Fermentation lag with Secondary Sugar Addition

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

wiescins

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
232
Reaction score
5
Location
Chicago
3 days ago I added Cherry Juice and Maple Syrup to a Porter that is in a secondary and fermtation has been completed for weeks (details below) and have not yet seen signs of active fermentation. How long would you expect before signs of fermentation begin?

OG 1.083, FG 1.020
Wyeast 1056
Primary for 7wks
Barrrel for 11wks
Carboy for 7wks

Details of addition here (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/gravity-contribution-cherry-juice-366104/).
 
Normally I don't see any activity in the secondary from adding fruit or juice. The amount of sugar is much less than the first wort, and on top of that you have alcohol which will slow down the yeast, and there is likely no oxygen left at this point.

Check the gravity and you will probably find that it is back down to the same level before adding the juice.
 
WoodlandBrew said:
Normally I don't see any activity in the secondary from adding fruit or juice. The amount of sugar is much less than the first wort, and on top of that you have alcohol which will slow down the yeast, and there is likely no oxygen left at this point.

Check the gravity and you will probably find that it is back down to the same level before adding the juice.

So, does that mean its happening, but slowly and I will likely not have visible signs?
 
Thanks! I did start to see a slight krausen last night, 3 days after addition. I didn't take a gravity reading after adding the syrup & juice, didn't feel like sanitizing my thief (I know, I'm lazy). I'll check the gravity in ~3wks when I'm going to rack a Barleywine out of a barrel to see if it gets back to 1.020.
 
Back
Top