Should I pitch more yeast

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smath

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I threw together a batch 2 weeks ago with some ingredients I had laying around. The airlock in the primary stopped bubbling after about a week and I racked it to secondary last night (13 days in primary). although the fermentation appeared to be complete, the SG was at 1.022 (OG was 1.050) and, when I tasted it, it had somewhat sweet, cidery taste to it. It certainly didn't taste like it was finished.

The airlock has been bubbling just a bit in the secondary and I'm wondering if the fermentation never completed in the primary. I have an extra packet of Nottingham in the fridge and am wondering if I should throw it in the secondary? Can this help or hurt in any way?

The recipe I brewed was as follows:

Batch Size: 5 Gallons
3.5 oz. Dextrine malt (Cara-Pils)
3 oz. American chocolate
6 lb. 6 oz. Light malt extract
1.0 oz. Glacier (7.4% AA, 60 min.)
.25 oz. Glacier (7.4% AA, 30 min.)
.25 oz. Glacier (7.4% AA, 15 min.)
1 packet Nottingham Yeast

OG: 1.050 Current SG: 1.022

Thanks!
 
I'd say if the airlock is still bubbling, and it still tastes sweet, it's probably still fermenting. I'd take hydrometer readings now and in a week and see if the gravity is still moving.
 
what kind of yeast? When did it start fermenting? Were there a low, high, post krausen stages? What temps are you fermenting at?
 
Again, I used 1 packet of Nottingham yeast and it started fermenting 14 days ago. :)

It fermented fine for about a week and then slowed considerably. Not sure about the krausen, as it was in a bucket with the lid on, but there as a ring of gunk above the beer level, indicating that there had been a krausen at least 2" high or so. The SG has held steady at ~1.020 for the last 3-4 days and the current bubbling is VERY slow. It's fermenting @ ~70F.
 
1.020 is rather high but I'm not sure I'd do anything but wait it out another week or 2.
 
A couple of tips for the next time. Take an hydrometer reading BEFORE you rack to secondary. If it's not finished, give your primary a gentle swirl to get the yeast going again.

Sometimes racking wakes the yeast up and will give you a few more points. I would leave it for a couple weeks without doing anything. OTOH, you have removed your beer from the yeast so you may have to re-pitch. It's not going to hurt but keep in mind that the clock starts over when you re-pitch.
 
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