SOS - Save Our Stout

I did a quick forum search and didnt find what I was looking for so I thought Id ask..

The yeast I pitched into my stout seemed to be pretty dead and hasnt got past 1.020 at the most from an OG of 1.050. It never really showed any visual signs of fermentation, just a little bit. After three weeks its obviously got something else living it although nothing that looks or tastes too serious. All the hops were boil hops and I was wondering how it would work if I boiled the half fermented wort for 5-10mins to kill everything then pitched some of my notty from another batch which went off like a rocket to finish?

Irish stout sounds like the perfect style to try this with..

Do it, why the hell not? I've never heard of doing such a thing. Boiling the half fermented beer is going to change its flavor -- not necessarily for the better. If my stout was infected, I'd just dump it. But what the hell, what do you have to lose but time?

Hi,
actually, even if I like the "Do it, why the hell not?" way, I think you have more to lose than gain.

If your fermentation was only very slow, boiling will evaporate the alcohol and some fermentation aromas.

If the fermentation was bad, I woudn't drink dead things in my beer, even if boiled. And starting again from 1020, you would have only a very little part of your fermentation left (let's say it reaches 1010, you will have a 1,27%abv beer).

So I wouldn't go with the boil. I would taste it: if there is some acid taste, I don't think you can recover it. If it's not, maybe you only had a slow fermentation (my triple took 2 months to make it, wyeast n°3787 can be really slow): in this case you can use your fresh yeast to complete the job.

Cheers from Italy!
Piteko

piteko said:

Hi,
actually, even if I like the "Do it, why the hell not?" way, I think you have more to lose than gain.

If your fermentation was only very slow, boiling will evaporate the alcohol and some fermentation aromas.

If the fermentation was bad, I woudn't drink dead things in my beer, even if boiled. And starting again from 1020, you would have only a very little part of your fermentation left (let's say it reaches 1010, you will have a 1,27%abv beer).

So I wouldn't go with the boil. I would taste it: if there is some acid taste, I don't think you can recover it. If it's not, maybe you only had a slow fermentation (my triple took 2 months to make it, wyeast n°3787 can be really slow): in this case you can use your fresh yeast to complete the job.

Cheers from Italy!
Piteko

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Like I said, I'd dump it, not boil it, but boiling it would be an opportunity for experimentation. As long as the OP is pitching a cheap ale yeast like Notty, I say go for it. Not much else can be done for the batch besides chemically killing the beer and kegging it as is with a FG of 1.020. Boiling the beer (or raising the temp to 180 for five minutes) will likely change the flavor of the beer (as I said) but it's not going to lose any alcohol.

DEFINITELY don't boil it!
DEFINITELY don't dump it!

#1: Fermentation is NOT visual, unless you have the uncanny ability to see CO2 gas. Just because the airlock stopped doesn't mean fermentation is not still actively occuring. In fact when a beer ferments out quickly and violently, this is often a sign of bad temp control. A slowwww, uneventful fermentation is a better, cleaner fermentation most of the time.

#2: The "obvious" stuff in it is probably just a funky krausen. I wouldn't worry about that at all.

#3: If you went from 1.05 to 1.02, the yeast most certainly are not dead. It sounds like you just have a stuck fermentation or weren't patient enough with it. It is pretty typical to have lots of airlock activity for like 2-3 days while the beer gets down to the 1.02 area, then NO airlock activity for 2-3 more WEEKS while the beer finishes fermenting out. This happens all the time, it is not unusual.

I would do the following:

1) "rouse" the yeast by slightly swirling the wort with a sanatized spoon/mash paddle.
2) pitch another pack of whatever yeast you originally used with this batch.
3) BE PATIENT.....give it another 2-3 weeks to ferment out.

Pommy said:

After three weeks its obviously got something else living it although nothing that looks or tastes too serious.

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Could you post a photo of what you're talking about, or perhaps describe what the infection looks like?

bigbeergeek said:

Like I said, I'd dump it, not boil it, but boiling it would be an opportunity for experimentation. As long as the OP is pitching a cheap ale yeast like Notty, I say go for it.

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Ok, what if there is an acetic fermentation going on? You boil it, you pitch and for what? Why not taste it? If it is acid you will easily know...

bigbeergeek said:

Not much else can be done for the batch besides chemically killing the beer and kegging it as is with a FG of 1.020.

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You start from the point of view that this batch gone wild. What if it's not?

bigbeergeek said:

Boiling the beer (or raising the temp to 180 for five minutes) will likely change the flavor of the beer (as I said) but it's not going to lose any alcohol.

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To sanitize, you need 20 mins at boil temperature. Not that you will kill ANYTHING in it. But this is the starting point.

Cheers!
Piteko

DEFINITELY don't boil it!
DEFINITELY don't dump it!

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What this guy said! It sounds like your beer is coming along just fine as far as we can tell. Sounds like it fermented from 1.050 to 1.020, which for an extract batch (is it extract?) isn't that bad. If it tastes fine, its probably not an infection either. More than likely its just working a little slower than ideal. Did you use dry yeast the first time, and how did you aerate your wort? Rousing the yeast or pitching another pack are definitely better alternatives, but its possible that it won't go down any further than 1.020.

Yeah I didnt think it through when considering boiling it that it would drive off the alcohol. I used a pack of S-05 for this batch, not had any problems just using the one pack before. Ive given it some notty from the cake of my bitter to help finish it off. Im expecting an FG around 1.010. It's an all grain batch. Ill take a pic if the pellicle returns in the next few days. I wont dump a beer until it gets up and walks out the house on its own after all the stories Ive read where people seem to dump perfectly fine beer.

I've had more than one stout recipe that doesn't ever finish below 1.018 or 1.020. Depending on the recipe and mash temperatures, I'd say that's about right for many stouts.