Another Stuck Fermentation Problem

[BeerClaw]

Recipe:
5 Gallon Batch
3lb Pale DME
3lb Pale Malt
1lb Wheat Malt
1lb Crystal 60
4oz Debittered Black Malt
8oz sugar
4oz hops boiled, 2oz dry hopped
safbrew s-33, one pack added dry

OG 1.059

Mashed at 150f, boiled 45 minutes and cooled quickly. Aerated well by transferring between brew pot and bottling bucket.

Fermentation was active for 2 days at room temp. Ever since then it has been stuck at 1.029 for two weeks now. Yesterday afternoon I repitched with rehydrated EC 1118 and still nothing.

Any ideas if I can actually get this going again or should I just bottle. Not sure what the problem is, never had a stuck brew in 3 years. If I bottle what amount of priming sugar should I use, I'm guessing not much!

 

[501irishred]

I've never used S-33 so I cant really speak to that, but the one thing I've found with EC1118 is "patients is a virtue"! A week just to get started has not been uncommon (I know there is a lot of conflicting information to this, but that's just my experience). I don't know how long it sat before deciding to re pitch, but my advise would be to look away for a couple weeks before even checking again. If you bottled now, and IF the yeast is still viable, and IF fermentation is truly over, then the same amount of priming sugar should be used as you normally would for the carbonation required. That's a lot of "if's" and to me is a perfect recipe for some really cool beer volcano's!

 

[grum_ck]

What is your room temp? Warming tends to be a good way to get yeast going again (up to about 75F). Pitching yeast into an alcoholic environment may mean they will struggle… you would be better to get them fermenting in a starter for a day before pitching.
Have you tested your hydrometer is accurate?
Good luck.

 

[BeerClaw]

The gravity did not move for two weeks before I racked and repitched. I had not used s-33 before either and from what I have read after the fact it is problematic. I've now moved the carboy near a heat register and I'll see if that gets it going. I am rather concerned about bottling such a sweet beer, hopefully in a couple weeks it is much lower! If not I may end up buying plastic bottles just encase....

 

[BeerClaw]

What is your room temp? Warming tends to be a good way to get yeast going again (up to about 75F). Pitching yeast into an alcoholic environment may mean they will struggle… you would be better to get them fermenting in a starter for a day before pitching.
Have you tested your hydrometer is accurate?
Good luck.

Around 68f, I moved it near a heat register today. How do you go about testing a hydrometer?

 

[501irishred]

denatured water (tap water will get you close) at design temp printed on your hydrometer should read 1.000