should I repitch or am I ok

I just did a brown ale, the recipe called for an og of 1.070 i was at 1.065 the fg called for 1.015 I am at 1.019 the recipe also called for ringwood ale yeast, I could not get that and used white laps english ale yeast 002. It has been in the primary for 10 days with the gravity stable at 3 straight days. it does taste a tad sweet. Should I get some dry yeast and pitch or will it be ok.....also the recipe was for a full boil I can only handle 3.5 gallons, I did make hop adjustments.

I don't know what temperature you are fermenting at, but bringing it to about 70 for a couple of days might rouse your yeast enough to drop a couple more points. Also, gently swirling the fermenter has helped me in the past.

Reelale said:

I don't know what temperature you are fermenting at, but bringing it to about 70 for a couple of days might rouse your yeast enough to drop a couple more points. Also, gently swirling the fermenter has helped me in the past.

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it was between 68 and 70

I would try to rouse the yeast by swirling, English ale yeast sometimes like to cling to the sides. Another week or two in the primary will help your beer anyway, even an English ale. Can't help you on the re-pitching, never had to do it.

Reelale said:

I don't know what temperature you are fermenting at, but bringing it to about 70 for a couple of days might rouse your yeast enough to drop a couple more points. Also, gently swirling the fermenter has helped me in the past.

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I am a beginner and ran into a similar situation a few weeks ago. I was storing the carboy in my basement, which at the time was high 50's when I pitched my yeast. I moved it up after about a day and didn't notice any activity, so I made a yeast culture using some corn sugar (supposedly a big no-no) and poured it in. It really took off after that. I sampled the brew a few days ago and it tastes great!

For my next batch, I again prepared another culture, this time with DME. I prepared the culture in the morning and then pitched it sometime in the late afternoon when my wort was ready. Fermentation appeared to start almost instantly and was in full swing 8-10 hrs later.

The nice thing about creating a culture is you know your yeast is good before you pitch it. Don't worry about adding the extra pack of yeast. It won't make a difference in the final flavor.

WLP002 is not a high attenuating yeast (63 - 70%). From 1.065 to 1.019 is 70% attenuation, which is at the upper limit if what White Labs say for that yeast. You may be able to get the gravity down a few more points by rousing (stirring gently to remix the yeast, and keeping the temperature in the 68 - 70 range). I've never had any luck with repitching after fermentation has gotten that far, but I've only tried it a couple times. I'd try rousing, and if that doesn't work, then go with what you've got.
FWIW, every time I use WLP002 (which is often), it has always taken longer than 10 days to completely finish. I always leave it for at least 20 days, and only very occasionally do I have to rouse it.

-a.

Reelale said:

I would try to rouse the yeast by swirling, English ale yeast sometimes like to cling to the sides. Another week or two in the primary will help your beer anyway, even an English ale. Can't help you on the re-pitching, never had to do it.

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Ditto. You could repitch but you probably don't need to. Just give the fermenter a few good swirls to get the yeast off the bottom, Be careful not to get too much air in it, though.

I would say that 1.019 isn't too high. It'll still be a good beer. If I'm in the 1.020s after a couple weeks and know it wont go down anymore, I'll throw in a little of this: http://www.austinhomebrew.com/produ...d=447&osCsid=8b3adadf031eae09e01f494784336afc

You don't need to stir or anything. Just sprinkle it in. Fermentation will kick up again and a few days later you'll be in lower 1.10s. I've heard people say that you shouldn't do this because it will affect the flavor, but I've been extremely happy with the batches I've used it with.

But at 1.019, I'd just leave it in the primary for another week, then secondary for a couple weeks. Allow it to clear really well and it'll be fine.

I have not tried to change my yeast strains to much as of yet, this was the first time I used a liquid strain. If I would have used the ringwood yeast would this have helped? I did give it a swirl. Thanks alot for all the great advice and info. I do hope to start using more liquid strains, It does seem that I can control the beer even more with liquid. Thanks again

Did you make a starter or use multiple vials? 1.065 is quite high for a single vial of White Labs.

mrgstiffler said:

Did you make a starter or use multiple vials? 1.065 is quite high for a single vial of White Labs.

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No and no....The vial said it would be alright if the og was under 1.070...Should I make a starter next time regardles of the og?

jimmywit said:

No and no....The vial said it would be alright if the og was under 1.070...Should I make a starter next time regardles of the og?

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If you're using liquid yeast, you should almost always make a starter. I switched to mainly dry yeast because I'm rather lazy and would forget to make the starter. I typically do a packet and a half of dry yeast for every batch. Yesterday I reused some slurry that I racked a beer off of. Going to try and time my batches so I can keep doing that. Saves some money per batch.

Mr. Malty's Pitching Rate Calculator is very useful:
http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

if the gravity is the same 3 times you SHOULD be ok to bottle.
BUT
ive learned patience is everything.
get used to the 1-2-3 rule..
1 week in the primary(plastic bucket)
2 weeks in carboy
3 weeks (at 65-70 degrees) in bottles

i know it sux but its worth the wait