Stuck Fermentation - I Know... Not another Stuck Fermentation Thread :(

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Jewrican

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What I'm Brewing: I am brewing Jamils sweet stout extract conversion
OG: 1.058
Current Gravity: 1.03
Yeast: 1099 i think - i think it was an english ale or something
Temperature: stays right at about 70 degrees.
Length of Time: Brewed it on March 9th
Activity: There was a decent amount of activity right off of the bat. I did a starter - read below.. not well - but it seemed to taper off in just a few days.
Starter: Since the gravity was so high i did a 2 liter starter.. but i was an idiot and didnt think that it would take days to ferment that out. So the starter only was there for about a little over a day before i stuck it in the fridge to get those yeasties down and then decanted / pitched.

Soooooo what should I do. I know that i needed more yeast in order to ferment that now that I have read that the starter should have been going for several days. Live and you learn i guess.

So i tried to swirl it to rouse the yeast, but with the gravity down .03 points I assume that i cannot shake it to oxygenate it correct? I do not have my beersmith with me to see what the expected final gravity is so I cant get you that yet.

Should I add a yeast nutrient? Should I repitch another tube of yeast being that it needs it? Should I try to move to secondary first? If I move it to secondary, wouldn't I loose all of the yeast because it would have fallen out already?

Should I do a yeast starter with another package of yeast so that it already active and pitch that?

Thanks for the help. I really need it. I have about 60 bucks plus in this batch. I dont want to loose it.

I am also realizing that my porter I did needed a starter and I guarentee that it is not properly fermented either. I did not know how to do a starter then so I didnt and now i am regretting it. It is still drinkable but just too sweet really. I did not do a starting gravity so I figured what the hell i wont do a final either.. yeah i know.. stupid.

:(
 
1.058 SG isn't a monster beer by any means, I have done many up in that range with no starter and had no problems. Hopefully someone can chime in and give you advice, being thats its been awhile now I am not sure if re-pitching is much of an option.

My first advice would of been to swirl the vessel to rouse the yeast up, but you already tried that?

:confused:
 
you sure you're reading this right? Taste some of the next sample and see if its really sweet or not. 1.030 would be cloying sweet. I bet bread yeast could take a 1.058 beer lower than 1.030.
 
i will pull another sample tonight but i am almost 100% positive.

Jamil said you need two tubes of yeast and mr malty says a 2L starter... i just wonder if they were overpowered by the sugar lol.

Any other ideas? Since it has sooo much more to go should I just do a starter 1 L and repitch the yeast??
 
I pulled another sample today and it is definitely at 1.030

so what do you think? should i get another yeast vial, give a small starter (what size) and repitech?? Rousing the yeast has done nothing.
 
Anyone???? I dont want to just add yeast and find out you guys recommend against it.. plus if i do, can I aerate the beer????

Please help. I really dont want to lose this batch
 
What's the recipe? If there is a lot of lactose, it might not get much lower no matter what you do.

I'd get a pack of nottingham, and sprinkle it in there to see if it'll go any lower. Keep it at 69 degrees or so, and if there are any fermentables in there, the Nottingham should take care of them. DON'T aerate it!
 
Also, it's too late now, but I read your description of your starter to say that you only let it go for a short while, then decanted and pitched?

Next time, either pitch at high krausen, pitch the whole starter, OR wait until it's done and then decant the spent wort. If you chilled the fermenting starter, you probably threw away most of the yeast when you decanted. You'd have taken a starting fermenting wort, chilled it to drop out only the most flocculant yeast, and then dumped the active yeast out. Yeast don't like being pitched, chilled, warmed up and repitched before they even get a chance to reproduce.
 
Also, it's too late now, but I read your description of your starter to say that you only let it go for a short while, then decanted and pitched?

Next time, either pitch at high krausen, pitch the whole starter, OR wait until it's done and then decant the spent wort. If you chilled the fermenting starter, you probably threw away most of the yeast when you decanted. You'd have taken a starting fermenting wort, chilled it to drop out only the most flocculant yeast, and then dumped the active yeast out. Yeast don't like being pitched, chilled, warmed up and repitched before they even get a chance to reproduce.

