Do I need to add more yeast?

[squegeeboo]

Hey guys, I brewed a scotch ale 2 sundays ago (9) days.

I took an initial gravity, it was 1.03 (but there was a lot of foam when i had taken it, not sure if that would give the thingy extra buoyancy), it's been active, but only slowly, never more than like 1 bubble a minute as a best guess, but the lid (it's in a bucket) is bowed up from internal pressure. The reading as of tonight was 1.014, which only puts it at like 2.5%. Is it just going slow and I should leave it alone for another week, or should I start to consider adding more yeast?

The beer was 80% kit, with extra additions of mash and extract to give it some more flavor/abv, but that also means the yeast was kit.

thanks!

 

[F_R_O_G]

1.030 OG is extremely low. what kit did you use? i would think your first reading was off. just bottle it if you don't see any change in gravity by sat. the yeast has done it's part more yeast probably won't help

 

[squegeeboo]

1.030 OG is extremely low. what kit did you use? i would think your first reading was off. just bottle it if you don't see any change in gravity by sat. the yeast has done it's part more yeast probably won't help

Um, it was this guy, http://www.eckraus.com/brewers-best-recipe-kit-type-scotch-ale.html, and then we added in an extra lb of extract at the start of the boil, as well as about 1/2 a lb of peat smoked grain in the initial 20 minutes at 150 step.

 

[F_R_O_G]

raise the temp to about 77deg. if that doesn't work you can pitch some more yeast but no guarantee it will work

 

[Calder]

Looks like a rip off at those prices.

Kit say 1.034 - 1.038 for OG. Plus 1 lb DME would get you about 1.045. Yes, the froth, or incomplete mixing can mess up the reading. You should assume OG was about 1.045. If the peat was only steeped, it will only add flavor.

Kit says FG should be 1.010 - 1.014, so you are there. The added DME would increase this slightly. Looks like you are done. Check in a few days to make sure.

Adding more yeast after fermentation is usually a waste of money.

I don't buy kits, but I have Moorbeers catalog here, and their Scottish 60 Shilling ale (OG 1.032-1.035) is $20. You might want to check them, and other places out.

 

[ChelisHubby]

The more beer 60 shilling kit is very good but it is less than 4% . Now if you want to improve that kit add a lb of amber to it and it becomes 4.5% and still pretty good. The flavor of the unaltered kit it very good but it is Scottish. I have done several things with that kit trying to save money and have good beer.

 

[Calder]

The more beer 60 shilling kit is very good but it is less than 4% . Now if you want to improve that kit add a lb of amber to it and it becomes 4.5% and still pretty good. The flavor of the unaltered kit it very good but it is Scottish. I have done several things with that kit trying to save money and have good beer.

I just noted that one because it was a Scottish ale of similar gravity to the one he is brewing.

 

[ChelisHubby]

I had a couple of those bombers last nite of a modified 60 shilling, so I hijacked it a little.

 

[squegeeboo]

Looks like a rip off at those prices.

Kit say 1.034 - 1.038 for OG. Plus 1 lb DME would get you about 1.045. Yes, the froth, or incomplete mixing can mess up the reading. You should assume OG was about 1.045. If the peat was only steeped, it will only add flavor.

Kit says FG should be 1.010 - 1.014, so you are there. The added DME would increase this slightly. Looks like you are done. Check in a few days to make sure.

Adding more yeast after fermentation is usually a waste of money.

I don't buy kits, but I have Moorbeers catalog here, and their Scottish 60 Shilling ale (OG 1.032-1.035) is $20. You might want to check them, and other places out.

Thanks! Looks like it's still going a bit, or at least the bucket is still putting itself under pressure, we're moving it to secondary sunday to add the whiskey soaked oak chips, so we can taste test and SG again at that point. It's not peat, it's peat smoked grain of some sort (don't remember any more) that we ground up and put in with the grain that came in the kit.

I know the kits are not super worth it, but it was my friends first beer, so it was a good starting point, should have idiot proofed it, sadly we're both pretty big idiots apparently.

 

[F_R_O_G]

if it makes you feel better i put most of the blame for the high FG on the kit itself. get a higher quality kit like coopers next time or better yet buy the ingredients from your LHBS and make your own kit