WYEAST 1968 floccing out super early?

A couple weeks ago I brewed an English IPA with an OG of 1.085 and pitched a 2.5ish liter starter that was periodically shaken. This is -slightly- under pitching but after 3 weeks in primary I feel like it should be doing better than 1.030. I have already roused the yeast once and raised the temp to 73F which got me 2 gravity points. It was a 10 gallon batch (I had 2 starters of equal size, for simplicity sake im talking about an individual fermenter.)


30 pounds golden promise
2 pounds C/C 40L
1 pound Munich

We mashed at 152-153 for 75 minutes and fly sparged for an hour.

Used Ek goldings, northdown, target, and brewers gold hops.

In an attempt to save it a brewmaster friend of mine suggested I pitch some well hydrated Nottingham, which I did, and is where I am at now. 64% attenuation and an angry homebrewer.

Has anyone else had something strange happen like this with 1968?

Wyeast 1968 attenuation it´s 67% - 71% so you are not very away of what it supouse to do... it´s a strain that will give you a sweeter beer, also is a very flocculant strain. For most of my ipa I use a little sugar in the boilto help it dry it out. At the most you can get 5 points less than that to a 71% att. If you wat to dried it pitch the notti it´s a very different yeast strain that ferments dry.

I use this yeast strain almost exlusivly, the trick is to double the pitching rate of a normal batch as it tends to floc like a ton of bricks.with a beer of that gravity a yeast cake would have probably done the trick.I always over-pitch with that strain and usually end up with about 75%attenuation.

Well I have Nottingham in both of them now and have noticed some activity return to the airlock. I never like to bottle a beer with a gravity over 20 unless its a sweet stout or RIS or something...

You could try amylase as a last resort. I've had good luck with a teaspoon or so of that in a batch that didn't ferment out to my expectations.

I use WLP002 (which is supposed to be the same as 1968) all the time and have found that with my process I typically get around 63-68% attenuation at 153-154 mash temp, 68-75% at 150-152 mash temp, and 75-85% if I go 149 or lower mash temp. I think I'd let the Notty shave off a some points and call it good. I have not had good experience with amylase, the two times I tried it the beers were way dryer than I wanted.

With that grain bill and those mash temps (assuming thermometer is OK) there is no way you need amylase. 1.085 is on the high side for WY1968 as you are finding out. WLP007 would have been a better choice. Give the Nottingham some time. Don't be afraid to give it a couple of weeks. Gently rouse it a few times a day and I think you will get it down to an acceptable level.

Poobah58 said:

With that grain bill and those mash temps (assuming thermometer is OK) there is no way you need amylase. 1.085 is on the high side for WY1968 as you are finding out. WLP007 would have been a better choice. Give the Nottingham some time. Don't be afraid to give it a couple of weeks. Gently rouse it a few times a day and I think you will get it down to an acceptable level.

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I would say 002/1968 would have been a fine choice with a lower sach rest temp, say 149. Wouldnt hurt to do a longer mash either.

I've only used 1968 twice, but both times were about the same mash temp you used and I got 78-80% attenuation. wasn't as big of batches tho (1.056 and 1.069). id check your themometer