Thank you so much Yooper. Since I was stupid and dumped out my most important and useful yeast, do you think I am better of using the at same kind of yeast with a starter pitching at high krausen or do you still think I am better off with the notty?

If you think the notty still, should i rehydrate the notty or just throw it in there right from the packet?

The recipe is:

7 lbs 3.2 oz Pale Liquid Extract
1 lbs Black (Patent) Malt
12.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L
4.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)
1.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (60 min)
16.00 oz Lactose (Bottling 5.0 min)
1 Pkgs Bedford British Ale (White Labs #WLP006) (OR 1099 i used 1099)

I did NOT add the lactose yet, as I have decided to add it when I keg this beer.

Thanks again Yooper. I will eagerly look forward to your reply as I cant wait to get this one going again.
 
1) Don't panic

2) Get another package of 1099

3) Make another starter (use a 4:1 liquid to DME ratio). Oxygenate very well

4) When the starter hits high krausen, pitch it into your stout. Let it work.
 
What yeast strain did you use?

I made a sweet stout with Safale 04, and it only fermented down to 1.028, and I needed 1.022 or so. I pitched a pack of Safale 05 and it finished it out just fine (If I'd had Nottingham I would have used it instead, just to stay true to the style). So in my case it was definitely the yeast.

+1 on adding a pack of Nottingham. I always keep some dry yeast packets for fermentation emergencies.
 
(OR 1099 i used 1099)

Got it, sorry.

+1 for not panicking too. You have some time on your side if you want to stay with the 1099 and do another starter. Risk of infection is very low because most of the fermentation is done -- at this point the beer will wait patiently.
 
thanks a bunch guys and gals :)

I will pick up a package of Notty on the way home from work today then.

It was supposed to be 1099, but it seems to be more common to let Notty finish it up.

I will be buying a few packs of it to keep on hand. I appreciate it once again
 
I pitched the package of notty... now just hoping it does its thing. So far nothing, but i know that it may take a day or so to show.

Do you think that at 1.030 in a 5 gallon carboy will force me to use a blow off... or will it not produce enough krausen? I am hoping for that latter, only because I am being lazy lol

Work you lazy yeasties.. WORK!
 
I am so bummed out guys... it is not restarting signs of ANY fermentation. I would expect to see the airlock move at least once ... but i have not. I have not bothered to take a sample and wont for about a week or more.

If this never moves... what the heck do I do? I would hate to keg it.. it is going to taste terrible... darnit! I wanted this stout so badly and it was rather expensive to brew...

So what is next. Is there anything else that I can do to get this going again?

Thanks again...:(
 
Just wait a little while before assuming it's not going. You don't have a ton of fermentables in there, so it might ferment pretty quietly. Check it in about 5 days.
 
i guess I am most concerned with the lack of O2, but I guess you dont continually shake our ferementing beers either..
 
:( no change after 2 weeks with the notty - am i stuck with a stuck fermentaion :)

is there anything else i should do? there are plenty of fermentables so i cant imagine that amylase would do anything - what else can i do???

the bad thing is that i have not even added my lactose in yet and it is 1.30.. when i add that it is going to be liquid cotton candy!
 
I have always been a bit concerned with the logic of adding the same or similar kind of yeast to unstick a stuck fermentation. If you think about it logically those yeasties have fed on the fermentables and then stopped for some reason (temp/lack of 02 or ate whatever they could). So if it was me and a little more warmth and agitation did not get it going them I would be pitching a rehydrated packet of something completely different to wake things up. If that fails I would be brewing another beer and then use the yeast cake as previously described in a link in this thread. If that does not work, file it in the round porcelain device.
 
okay... i have a blonde that I am going to rack soon... hopefully this will get it going. I may need to get a space heater in there too and get the temp up higher than 70.
 
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