Slow fermentation????

For my 4th brew I tried an extract Dogfish Head 60 clone. My OG was a little high 1.078 and I only pitched 1 pack of Wyeast 1056. It's been consistantly bubbling about every 10 seconds for 10 days. I checked the gravity tonight and it was only down to 1.038. Should I add more yeast or just sit back and give it more time on its own?

Are you saying it's stopped at 1.038? Or is it still bubbling away? In my opinion, every 10 seconds isn't all that slow (assuming you're using the 3-piece lock... I've no experience with the other kind).

Just let it keep going, It will take a while to ferment out that gravity. What is your temp?

By slow I mean 10 days and nowhere close to FG. Temp has been 66-68. My previous OGs were in the mid to upper 1.05s and didn't know what to expect with this one.

It takes as long as it takes.

Thanks for the reassurance Dave. This one has definitely been working longer than my previous ones. Checked it again today and its down to 1.026, so its still doing its thang. I'll try to ignore it for a few more days and see where we're at then!

I'd definately make a starter in the future for a beer that big.

Ooompa Loompa said:

I'd definately make a starter in the future for a beer that big.

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+1 for willy wonka starters are great, and do wonders for your lag time/ferment time.

Starter=good. Pick up a pound of light DME with your next ingredient order, and keep it on hand to make starters. I just had a batch ferment out to 82% attenuation in under 48 hours and I owe a lot of that to pitching a starter.

On the other hand, I've had big beers that didn't get the starter treatment and might not have been oxygenated optimally that did exactly what you are describing... the gravity would tick down like 1-2 points a day at best, and it took almost 4 weeks to get close to FG.

My current batch started at 1.060 and is down to 1.018 after 7 days. This isn't as slow as yours, but it is still going. I made a starter. I figure 2 weeks on this should be good. It'll depend on what I'm doing in the evening next week when/if its ready. I've been using 1/4 cup of LME taken from the kit I'm making for the starter, and pitching the whole thing.

I was wondering the same thing, I have a few that didn't finish as I had wished but there was no more activity at all. I do yeast stater's and most of the time I hit my FG pretty dang close.

This last time, no so much.

SG = 1054
FG = 1026 (should have been a 1015ish).

I think the issue is temp control as the room or Shower I ferment in has been dropping down in about 64° at night and 70° during the day. I don't have a way to control the temp yet, but I am working on it.

any advice?

Set your carboy in a cooler and/or wrap it in a blanket. That should eliminate any concerns of temperature swings throughout the day. 64-70 is fine for most ale yeasts so if you can keep it somewhere in that range you'll be fine.

Other things that can help with rate of fermentation and overall attenuation are yeast nutrition, and oxygen availability at the beginning of fermentation. Aerate thoroughly after you chill your wort and before you pitch your yeast. If you can, continue to aerate after you pitch the yeast periodically up until the point when the krauesen starts to develop. Adding yeast nutrients toward the end of the boil can be beneficial in many cases. Wyeast smack packs already contain some supplemental yeast nutrients, but I add some extra anyway. I'm a fan of cheap insurance.

Also make sure your wort is an appropriate temperature when you pitch your yeast! This may seem trivial but some people overlook it after a few successful batches, and then they inadvertently pitch into wort that is too warm or cool. This makes the yeast struggle to get started, and in more extreme cases kills off large numbers of yeast cells right off the bat, undoing the benefits of using a starter.

Thanks for the suggestions, I will give that a try.

Thanks

+1 for a starter..last 2 batches I did had OG 1.06 and 1.055..FG 1.015 and 1.012 in less than 48 hrs..

I usually have active fermentation in 12 to 24 hrs and done in another 48. This was a bigger beer as well, DFH is a nice beer it should age for a few months with such a high OG. I leave in primary 10 to 14 days after I reach my FG..than secondary to crash cool for 7 days and keg.

Jay

Thanks for the advice. Starters from now on!