Athanasius
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- Joined
- Apr 22, 2007
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Total newbie here attempting my first homebrew and my gravity is apparently stuck. I bought a basic brew kit (like http://www.homebrewery.com/beer/beer-gs-basic-kit.shtml) and I am fairly certain I have followed the step-by-step instructions exactly.
Saturday April 7th
Brewed 1.6kg can of John Bull Amber with 2lbs of DME in 3 gallons of water and added in 1/2oz of hops at the end of the boil. I then cooled the wort in the stainless steel pot rapidly (20mins) in my laundry tub of cold water down to around 75 degrees. Poured the wort into my single-stage-fermentor with additional cold water to bring the total to 5 gallons, added some super ferment and pitched the yeast (Muntons). Took an initial gravity reading with my hydrometer at 1.041. Closed it up and put it in my basement at a temp of 68 degrees. Noticed bubbles the next day on the airlock...so far so go.
Friday April 13th
Opened up to take a gravity reading and it was 1.020. Closed it up and wait a few more days.
Sunday April 15th
Took another gravity reading and it was still 1.020 - bummer. Ok I tried stirring it up to get the yeast going again. Closed it up.
Monday April 16th
I phone the store that I bought the supplies at to see if they can give me any insight. The lady tells me to get it off the concrete floor in the basement and stir it and call them back in 2 days. Ok, so I do this.....
Wednesday April 18th
Gravity still at 1.020. Call the beer supply store again, she tells me that I am not reading the hydrometer correctly (I was putting it right into the Fermenting pale. Says I need to put it in the tube to see it dead on (I am thinking ya like that is going to make up the .20 that I need to go). I try this for kicks and giggles and of course my SG is still at 1.020.
Thursday April 19th
I return to my local beer brew store and buy another packet of Munson's yeast. I then re-pitch the yeast and stir it up. I also bring it upstairs in my home to temperature of around 72 degrees. Close the lid and wait.
Friday April 20th
Bubbles in the airlock, although not as frequent as what I read on these forums that others get. Perhaps one bubble every 5 minutes. So I wait....
Sunday April 22nd
I open it up to take a gravity reading and it is at 1.019...... WOW it moved a whole .001 - argh!
So what should I do at this point? The beer tastes and smells good, but I thought the fermentation was suppose to only take around a week. It has now been 2.5 weeks. If I bottle now, do I risk exploders not to mention the fact that the alcohol level is really really low.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Saturday April 7th
Brewed 1.6kg can of John Bull Amber with 2lbs of DME in 3 gallons of water and added in 1/2oz of hops at the end of the boil. I then cooled the wort in the stainless steel pot rapidly (20mins) in my laundry tub of cold water down to around 75 degrees. Poured the wort into my single-stage-fermentor with additional cold water to bring the total to 5 gallons, added some super ferment and pitched the yeast (Muntons). Took an initial gravity reading with my hydrometer at 1.041. Closed it up and put it in my basement at a temp of 68 degrees. Noticed bubbles the next day on the airlock...so far so go.
Friday April 13th
Opened up to take a gravity reading and it was 1.020. Closed it up and wait a few more days.
Sunday April 15th
Took another gravity reading and it was still 1.020 - bummer. Ok I tried stirring it up to get the yeast going again. Closed it up.
Monday April 16th
I phone the store that I bought the supplies at to see if they can give me any insight. The lady tells me to get it off the concrete floor in the basement and stir it and call them back in 2 days. Ok, so I do this.....
Wednesday April 18th
Gravity still at 1.020. Call the beer supply store again, she tells me that I am not reading the hydrometer correctly (I was putting it right into the Fermenting pale. Says I need to put it in the tube to see it dead on (I am thinking ya like that is going to make up the .20 that I need to go). I try this for kicks and giggles and of course my SG is still at 1.020.
Thursday April 19th
I return to my local beer brew store and buy another packet of Munson's yeast. I then re-pitch the yeast and stir it up. I also bring it upstairs in my home to temperature of around 72 degrees. Close the lid and wait.
Friday April 20th
Bubbles in the airlock, although not as frequent as what I read on these forums that others get. Perhaps one bubble every 5 minutes. So I wait....
Sunday April 22nd
I open it up to take a gravity reading and it is at 1.019...... WOW it moved a whole .001 - argh!
So what should I do at this point? The beer tastes and smells good, but I thought the fermentation was suppose to only take around a week. It has now been 2.5 weeks. If I bottle now, do I risk exploders not to mention the fact that the alcohol level is really really low.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.