Ferment keeps stalling

[EvoV98]

So im on my 4th brew, of which 3 batches have had stalled fermentation.

holiday ale went well, produced 5.1%
amber lager froze in the fridge and only produced 2-3%
nut brown ale stalled at 3%
galaxy pale ale stalled at 3%

obviously I know what happened to the lager, but the two ales I dont get. I used Safale 04 yeast and it sat in the kitchen at room temp for the whole fermentation. I even gave it a stir to kick up the cake at the bottom.

does anybody have any good advice or help for the future

 

[scottatdrake]

Are you aerating well before you pitch the yeast? And double-check your temps.

 

[MalFet]

Grain mash or extract? What were your gravities? Recipe?

 

[EvoV98]

I havent aerated, still a noob and learning. everything i have read for newbies doesnt mention it.

Both extract

Galaxy:

8lb light malt extract

1lb vienna
1lb britsh crystal malt
1lb white wheat

.5oz magnum
1oz galaxy
1oz galaxy
1oz galaxy
2oz galaxy (dryhop havent added yet)

og 1.06

Brown Ale

8lbs light malt extract

8oz crystal
8oz caravienne
4oz victory
4oz chocolate

1oz northern brewer
.5oz northern brewer
.5oz northern brewer

og 1.05

both are partial boils

If I remember right the first batch I brewed I just sprinkled dry yeast right into the wort, worked good. but then I learned about pitching the yeast first, so before I brew I put the dry yeast in warm water and after the wort cools I add some to the mix, wait a while and then add to the wort

 

[MalFet]

A few things:

Aeration is important, and could be a piece of the problem.

Still, that galaxy recipe has a lot of grain. How did you go about steeping it? What were your final gravities?

 

[BlueBrew4721]

I've had 3 stall out between 1.023 and 1.030. Two extract and one all grain. All of them had OG's between 1.050 and 1.055. On the first one I tried everything to get it to finish and nothing worked. I warmed it to 70, roused the yeast, and even added new yeast from a started for another batch. I did not get any additional fermentation from any of this.

It is just now after it happening to two batches I brewed on the same day that I am thinking it may be from inadequate aeration. I'm gonna start shaking the crap out of my wort and work on getting an O2 system. Thanks

 

[samc]

You don't need to aerate for S04, how long did you wait on the rehydration of the yeast before pitching and how warm was the water? I almost always rehydrate, but if the dry pitch worked for you maybe you should stick with it for now. What are your FG numbers? Extracts often finish high and S04 can drop out fast and leave you unfinished if your temps are not correct. Poorly stored or old extract can also effect the final outcome.

Lots to investigate, not an easy answer for you.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

You don't need to aerate for S04,

i don't totally agree with this. i know there's some info about not needing to aerate for dry yeast, but experience tells me otherwise. i always have faster, more vigorous fermentation when aerating, whether using dry or liquid. i think proper aeration is important with either kind of yeast.

 

[samc]

I never noticed a difference so I stopped wasting my Oxygen on dry yeast batches. More importantly I doubt a new brewer needs to focus on something that more than likely is not the cause of his problems. I'd be looking at the fermenting process, temps for example. And how he rehydrated, because if you rehydrate and let it sit too long you wind up wasting all the reserves the yeast have and then Oxygenation does actually become important.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I never noticed a difference so I stopped wasting my Oxygen on dry yeast batches. More importantly I doubt a new brewer needs to focus on something that more than likely is not the cause of his problems. I'd be looking at the fermenting process, temps for example. And how he rehydrated, because if you rehydrate and let it sit too long you wind up wasting all the reserves the yeast have and then Oxygenation does actually become important.

oh for sure. there's probably tons of other factors that could come into play here. i just wouldn't downplay the importance of o2. i wouldn't waste pure o2 on dry either, but i still manually aerate with a wine whip on my drill when using dry. aeration, proper pitch rate, and fermentation temps are all crucial in giving the yeasties the proper environment to make beer.

 

[EvoV98]

well when i rehydrate the yeast the water temp is a warm 90-100, and for the grain I steep it for 30min

 

[Diver165]

Are we getting confused as to what we're aerating? Aerating the yeast while rehydrating yeast is one thing. To be honest I never really thought about it but it certainly wouldn't hurt. But aerating or oxygenation of the wort should always be done regardless of what form of yeast you're using. Its my understanding that boiling the wort really reduces the disolved oxygen content of the wort. By aeration or oxygenation during/after transfer to the fermentation vessel you give that little boost of disolved oxygen for the yeast to get started. So when you do add your yeast there is plenty of oxygen to get started.

Wait...you said you add your yeast at 90-100F???

 

[ThatGuyRyan]

Wait...you said you add your yeast at 90-100F???

It looks like he rehydrated the yeast at 90-100 which is fine, but what temp was the wort at when pitched OP?

 

[Diver165]

It looks like he rehydrated the yeast at 90-100 which is fine, but what temp was the wort at when pitched OP?

OH...ok

 

[ThatGuyRyan]

I don’t think the lack of oxygen is the issue with these. The gravity is not that high and dry yeast should easily be able to ferment these even if he didn’t shake it or hit it with O2. I would suspect it's either bad or improperly stored yeast or the temps were off while proofing the yeast or the wort when pitched. Do you have a reliable thermometer and calibrated properly? I would rouse the yeast, don’t shake it just gently stir it into suspension then raise the temperature to the mid 70's to get things going.

Best of luck!

 

[EvoV98]

thanks everyone I might try warming it up.... I add my yeast to the wort when its down between 75-85 maybe 90

 

[EvoV98]

Just warmed it up and I already see some activity, I mean alot quickly. Thanks again for the help!

 

[MalFet]

thanks everyone I might try warming it up.... I add my yeast to the wort when its down between 75-85 maybe 90

Oof...there's your trouble. Temperature control is critical here. If you pitch that warm and then let the temp fall, your yeast will drop out of active suspension.

 

[ThatGuyRyan]

X2^ 85-90 is too warm for pitching. It depends on what yeast and beer your brewing but in general you want to aim for 70 degrees to pitch an ale yeast.And glad to hear it going again! Let us know how it turns out.

 

[EvoV98]

okay just to make sure here. the temp of the wort should be about 70, but what about the rehydration temp 90 still okay? and do I add it at 90 or let it slowly cool to the temp of the wort?

Side note, I just ordered an aeration system

 

[MalFet]

okay just to make sure here. the temp of the wort should be about 70, but what about the rehydration temp 90 still okay? and do I add it at 90 or let it slowly cool to the temp of the wort?

Side note, I just ordered an aeration system

Rehydration at 90 is fine and dandy, and you don't really need to let it cool but it will in the 15 minutes or so that you let it sit. 70 is really the upper limit for normal ale fermentation, and remember that fermentation is exothermic so it will raise the temperature as much as 5-8 degrees above ambient.