how long can a stuck fermenting beer last?

[shimpiphany]

i've had a beer (brown ale) stuck for about a month. i'm waiting for a second beer (pub ale) to finish primary so i can rack the brown ale onto the pub ale yeast cake.

how much will the brown ale suffer? it was stuck at 1.028 for about a week, and started up again for two days, then stalled out at 1.022.

is it even worth trying to revive at this point?

 

[carnevoodoo]

Sure. The yeast you're dumping it onto is still totally viable. If there's more sugar for it to eat, it will eat. You'll be fine.

 

[smmcdermott]

I have heard this is the best method for stuck fermentation, unfortunately, I have never been able to try it, so I don't know for sure.

But as carnevoodoo said, you will be fine. A month is not long at all in primary.

 

[RedGlass]

Any chance of reviving the brown ale in the meantime with a little swirling and warmer temps? As the other posts have said, you'll be fine to wait and transfer it over...but sometimes just a little light agitation is enough to get the yeast unstuck...

 

[shimpiphany]

i already tried the swirling and warming, and it started up again nicely and then just petered out, and is stuck again. so i'm going to try to go with the yeast cake method.

good advice, tho.

Any chance of reviving the brown ale in the meantime with a little swirling and warmer temps? As the other posts have said, you'll be fine to wait and transfer it over...but sometimes just a little light agitation is enough to get the yeast unstuck...