So we have our first stuck fermentation.
We brewed a 10gal batch of a Belgian Quad to be aged in a bourbon barrel. OG was spot on at 1.090. Made a 2 step starter with WLP530 Abbey. Pitched at 68deg and let it self rise to about 75 for a day, then bumped the temp to about 80. It had a vigorous fermentation for the first 5 days, then slowed down and yeast settled. We gently roused it back up, but that had no effect. We kept the temp at 78 for two weeks and checked and we were down to 1.036 in one carboy, and 1.032 in the other. Another two weeks have passed and we are still at the same numbers.
The projected FG for this beer is supposed to be 1.012-1.014 and ABV of 10.3%. At this point, we are at 60% attenuation and 7.4% ABV.
My guess is that even with the stirplate, we did not get up to our recommended pitching rate, even though it did make a LOT of yeast. Probably should have done one more step. I wondered at the time, but our buddy who makes the exact same recipe, said he usually underpitches by just a tad to get the flavors he wanted. Also we should have added more oxygen as fermentation began vs our usual vigorous shaking. And more yeast nutrient. And not adding the candi sugar to boil, but to the fermenting beer. But now I know for next time!
Never dealing with a stuck fermentation before, I am weighing our options at this point. I'd like to try making a starter, but not sure which yeast to use. I see some people suggest WLP099 or WLP3711. I don't want to change the flavor profile much. Even though it is very much too sweet, it tastes amazing. Just want to dry it out as close to 1.015 as possible! So another 15-20pts off is what I'm looking for.
Would love some input to others who have had this situation happen before and what their solution was. What yeast to use, and how big of a starter to make, etc.
Here is the recipe:
30lb Bel Pils
2lb Aromatic
2lb Special B
12oz Melanoiden
1.75lb Dark Candi Sugar
3.75oz Hallertauer
WLP530
2tsp yeast nutrient
Mashed @ 151 for 90min, no temp fluctuations
Was a bit high in water volumes after sparging, so boiled off a bit prior to starting our timer for the 90min boil. Probably about 30min.
Thanks for any help!
We brewed a 10gal batch of a Belgian Quad to be aged in a bourbon barrel. OG was spot on at 1.090. Made a 2 step starter with WLP530 Abbey. Pitched at 68deg and let it self rise to about 75 for a day, then bumped the temp to about 80. It had a vigorous fermentation for the first 5 days, then slowed down and yeast settled. We gently roused it back up, but that had no effect. We kept the temp at 78 for two weeks and checked and we were down to 1.036 in one carboy, and 1.032 in the other. Another two weeks have passed and we are still at the same numbers.
The projected FG for this beer is supposed to be 1.012-1.014 and ABV of 10.3%. At this point, we are at 60% attenuation and 7.4% ABV.
My guess is that even with the stirplate, we did not get up to our recommended pitching rate, even though it did make a LOT of yeast. Probably should have done one more step. I wondered at the time, but our buddy who makes the exact same recipe, said he usually underpitches by just a tad to get the flavors he wanted. Also we should have added more oxygen as fermentation began vs our usual vigorous shaking. And more yeast nutrient. And not adding the candi sugar to boil, but to the fermenting beer. But now I know for next time!
Never dealing with a stuck fermentation before, I am weighing our options at this point. I'd like to try making a starter, but not sure which yeast to use. I see some people suggest WLP099 or WLP3711. I don't want to change the flavor profile much. Even though it is very much too sweet, it tastes amazing. Just want to dry it out as close to 1.015 as possible! So another 15-20pts off is what I'm looking for.
Would love some input to others who have had this situation happen before and what their solution was. What yeast to use, and how big of a starter to make, etc.
Here is the recipe:
30lb Bel Pils
2lb Aromatic
2lb Special B
12oz Melanoiden
1.75lb Dark Candi Sugar
3.75oz Hallertauer
WLP530
2tsp yeast nutrient
Mashed @ 151 for 90min, no temp fluctuations
Was a bit high in water volumes after sparging, so boiled off a bit prior to starting our timer for the 90min boil. Probably about 30min.
Thanks for any help!