Sometimes a stuck ferment is ...

SSBrew - 728
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.
david_42

david_42

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2005
Messages
25,581
Reaction score
196
Location
Oak Grove
just a stuck ferment!

Haven't brewed since April, due to the heat. Made a PM Brown Porter Saturday. I had a problem getting the mash temperature right as the grain had been in the freezer and I didn't allow time for it to warm up. Break was good, no boil problems. Hit the OG (1.052, TG 1.015) and got full conversion per iodine test (I don't normally test, but given the temperature problem). Pitched a packet of Windsor (AHS recommended Muntons), knowing it would leave me with a sweeter brew.

Hit 1.020 in 36 hours. Same-o at 72 hours. Roused the yeast, nada, no action at all. As a test, I put an enzyme tablet in the sample tube, added some Turbo yeast and warmed it to 80F. No change this morning, still 1.020.

So, I'll let it clear and keg it. Nothing wrong with a sweet porter.
 
I hear ya. I've learned to accept slightly higher FG's. My double IPA recently finished out around 1.040. I freaked out. I added dextrose and yeast in an attempt to kick-start it, but all it did was ferment out the dextrose and stop around 1.039. So I just let it sit for a good long time (88 days in secondary to be exact) while dryhopping and oaking it (not the whole time of course). I just bottled it yesterday, and my FG was 1.032 (OG was 1.094). Bad attenuation, but it could have been worse. See, you have the luxury of just saying "fu*k it" when you're kegging. But I've had more than a few batches finish high, sit there doing nothing for a month or more in carboy, then turning into gushers (or at least a little overcarb'd) once I get them into bottle. So I've become very anal retentive about FG.
 
david_42 said:
As a test, I put an enzyme tablet in the sample tube, added some Turbo yeast and warmed it to 80F. No change this morning, still 1.020.
Click to expand...

david_42, can you please explain this?
 
This is a technique for forcing the breakdown and fermentation of any complex malts that might remain in a brew. The enzyme tablet contains alpha amylase and other enzymes to de-branch the malts and cut them into the simple sugars yeast can process. The Turbo yeast is a distiller's yeast, but I used it just because I have a lot. Also, it works best at higher temperatures. Warming the tube should have accelerated the enzyme activity.

I only do this in a hydrometer tube, because if it works properly, everything is broken down and processed, leaving a very thin, low malt beer. Since nothing changed, there has to be some problem other than starch/sugar conversion. Maybe the protein break wasn't as good as it looked.

If a drop in gravity had occurred, I would have known that the ferment would eventually get close to the target, but it could take months. If I bottled, I would leave the batch in the clearing tank for two months to avoid bottle bombs. Since kegs have relief valves, it doesn't matter.
 
david_42 said:
This is a technique for forcing the breakdown and fermentation of any complex malts that might remain in a brew. The enzyme tablet contains alpha amylase and other enzymes to de-branch the malts and cut them into the simple sugars yeast can process. The Turbo yeast is a distiller's yeast, but I used it just because I have a lot. Also, it works best at higher temperatures. Warming the tube should have accelerated the enzyme activity.

I only do this in a hydrometer tube, because if it works properly, everything is broken down and processed, leaving a very thin, low malt beer. Since nothing changed, there has to be some problem other than starch/sugar conversion. Maybe the protein break wasn't as good as it looked.

If a drop in gravity had occurred, I would have known that the ferment would eventually get close to the target, but it could take months. If I bottled, I would leave the batch in the clearing tank for two months to avoid bottle bombs. Since kegs have relief valves, it doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Thanks for the answer. :)
 
In one of those events that makes homebrewing a true art; after five days of being stuck at 1.020 my Brown Porter dropped four points overnight. So, I'm at 1.016, which is good enough in my book.
 
david_42 said:
In one of those events that makes homebrewing a true art; after five days of being stuck at 1.020 my Brown Porter dropped four points overnight. So, I'm at 1.016, which is good enough in my book.
Click to expand...


What was the total time it was in the primary?
 

Similar threads

C
Stout/Porter hybrid fermented with Windsor hit 75 F by accident. Would this strip it if mouthfeel?
Replies
5
Views
1K
thunderaxe
thunderaxe
C
Stalled 1007 in Alt beer
Replies
19
Views
2K
balrog
balrog
N
Can't get fermentation started in Wickson crab apple juice
Replies
2
Views
840
Nick Z
N
M
Stuck kveik fermentation - should I bottle it?
Replies
22
Views
3K
DuncB
D
B
Pitched warm yeast starter into cold wort. Advice?
Replies
2
Views
855
Kickass
K
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top