Can I repitch yeast after I've cold crashed?

[slats]

This was my first brew using harvested yeast. It was a 12 gallon batch split between two 6 gallon carboys (it's an IPA). I made starters with the yeast the day before. Initial gravity was about 1.068. Fermentation kicked off quickly, lasted for several days and then slowed down considerably. I left the brew in primary for about two weeks total. I transferred to secondary and left it in secondary for another week (I failed to take a hydrometer reading before I moved it to secondary). After about a week in secondary I moved it to my fridge to cold crash (again failing to take a hydrometer reading). I kegged one of the carboys (this time I decided to take a hydrometer reading). It was still at 1.030! I checked the other carboy and it was still at 1.030 as well. I know - very bad on me.

My question is this: Can I bring the beer up to room temperature and then pitch some more yeast and let it ferment some more or am I stuck with sweet beer?

 

[homebrewdad]

Before you repitch, you might try just raising the temp and maybe doing a gentle swirl. The problem is that you don't have any oxygen in the beer right now (nor do you want it), plus you have alcohol... it's not a great environment for a fresh pitch.

 

[atreid]

I would make a little starter, maybe one liter, but not a normal starter. I'd make a fermentation starter, not a propagation starter. In other words, make a 1 liter batch of DME beer, oxygenate before pitching but then nothing. Cap it with an airlock and don't use a stir bar. When you reach the highest krausen point, pitch the whole thing, but do not shake, just swirl gently because you don't want oxydation. You'll get the most active and healthy yeast with no propagation byproducts. Maybe 1 liter is even too much I'm not sure.

but before you do all that, you should indeed bring temps up first and then gently swirl. Wait 2 days then take a reading. You could get lucky...

 

[slats]

I took the carboy out and fermentation picked up on its own after about 2 days. Gravity dropped from 1.030 to 1.022 and then stopped. I've measured it 3 times over 6 days and it's still at 1.022. It tastes good - not sweet. Definitely alcohol in it. I think I'm just going to roll with it and keg it. Any thoughts?

 

[atreid]

If it tastes good, let it be and plan ahead for future batches...

What was your fermentation temperature and yeast strain?

 

[slats]

Fermentation temps have been less than optimal - sometimes into the mid 80's. (I just purchased a chest freezer and temp controller so that won't be an issue any longer). This was also the first brew that I used yeast that I harvested from a previous batch - American Ale Yeast.

Thanks!

 

[BigFloyd]

Just checking......did you happen to use a refractometer for those 1.030 readings or a hydrometer? If you used a refractometer, those readings are way off (showing FG higher than it really is).

 

[slats]

Hydrometer. I have a refractometer but I'm not comfortable using it yet.

 

[atreid]

Just to continue on his thought... Did you calibrate it? It should read 1.000 with 15.6 degrees (Celsius) water. The paper inside has been known to move sometimes... I'm sure it's pretty rare, but you should still check...

(Don't go crazy with the 15.6... Anything close to that will give you the information you need...)