Stalled ferment?

I think something's up. I started my nut brown ale on Christmas Day. Used White labs british ale yeast with a vigorous starter. I put it into my secondary yesterday and it was sweet and low alcohol.

I don't use the hydrometer right, but it started with a 7 percent potential abv and ended up with it reading about 4 and a quarter. Less than 3 percent abv? I hope that makes sense, I used it, I just don't know how to get that gravity number by looking at the numbers on the Hydrometer. it was 70 degrees at the first check, but I didn't get the temp on my second check.

The house has been about 68-70, and I keep it by a window. For some reason, I forgot to keep a thermometer on top of my fermentor, like normal, so I don't know the fermenting temp.

It's in the secondary now, and I purposely stirred up the trub a bit when I transferred. So am I stalled? What should I do? Repitch? Move to warmer room? If it kicks in again, am I going to sorry it's in the secondary?

Please help! I'm trying to relax and have a homebrew, but this is stressing me out.

I assume you are getting no airlock activity? And you are reading the abv scale correctly.

According to my triple-scale hydrometer, a 7% potential abv is about 1.053, and a 4 would be about 1.030. It does seem like you were stuck. I'd try to pitch some dry yeast in there.

Do you think it will be OK in the secondary? I've got some ale yeast.

billybrew said:

Do you think it will be OK in the secondary? I've got some ale yeast.

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It'll be OK in the secondary...just be ready for a blowoff if necessary.

And now for something completely different...this BB season is sucking so far.

I've never watched a whole lot, except back when MJ was at the top of his game. but now that we've got the Hornets, I've got to say, I'm starting to get interested again.

Things are looking up. I repitched on Jan. 14, same day I moved to the secondary. I'm now at 1026. I need to get down to 1012 or 1013. Hopefully I'll make it. Still seems like it's moving slow, huh? Room temp is about 67-68 in the evening and weekends and 60 during the day and at night. I've got one of those programmable thermometers. So if this is affecting my ferment, do you think it's a bad thing, or can I just wait it out?

Cheyco said:

I assume you are getting no airlock activity? And you are reading the abv scale correctly.

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I think I am, I'm at least using the same measurement I used when I started.

billybrew said:

Things are looking up. I repitched on Jan. 14, same day I moved to the secondary. I'm now at 1026. I need to get down to 1012 or 1013. Hopefully I'll make it. Still seems like it's moving slow, huh? Room temp is about 67-68 in the evening and weekends and 60 during the day and at night. I've got one of those programmable thermometers. So if this is affecting my ferment, do you think it's a bad thing, or can I just wait it out?

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Wait it out.....Your temp sounds fine. You don't want it any warmer or cooler than what you have.

Rusty said:

Wait it out.....Your temp sounds fine. You don't want it any warmer or cooler than what you have.

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Hey, what part of Oklahoma?

Well, I've repitched, I've moved it off the floor and still stalled out. I'm off to the LHBS today to get some yeast energizer.

It's weird though, even though it's stalled it doesn't taste sweet anymore, actually it tastes pretty dang good.

OK, it's been like two weeks, I've added more yeast, but I'm afraid it was dead, it didn't foam up the water. It's at about seventy degrees and I added some yeast energizer. It's still right where it is. It should be at like 1016 but it's only at 1026. what's up? It tastes good but is weak. Should I try some more dry yeast?

IMHO you should just bottle that puppy without messing around any more...as much yeast as you've tossed in there, it just seems clear that it isn't going to ferment out any more. Just be ready to toss it all in the fridge if you start getting bombs, but my guess is that you won't.

Thanks El P. I was kind of thinking along those lines.