Stuck at 1.020!

So I've made about 4 batches of beer and each time I keep getting stuck at 1.020. I've used the dry foil packets of yeast and some slap packs. They all start with a good vigorous fermentation but can't seem to keep going.

I like to ferment a little on the cool side around 65-66. Could that be what's preventing me from reaching my ideal findal gravity?

MBetz said:

So I've made about 4 batches of beer and each time I keep getting stuck at 1.020. I've used the dry foil packets of yeast and some slap packs. They all start with a good vigorous fermentation but can't seem to keep going.

I like to ferment a little on the cool side around 65-66. Could that be what's preventing me from reaching my ideal findal gravity?

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This could be the correct gravity to stop/slow down based on the conditions of your wort.

What was your starting gravity?

What is the average attenuation of your yeast?

What is your recipe?

65-66 is not low, I am fermenting at 62* with my current ale.

Are you using extracts? I seem to recall that many extract brewers get stuck at 1.020 due to unfermentables in the extract. Apparently some extracts are better than others are getting past that barrier, but it's not uncommon.

Try making a yeast starter (1-2 qts) from the liquid yeast packs a couple days before you brew. Also, if you have high SG (>1.065), you may be ready at 1.02.

Easiest thing would be to just shake/stir the primary bucket/carboy every couple of days to rouse the yeast at the bottom. Doing that for a week or two would probably buy you a few more gravity points. Sometimes. How long are you leaving the beer in the primary? In general, shoot for 3-4 weeks.

I just had the same problem with my Cerveza extract reciepie that I bottled. However I know for a fact that my Hydrometer is off by .04 to .05 so I don't sweat it to much. Odd part for that is that my SG came in only .01 from what the kit from AHS said, so it was perplexing to me that it wasn't closer to where the FG was supposed to be, even accounting for the calibration issue i missed FG by about .005. However it was on the cake for 3 weeks and tasted about right for warm uncarbed beer, with pleanty of trub material around the upper area of the bucket.

I decided to bottle anyway. My ferment temps went a little high a week or so in due to a heat wave, so maybe the yeast dropped early. Hopefully I won't get any bottle bombs, but i have never had one yet when bottling a seeming 1.020 beer (granted it is really around 1.016 due to my hydrometer being off). I figure if it is done, it is done, and 3 weeks is not rushing it into a bottle. Also please note I am pitching dry notty without a starter, so maybe that is part of it. Many factors can play into it, could have been the heat increase, or maybe a low cell count, or maybe the wort was not areated enought to get a good ferment, maybe the extract interacted in my partial boil differently than the recipie accounted for, maybe the extract was old or i used purified instead of distilled water, etc.

However I am a firm believer in Revvy's advice on waiting for 3 weeks and bottle, patience seems to be the key. Also calibrate your hydrometer, it may be off like mine, i never expected it to be so off but i have checked it repeatedly and there is no denying it!!