Risks associated with pitching more yeast

Hi all,

I've got a stout that's been in the primary for three weeks now. It's been very quiet and slow, but there was a small krausen initially so I assumed it would finish ok.

Estimated OG was 1.052 which I hit, and estimated FG was around 1.016. I used wyeast's Irish Ale yeast without a starter (I know, I know). It's been sitting at 1.022 for over a week now. I've tried:

-rousing the yeast
-bringing the temp up to the low 70s for the last week

so I'm thinking about repitching. Besides the chance of contamination, what's the risk?

edit: Oh yeah, I'd be pitching a Nottingham packet.

john from dc said:

so I'm thinking about repitching. Besides the chance of contamination, what's the risk?

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Nothing, really, as long as you are pitching an appropriate yeast for the style, or a neutral one.

The only risk I can think of is that gross nottingham flavour you sometimes get. I'd try also adding a little bit more wort and/or yeast nutrient, to kick-start things a bit, get the yeast going, and increase the amount of fermentable sugars.

what does your grain bill look like, you might be done. If not, any yeast that is going to be added now will have a minimal impact in flavor in a stout, a lighter beer it would be more perceptable, but i dont' think you'll notice anythign in a stout.

Thanks for the input. It's from the Brewer's Best irish stout kit. Two cans dark Munton's extract, about a pound of crystal malt and a half pound of black patent/roasted barley mix.

It did have a small amount (maybe a half cup?) of malto-dextrin, which I understand raises final gravity, but I assumed it'd be factored into the estimated final gravity.

Judd, how much wort are we talking about? Would you add it to the hydrated Nottingham to step it up or just pour it all in?

Never mind. I'm looking at the recipe online and I had the estimated FG wrong. It's 17-20. I'm less worried now, I'll see where I'm at this weekend.

Thanks!

Judd said:

The only risk I can think of is that gross nottingham flavour you sometimes get

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Care to elaborate? Nottingham is one of the most popular dry yeasts among people here, and I think this is the first time I've ever seen anyone with anything bad to say about it.

I apologize if I seem too forward. I've used Nottingham on several occasions, with different recipes. It's always come out just fine, fermented quickly, and attenuated well. But it's also always had a very distinct taste that I can only describe as 'Nottingham-y' that I just don't get with liquid yeasts or other dry yeasts. If I had to describe the flavour, I would say that it tastes like yeast without any of the nice flavours that come from yeast.