SamFen
Member
First, my specifics, second the more philosophical question:
I'm brewing my first (well, second, but first was 10 years ago) beer, a stout that I already had a couple questions about earlier.
My OG was 1.05. 12 hours after I started I started getting some nice bubbles. 36 hours after it started the bubbling stopped. Three days after it started, I took a gravity reading: 1.02. I aerated a little and pushed down the krausen. Three days later, I took a second gravity reading: 1.02 again. The recipe ought to end somewhere around 1.013.
Things that could have contributed to my stalled fermentation: Having the temperature fluctuate from 59°-65°F and not aerating the wort properly. I used a small packet of "Coopers yeast" from the Irish Stout Best Brewers kit I had.
On the eighth day I went to my LHBS and they, like many here on this forum, said that pitching more yeast should only be used as a last resort, if at all. They gave me a yeast energizer (or yeast extender, maybe?), told me to keep it warmer, and a packet of Nottingham just in case.
I added the energizer, aerated lots, wrapped it up in blankets and kept it 63°-66°F. 36 hours later, still no bubbles and no movement at all in the gravity. So should I pitch the Nottingham? (As an aside, I had already been wondering whether to throw in some Nottingham to try and make this stout a little drier, but had been steered away from that notion here in the forums.)
My other question: there seem to be a lot and lots of posts by newbies like myself who say "is my beer stalled? should I throw in more yeast?" The answer is almost always to relax and have a home brew. Is pitching more yeast only for the most dire of circumstances? And why is it considered such a weapon of last resort? What would be likely to go wrong if a newbie pitched more yeast when their brew was only "sleeping" and not stalled (assuming they still wait and ensure the fermentation has really stopped before racking or bottling)?
Thanks!
I'm brewing my first (well, second, but first was 10 years ago) beer, a stout that I already had a couple questions about earlier.
My OG was 1.05. 12 hours after I started I started getting some nice bubbles. 36 hours after it started the bubbling stopped. Three days after it started, I took a gravity reading: 1.02. I aerated a little and pushed down the krausen. Three days later, I took a second gravity reading: 1.02 again. The recipe ought to end somewhere around 1.013.
Things that could have contributed to my stalled fermentation: Having the temperature fluctuate from 59°-65°F and not aerating the wort properly. I used a small packet of "Coopers yeast" from the Irish Stout Best Brewers kit I had.
On the eighth day I went to my LHBS and they, like many here on this forum, said that pitching more yeast should only be used as a last resort, if at all. They gave me a yeast energizer (or yeast extender, maybe?), told me to keep it warmer, and a packet of Nottingham just in case.
I added the energizer, aerated lots, wrapped it up in blankets and kept it 63°-66°F. 36 hours later, still no bubbles and no movement at all in the gravity. So should I pitch the Nottingham? (As an aside, I had already been wondering whether to throw in some Nottingham to try and make this stout a little drier, but had been steered away from that notion here in the forums.)
My other question: there seem to be a lot and lots of posts by newbies like myself who say "is my beer stalled? should I throw in more yeast?" The answer is almost always to relax and have a home brew. Is pitching more yeast only for the most dire of circumstances? And why is it considered such a weapon of last resort? What would be likely to go wrong if a newbie pitched more yeast when their brew was only "sleeping" and not stalled (assuming they still wait and ensure the fermentation has really stopped before racking or bottling)?
Thanks!