mash tun temperature a few times during the mash (per hour). I use a thermometer with a pair of thermocouples that stay in the mash (the thermometer sits outside, with a digital display). This allows me to get a better idea of the temperature inside the mash tun without opening it up and letting out heat. The increased accuracy, and better method of getting a reading, has helped a good amount in reaching my desired FG. Of course, making a starter every time also helps. As does oxygenating the wort with pure O2. Things that make better beer, AND are easier on me... WINNING!!! :drunk::cross::D
 
Oxygenating the wort may have been my problem although I've oxygenated the same way for the past 25+ batches. Lol, I just wash and sanitize hands, cover the end of the carboy and shake the $hit outta it for quite a while, letting more air in periodically. I should invest in an O2 tanks.
 
RBelanger said:
I brewed a 60min IPA clone 3 weeks ago and pitched only the vial of yeast into the wort. I know now that I should always make a starter and that most vials actually only have about 25% viable yeast.

The OG was 1.061 and after 3 weeks, the beer is sitting at 1.020. I tasted the sample and it tastes off. The beer fermented at 68F.

My questions are...
1. Is it too late to re-pitch yeast?
2. Will any off flavours that the stressed yeast produce settle out?

Thanks. I hope to deal with this problem asap
Cheers

I waited 4 weeks and no carb...I opened all the bottles and poured them off in a keg...set the co2 and I'll give it a try on Friday. I considered re a lot of things but this was my solution. This beer was to big, to let go,
without a fight.
 
lk2bru2 said:
I waited 4 weeks and no carb...I opened all the bottles and poured them off in a keg...set the co2 and I'll give it a try on Friday. I considered re a lot of things but this was my solution. This beer was to big, to let go,
without a fight.

Hopefully you did not oxidize your beer by pouring it into keg, keep your fingers crossed that you were able to
Purge it out.
 
You could also add some Amylase Enzyme (1 tsp per 5 gallons). It is available at most homebrew stores and it'll kick up a stuck ferementation.
 
duboman said:
Hopefully you did not oxidize your beer by pouring it into keg, keep your fingers crossed that you were able to
Purge it out.

Slow pour we shall see
 
I host poker nights often and if I dont have a home brew ready to serve, I just pour a case of beer in a corny keg with the gas constantly at 5-10psi . I know its a waste of gas but I've never had a problem. Plus everyone loves pouring their own beer. Hopefully yours turns out!
 
lol, what do you mean "serious?". Its not often that I do that....but if I have a bottle condition beer and I'm not satisfied with the carbonation level, I pour it into a keg this way so that I reduce the risk of oxidizing the beer and everyone's happy.
 
Everybody seems to think this is such a bad idea, but I did it myself when my lager didn't carbonate in the bottle. It does NOT oxidize the beer, at least not enough to ruin it in the short time it'll take to finish it.

What's there to lose anyway? Here I had a batch that was undrinkable, and I ended up putting it into my keg and having a few friends over. It was gone over the weekend, and everyone thought it was the best beer they ever had, myself included. I have a batch of stout right now in the same condition, but stout is a little tougher because you don't want it heavily carbonated and it's better with Nitro.
 
Anyways...Just took a hydrometer reading after another week ( 4 weeks after pitching yeast) and it read 1.012 which is a little lower than I expected but it better than 1.020. It's the first time I had to warm a batch up and it did wonders. Thanks for all the help guys. Im glad I didnt have to repitch. Secondary tomorrow for dry hopping :)

Do you guys think that leaving it in the primary for 4 weeks on the cold side will affect the flavour??
 
IPA a hit! Still has low carbonation after a week of co2. Gets better every day.
 
lol, what do you mean "serious?". Its not often that I do that....but if I have a bottle condition beer and I'm not satisfied with the carbonation level, I pour it into a keg this way so that I reduce the risk of oxidizing the beer and everyone's happy.

Sorry, I had the impression you poured commercial beer (i.e., bud) into the keg, then served it as your homebrew.

I don't think it's a bad idea at all for bottled homebrew that didn't carbonate. Might do that myself some day. If served soon, oxidation shouldn't be a problem.
 
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