Newbie ? Is stuck fermentation beer drinkable?

Hello All,

New to homebrewing. This is my first post. This is my second batch of beer. It is a Belgian Trippel extract kit. My OG was 1.08 with a FG goal of 1.009 to 1.012. It seemed to be slow fermentation. Airlock didn't start bubbling until about the 5th day. I tried to keep the primary fermenter at about 70 degrees. After bubbling slowed considerably, I transferred to secondary. The bubbling slowed but kept going for about 3 weeks. I then took another gravity reading and it was down to 1.03. I started to worry and pitched more wyeast and stirred vigorously. The fermentation seemed to get started again and bubble really good for 3 days now it has almost stopped. I took another gravity reading today and it is down to 1.02 but airlock has all but stopped. I suspect I didn't get enough aeration from the beginning. My question is: Is the beer ruined or is it still drinkable if it is stuck at 1.02 and I go ahead and bottle it?

Thanks for the help. This forum is such a great resource.

Ken

Well, 1.020 is a little on the high end, but for a Trippel, it's not unheard of. I would say if you check the SG a few days in a row and it seems unchanged, you can probably move on to the conditioning phase. Posting the recipe might help other people give more definite advice, however.

Do NOT stir a beer once it has started fermenting. This increases the chances of oxydizing the beer giving it a cardboard taste.

Patience is the key here, stop worrying!

The FG on a Triple could be in the 1.008-1.020 range.

About your brew:

1. Your OG was 1.08 with a FG goal of 1.009 to 1.012.

2. IMO, your airlock didn't start bubbling until about the 5th day...this is called lag time...it is a result of NOT making a starter...next time make one a couple of days PRIOR to brewing anf this time will be eliminated.

3. Your primary temp was fine.

4. Before racking to the secondary you should take a hydrometer reading to see if your brew has attenuated approx 75%...(1.080/75%=1.020)

5. "I then took another gravity reading and it was down to 1.03"...your brew wasn't down low enough. You did not need to rack it yet.

6. "I took another gravity reading today and it is down to 1.02 but airlock has all but stopped. I suspect I didn't get enough aeration from the beginning" You are probably correct. By racking it you probably stirred up your yeast.

7. My question is: Is the beer ruined or is it still drinkable if it is stuck at 1.02 and I go ahead and bottle it? Let it sit another week or so to see if it drops anymore.

Probably will be very drinkable. I had a similar situation where I had a lot of unfermentables in my beer due to using a defective thermometer in my mash. Became one of my favorite beers. See thread below for details.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=16838

What yeast did you use? Temp can affect that depnding on the type of yeast...

Are you doing a temperature conversion for your SG too? Are you sure what you are using is accurate?

Fermentation WILL slow down and not be noticable by all the bubbling in the airlock, doesn't mean you should panic and dump in more yeast. Sometimes it is just working quietly. Big beers take longer. What I would have done was to let it sit in primary for about 10 days and then drop it into secondary for another 5 or more. Check the SG for three days in a row and if it doesn't change then it is done.

Also, if you didn't aerate your wort when you began, there may not have been enough oxygen for the yeast to work well.

So many things to think about!! Are you using a specific site for your calculating?

Would love to see what recipe you used....and what yeast

Ellie

Mikey said:

Do NOT stir a beer once it has started fermenting. This increases the chances of oxydizing the beer giving it a cardboard taste.

Patience is the key here, stop worrying!

Click to expand...

If it is a stuck fermentation, you have to do something to wake up the yeast. You'd probably be better off swirling it in the fermentor with the lid on, but stirring it probably didn't hurt any thing.

A batch I did had a problem with a stuck fermentation. I think I made the same mistake...didn't aerate enough. This became a problem when I bottled it, because no carbonation happened in the bottle. I tossed the whole batch. From then on, I aerate like crazy. If you're bottling, you might look into carbonation drops, but I've never used them before.

JnJ said:

If it is a stuck fermentation, you have to do something to wake up the yeast. You'd probably be better off swirling it in the fermentor with the lid on, but stirring it probably didn't hurt any thing.

Click to expand...

Disagree. Rousing the yeast is only required in extreme cases where all else fails and there is proof that the active yeast has flocculted to the point where the beer has dropped almost clear.

Adding more yeast, rousing the existing yeast, aerating after fermentation has started are all signs of 'impatient brewing' - similar to the 'shake the keg' crowd that can't wait a couple of days.

I have mental picture of a person standing in front of a microwave screaming '10 seconds? I DON'T HAVE 10 FRIGGIN' SECONDS TO WAIT!'

Read what I said, IF it is a stuck fermentation, no amount of patience will help it. You have to roust the yeast.