Just repitched wlp002

[mufflerbearing]

I am making a brown ale and my FG stopped at 1.026. It fermed for 2.5 weeks but never got down to 1.016 where it should be. So two days ago I repitched the WLP002. I haven't seen much action in the airlock. how long should wait before I go ahead and call it? My ABV will be 4.9 it smells glorious being right at 4.9% I wait and just call it?

 

[mufflerbearing]

I am making a brown ale and my FG stopped at 1.026. It fermed for 2.5 weeks but never got down to 1.016 where it should be. So two days ago I repitched the WLP002. I haven't seen much action in the airlock. how long should wait before I go ahead and call it? My ABV will be 4.9 it smells glorious being right at 4.9% I wait and just call it?

Sorry for the last line....my phone would not show what was being typed. Thanks!

 

[TipsyDragon]

An airlock is a pressure release valve not a fermentation indicator. Give it a week then check the SG.

 

[mufflerbearing]

Got it. I have just never had to pitch 2x so I did mot know how long I needed to let it do its thing. Also I do not have another cake to rack on.

 

[phuff7129]

What is the ambient temperature where you are fermenting? If it is too cool it could stop fermentation also if there are temperature swings that can cause it to stall out. If these are the reasons it stalled then it might not start again unless you warm it up. As the bulk of fermentation is completed I would warm it up to 68-70 degrees which should help it finish out. Warm it up and then give it a week and check the gravity and see where you are at.

If you did this all grain you could have mashed too high and have a lot of unfermentable sugars in it which could cause it to stall out at 1.026. If that is what happened there might not be much you can do.

 

[mufflerbearing]

It has fermented at 68 to 70 the entire time. Also my mash was pretty much right on. I Have moved it to a room where it can ferment around 71 to 72 tops To try and finish up. No big deal if if I am only at 5% ABV I am sure it will be good. It could be worse But it will still end up as beer.

 

[BigFloyd]

Just to be sure, you're getting the 1.026 with a hydrometer (not a refractometer), right?

How much 002 did you initially pitch? If you didn't do a starter, it's an under-pitch which can result in a failure to fully attenuate. Also, if you pitched a new vial the second time (no starter), you probably won't get any benefit from that at all. A re-pitch at this stage needs to be with a starter at high krausen.

WLP002 (and 1968ESB) forms a very, very firm cake when it drops that's nearly impossible to rouse by swirling, so you have to try plan B. Sanitize a long plastic or metal spoon and very gently(no splashing) work the cake up off the bottom. Give it another week after that and hope for the best.

Can you keg this batch? I'd be a bit hesitant about bottling it. The yeast can get going on the simple priming sugar and maybe start back into what they missed before.

Did you check the accuracy of your mash thermometer? I once had one (a floater) that was 7*F off.

 

[mufflerbearing]

I did not use a starter either time. I talked to a guy at my LHBS (BW) and he said to just stir and pour. It is with a hydro. I will keg this.

 

[BigFloyd]

I did not use a starter either time. I talked to a guy at my LHBS (BW) and he said to just stir and pour.

Well, the guy at the LHBS gave you some bad yeast advice (which is, unfortunately, not all that uncommon). I'm guessing that he didn't bother to tell you about the need to aerate/oxygenate the wort really well if using liquid yeast either. That significant of an under-pitch and low dissolved O2 is are potential culprits of the FG stalling at 1.026.

It is with a hydro. I will keg this.

Good call. I brewed a batch of coffee porter (mashed at 154) not too long ago. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, so I rehydrated and pitched S-04 on it. It stuck at 1.026 even though it was plenty of yeast and I precisely control the temps. Warming and spooning up the cake got me to 1.024. Hitting it with an active starter made with freshly harvested S-04 (from a cider) got it to 1.022, but that was it. I had wanted to bottle it to give several away for Christmas, but that one instead went into a corny and is cold lagering while waiting for an open tap in the keezer.

 

[dinnerstick]

it seems that when the fullers yeast (002/1968) quits, it stays quit, and adding a new pack that's not actively fermenting isn't likely to help. i find warming helps it ferment out but in my hands has never succeeded in waking up a stalled fullers fermentation. you might be better off trying a yeast with a more hard line work ethic, a pack of dry s05 for example, the dry yeast being ready to ferment as is, ie- it's forced to build up glycogen and sterol reserves before drying, whereas the liquid yeast really needs a head start to get going first (hence bigfloyd's claim of bad advice on the no starter recommendation). with the initial growth the english yeast will have imparted its 'english thing' to a large extent (ie. specific esters) and the cal ale yeast might just help it finish up. but i stress the word 'might'. alternatively i do think that making some of that yeast into a starter and adding that back is more likely to work, if you can be bothered to siphon some off the bottom and get ~a liter of starter wort fermenting.
anyways if you're not pitching another strain you will have some nice cheap yeast ready to harvest for your next batch

 

[mufflerbearing]

Well my sg is getting a little lower. A am now at 1.024 and as I was checking the sg I saw bubbles coming up thru the beer. I am hoping the 04 is slowly working. I am thinking give it 5 more days and move it to the keg. I should be at 5% and all that will happen will be that the beer will have a little more sweetness and less abv than is was set to have right? Also my airlock has started showing activity again, That could be a good sign right?

 

[BigFloyd]

If this is going to the keg, I wouldn't worry about it. You can simply give it the 5 more days in the primary, cold crash another 5 days (if you have the means to get it down below 40*F), keg it, gas it up and enjoy.

 

[mufflerbearing]

I will say I have this at 70-71 and this brown is going to town. 4-5 bubbles out the lock about 20-30 seconds apart. Who knows whats going on in there. 4 more days and I will crash it and keg.

 

[mufflerbearing]

UPDATE. After stirring one more time and keeping it at 71-72 I have reached 1.020. 2-3 more days and then a crash and keg. Thanks for all y'all's advice.

 

[mufflerbearing]

Well it is Sunday and I repitched last Sunday. Just got another reading and we are at 1.013 and looks to be close to done. Was aiming for 1.016 don't know what will be different about it being a little lower than expected.