High final gravity

Hello everyone! I am new to homebrewing, completing my third batch. With this batch I used 9.9 lbs of extract and 4 pounds of honey (1.084 original gravity). I left in the primary for ten days, and then racked to the secondary. After two more weeks in the secondary, my sg is at 1.032 (61% attenuation). I used Muntons Gold dry yeast. So, are the reasons for this stall (there is no current evidence of fermentation): 1)the yeast simply gave out to soon 2)I needed yeast nutrients because of the honey comprising 28% of the sugars 3)honey takes longer to ferment so I need to wait longer 4)all of the above.

Also, could I repitch? If so, should I make a starter?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have thoroughly enjoyed and learned from the wisdom of you all!!

i would have left it in the primary for longer than that, with that high of an OG.

how many gallons is this batch? for a five gallon, your og should have been much higher than that...more like 1.100 or higher

If it is a 5 gallon batch with that OG, you'd be at 74% attenuation right now.
wow...what are you making?

hey Pav,
early this year I had a high gravity on a Honey Nut Brown: OG1.090-FG1.008 used an old English Ale yeast, primary for 2 weeks, Secondary for a month, then bottled conditioned for at least a month.... It was the best tasting sh.. I've ever made, and it only had 2 lbs of honey in it. From what a few of the guys were telling me with the amount of honey I used it would take quite a while for it to really come out good and would probably be a pretty dry beer. In the early tasting samples ie.. 1-2 weeks after bottling it had a harsher and more alcholic flavour but the addtional 2-3 weeks of bottle conditioning really mellowed it out.
My family and friends who tried it and a Newcastle Brown Ale could find very little differential in the taste, Even though mine was much more potent. Needless to say the 2 cases I brought up to camp didn't last the day. They were gone within about 2 hrs. So, I guess I'm saying it will probably be best with a long sit time betweeen secondary bottling and final appreciation.
hope it all works out for you.

Hey guys, thanks for the replies. I figured time would be the best, but I am getting anxious because I just got a new keg and a draft tower.

It is a five gallon batch, really just wanted to make something tasty with a high ABV. I didn't use a recipe, which in hindsight was a poor choice considerding my status as a new brewer.

I must have the calculation for attenuation wrong. I calculated it (1.084-1.032)/1.084-1=.61x100= 61% ...is that not correct.

What about repitching a different yeast, would that be worthwhile?

I've heard of quite a few people repitching but have never had the need so far so couldn't really say. just noticed the fact that your already in secondary... usually there is very little addtional fermentation in secondary.. it's more of just a clearing tank.

pavlovsdog said:

I must have the calculation for attenuation wrong. I calculated it (1.084-1.032)/1.084-1=.61x100= 61% ...is that not correct.

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what i meant is: with 9.9 lbs of extract + 4 lbs of honey in a 5 gallon batch, you are going to have a starting gravity of 1.125, according to promash.

this should be accurate, as efficiency doesn't make any difference when it comes to extract and honey. you may have started with an incorrect reading.

DeathBrewer said:

what i meant is: with 9.9 lbs of extract + 4 lbs of honey in a 5 gallon batch, you are going to have a starting gravity of 1.125, according to promash.

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Unless the OP used LME, not DME. With LME and the variable sugar content of honey, 1.084 is a possible OG.

Honey generally takes longer to ferment, and ferments out almost completely. I'd expect the extract to ferment to ~75% and the honey to get close to 100%, which would leave your FG closer to 1.018.

Check the SG again in a couple days, and see if it's moved from 1.032. If it has, just leave it alone for a few weeks. If it hasn't, then you might need to think about repitching.

It may be that you racked too soon given the high OG and stalled the fermentation. If your SG doesn't drop some more in the next few days, I would re-pitch.

Always remember that the term 'secondary fermentation' is a misnomer. Fermentation should happen in primary. Secondary and Tertiary 'fermentation' is really just a clearing and conditioning stage. You shouldn't rack to a secondary vessel until primary is 100% finished.

If it was me, at this stage I'd review what's been posted, and look for any discrepancies in your measurements. If none can be found, you might pitch a half packet of 'better' yeast. That'll turn this stage back into primary fermentation, and you'll need to secondary again to clear it when its done fermenting.

just my opinion.

Thanks again everyone for the quick replies, this place is awesome. I am pretty sure my problem lies in racking to the secondary too soon; however, my air lock had completely stopped bubbling and it looked like fermentation had come to a halt. I did check SG at racking (which should have clued me into not racking at the time) and it hasn't dropped at all since.

One other note, fermentation temp (outside of the fermenter) was probably close to 80-85 degrees. Darn heat wave here in the mountains. The fermentation was fast and furious to begin with, maybe it was too warm though.

I guess I am going to repitch Saturday (the first chance I have to make it to the LHBS). I have also learned that the recipe was probably a bit ill fated to begin with!

I am pretty confident the OG was correct, I used 3.3 lbs LME and 6.6 lbs of AME. I can only assume the low OG for the amount of extract and honey utilized is due to an (abnormally?) low sugar content in the honey.

I did take a taste of it today....way too sweet!

lol, i got mixed up. i thought i saw dry malt extract when i saw "munton's dry yeast". i'd definitely repitch with a nice big starter.

honey takes longer to ferment, too, btw...but it usually has a very high sugar content (it's almost completely fermentable)

i'd try to bring that temperature down, too. it'll create some really fruity (probably TOO fruity) tastes and lots of hot fusel alcohols.

yeah...I look ridiculous..now I realize the L in LME means liquid (not light)....so....it was all liquid....3.3 lbs Light and 6.6 lbs Amber. So the AME (Amber Malt Extract) I wrote about...just me being stupid

I was already worried about the fusels....the high beginning temp. led to a strong smell. Maybe I should just toss it and start over...

Relax....don't worry...have a homebrew (my first two batches are great!)

Oh, no, don't toss it! It still has some things going on for it, and around here we don't think you should toss anything until it's been proven to be awful!

I think you've got a couple of things going on- for one your og probably was higher than your reading. According to Beersmith, your og was 1.099 with 9.9 pounds of LME and 4 pounds of honey. Your reading could have been wrong because honey and LME are so thick, it's hard to get it completely mixed up. You probaby got a lighter sample from the top. Your yeast is probably done. So, I second the starter idea with a fresh well attenuating yeast- no Muntons! Give it plenty of time- honey seems to take forever to ferment out. And like Deathbrewer said, keep the temperature at 70 degrees. (Well he said to keep it cooler, I added the 70 degrees part!) You've got too much time, money, and effort involved in this to just toss it!

In time, the fusel alcohols can mellow a bit and the beer will lose some of the "hotness" you have there.