Final Gravity 1.050?

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miller

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I brewed an Imperial Stout with an original gravity of 1.130. I pitched 2 dry yeast packets and fermenation stopped at 1.050. I added some yeast energizer and nothing happened, then I added a vial of white labs yeast. It's still at 1.050 and I don't know what to do. The recipe says it should get down to 1.021. Any suggestions?
 
That's brutally high. Try making a starter(1-2 liters) with some high alcohol tolerant yeast and repitching. I would recommend Notty, wlp001, or wlp099. There may be others that are better for the style. Anyone?
 
Is this all grain, partial mash, or extract? You may not have enough fermentation to get down your target gravity. In any case, your asking the yeast to do a lot even for a high gravity beer. Did your OG match what the book said?
 
When i brewed a russian imperial stout last year I had a stuck fermentation, i pitched a pack of wine yeast and got that bad boy started again. Check the temps and maybe even shake the carboy slightly to resuspend the yeast, my guess without seeing the recipe is that the yeast got stressed and are dormant.
 
If it really won't start again, Lalvin's EC-1118 (a wine yeast) is a beast of a yeast, and wouldn't surprise me if it was able to get it going again.
 
The temp's 70-75.
I did an extract.
The book said to add water until the O.G. was 1.104 but I stopped adding water at 5.25 gallons.
 
That's brutally high. Try making a starter(1-2 liters) with some high alcohol tolerant yeast and repitching. I would recommend Notty, wlp001, or wlp099. There may be others that are better for the style. Anyone?

I agree make a starter and repitch. If you don't make a starter, the new yeast sees all the alcohol in there and thinks the fermentation is finished and goes dormant.
 
The temp's 70-75.
I did an extract.
The book said to add water until the O.G. was 1.104 but I stopped adding water at 5.25 gallons.
This original recipe OG 1.104, FG 1.021 is made to finish at 10.5%ABV.

Your stout OG 1.130, FG 1.050 is at 10.5%ABV.

Honestly short of pitching a large active, alcohol tolerant yeast starter into your beer it probably won't go any lower, unless you pitch a wine yeast.

You could contemplate thinning it out.
Add 1.5 gallons of water, this would bring the OG to 1.101 and the FG to 1.039 and give you 8.12%ABV
 
Also, if you do get your beer down to 1.030 without diluting it you will be looking at a 13.1%ABV beer.
 
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