To Repitch or Not To Repitch?

Here's my story... I brewed on Labor Day and pitched dry Safale 04 at about 80 deg (I know I know). OG was 1.040. Fermentation started quickly but was done in about 3 days at 69-74 deg, since then there has been no airlock activity and the krausen has fallen. I checked the SG on Sat. and it was 1.020. Taking advice from forum members I swirled the fermenter and brought the temp up to 74-76 deg. I still have no activity (although I haven't rechecked the SG).

Here's my question... if my SG is still 1.020 indicating a stuck ferment, should I repitch? Keep in mind, I'm hoping to bottle this weekend.

What was the recipe?

Here's the recipe:

6lbs light malt extract (half LME half DME)
1/2 lb wheat malt
1/4 lb crystal malt
1/8 oz roasted barley
1oz cluster for 60 min
1oz Mt. Hood for 15 min
1 packet safale s-04 dry yeast

I steeped the grain at 155 deg for 25 min, added LME and DME, returned to boil, added bittering hops at start of boil, added aroma hops at 45 min mark, knocked off after 60 min, brought the temp down to 80 deg within 30 min, pitched yeast (I know now it was too warm for the yeast).

Fermentation began within 7 hours with the airlock bubbling along at a steady pace, by 48 hours there was no more airlock activity and on Sat. (5 days after brewing) the SG was 1.020 with a temp of 72 deg.

Mostly I'm really hoping to bottle this weekend so I can brew another batch. My hydrometer was broken by my pesky cats and my lhbs isn't open until tomorrow so I don't know the SG today (dealing with that ASAP).

I'm wondering how to get fermentation going again and if I can rack to a secondary (if I can't bottle yet) so I can get brewing again (and to get the beer off the trub).

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

I'd rouse the yeast by stirring it a bit. I've noticed both Nottingham and Safale 04 will focculate too early if the pitching temperature is high. The ale ferments rapidly to about 60-65% and then the yeast drops. Give it a gentle stir & it should go another 5-10 points.

Don't worry about getting it off the trub. The yeast isn't dead, it's just resting.

Any suggestions on the best way to go about stirring the yeast without introducing O2?

TheJadedDog said:

Any suggestions on the best way to go about stirring the yeast without introducing O2?

Click to expand...

if it's still in the primary and you had some fermentation for a few days, then the headspace in your fementer is going to be filled with CO2 and no air (the air was pushed out).

You can just jostle the carboy around a bit to knock the yeast back off the bottom, or pop the airlock and stick in a sanitized racking cane and give it a swirl. You'll only be sloshing CO2 back into it so no worries.

One other comment... the crystal and roasted barley and (possible also the wheat) will have contributed non-fermentables to the brew. You might not drop much lower in gravity.

-walker