Help! I think my fermenation is stuck.

On 10/14, I brewed an extract sweet stout kit from more beer. I was able to get an O.G. of 1.048, which according to there sheet its in the recommend range. I was only able to cool to 80° before pitching Safale 04. I did aerate the wort for 2 minutes with an oxygen tank. Fermentation, I would guess took off in about 12 hours. I did use a blow off tube. I fermented @ 68°

Today on 11/11, I checked the gravity for the first time. I was only able to get a reading of 1.021. Is the beer finished or do I need to kick-start the yeast again.

Recipe:
6lb light malt extract
1lb lactose
1lb black patent
12oz crystal 75L
2oz Cascade hops (bittering)

whirhfloc tablet ( which i totally forgot to add).


Also, do I need to cold crash this style of beer before I keg.

What's the sweet stout kit say the final gravity should be? How far are you off of that?

It says that the estimated ABV% should be 4.5%. When I calculated it I got 3.5%. Which makes me think that I'm about 10 points off.

The original gravity was 1.048 The estimated final gravity should be around 1.012. I only hit 1.021.

wish i could help. i am in the same situation. i did rehydrate and repitch however.

1.012 seems low with the lactose inclusion, it is unfermentable.

Same issue here with a autumn amber ale. Sat in primary for 2 weeks and stuck at 1.020 . I bottled it anyway but my ABV is going to be very low. Don't know what I did wrong. That was my first brew.

It is a common occurrence for all extract recipes to finish at 1.020 due to the less ferment able malt in the extract, especially darker extracts. If you take another reading in a couple days and its the same, it's done

The lactose is more likely your problem. I had a sweet stout finish up at 1.026. It had a higher OG but lactose certainly will add to your FG.

Would there be any harm in rousing the yeast and letting it sit another week.

odie313 said:

Would there be any harm in rousing the yeast and letting it sit another week.

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No harm at all, raise the temp a bit and rouse the yeast and give it some time to see if moves for you.

@Union, I said a common occurrence, not implying all extract recipes. A lot has to do with brewing practice: Use of starters, aeration, fermentation temperatures and of course the brand of extract being used will all influence the FG attained. Obviously if best practices are used the chances of the beer finishing properly are greater.

You are most likely done. With a pound of lactose in there it probably will not go any lower. Brew software always seems to overestimate how low a brew with lactose will go. I have had stouts with a pound of lactose finish higher than that.

If it stays there for a couple of days you are good.

duboman said:

No harm at all, raise the temp a bit and rouse the yeast and give it some time to see if moves for you.

@Union, I said a common occurrence, not implying all extract recipes. A lot has to do with brewing practice: Use of starters, aeration, fermentation temperatures and of course the brand of extract being used will all influence the FG attained. Obviously if best practices are used the chances of the beer finishing properly are greater.

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Yes,of course those things add into the equasion. I just don't get why it happens to so many so frequently? There's gotta be something common here,besides Cooper's ale yeast.

unionrdr said:

Yes,of course those things add into the equasion. I just don't get why it happens to so many so frequently? There's gotta be something common here,besides Cooper's ale yeast.

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IMO, and I'm no expert, I think all the above mentioned factors are in play as many reported problems are from new brewers that have not gotten a handle on their entire process.

In addition, it seems that recipes that have most ferment able as LME have more tendency then DME, especially darker extracts. It is difficult to know what percentages of specialty grains are incorporated.

In my reading and answering questions like this it appears that those that use light extracts and achieve color and flavor from steeping grain experience this problem less than those that use mostly extract. In addition, many don't do late additions meaning greater caramelization and possibly less ferment ability.

Just my 02, it's been several years since I've done an extract brew so take all this as nothing more than my unscientific opinion

My general experience has been that liquid malt extracts finish higher than dry malt extracts finish higher than all grain when you hold other variables constant.

For example, I just bottled what were designed to be identical partial mash (some dry extract) and all grain recipes -- the partial mash finished at 1.015 versus the all grain at 1.010.

unionrdr said:

Different actual mash remps could make that change just as easily.

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+1, beat me to it

In addition to all of the differences between extract manufacturers there are a few other variables that will definitely contribute.

Yeast strain, yeast viability (age/starter/etc...), pitching rate, and wort aeration will all play a bigger role.

In the OP's case, I suspect that it is the lactose.

Thanks for all the replies. I stopped by my local LHBS, which happens to be the Morebeer Riverside location and asked them. They said the same thing everyone else has said on here; its done. Since I did rouse they yeast, I was going to wait until Thursday or Friday to cold crash then transfer to a keg.