Puzzled.....stuck fermentation?

[Steveo_55]

Hey fellas,


This is my first post but I have been searching about my problem but have not come across any answers.....

I brewed a batch of beer last weekend and after I pitched the yeast the beer started fermentation about 12 hours later. fast forward a week and it seems like fermentation has stopped. My OG was 1.062 and yesterday I tested the gravity again and it is 1.045. My question is, is there anyway to start fermentation again? I tried to pitch more yeast but it seems like nothing is happening?


Any help would be greatly appreciated!

BTW, this fourm is great, there seems to be a ton of info!

 

[snipper_cr]

Greetings and welcome to the boards! Also, say good bye to a lot of free time with this extremely addicting hobby!

My first question would be how do you know it has stopped? Going off bubbles? Most people here are going to say wait a few more days and check the gravity again. If it is still at 1.045 then you probably do have stuck fermentation. If not, the yeasties are doing what they do best!

The other possibility is not enough aeration before you pitched. The start of fermentation requires lots of O2 in solution for the yeasties to get started. A 1.062 is a bit bigger beer for most yeast viles... did you make a starter? What yeast did you use? In fact, why not post the whole recipe. That might help find the culprit.

 

[Steveo_55]

I was trying to make a brown ale, the recipe I used was:

6.5 Lb of pale DME
1/2 Lb of Crystal malt
1/4 Lb of Chocolate malt
5.5 Gal of water
3/4 oz of Nugget
2 oz. of Williamette

2 packs of Cooper's Ale dry yeast (rehydrated, used a small starter too)

I'm thinking it is stuck because there is no krausen and no bubbles. I'm thinking that the culprit may be not enough aeration but at this point that knowledge can only help me with future brews. Is there anything I can do to save this batch?

 

[justinh85]

Aeration is key. If you are doing a partial boil, aggressively shake the 2 or so gallons of water you already have in your primary fermentation bucket...that should add suffecient O2 to the water when you pitch the cooled wort.

 

[justinh85]

That is also sounding like it will have a high OG. What strand of cooper's yeast is that? If you don't have the right yeast for a high grav beer, it will have a hard time adapting to the habitat.

 

[beerkrump]

Rouse those little buggers and warm'em up.

Before trying anything drastic, give your fermenter a spin (move it around to get the yeast into of suspension and off the bottom) and warm it up (70° F, or so, should do).

 

[Steveo_55]

This is my 4th brew and I've always follow John Palmer's guidelines for extract brewing. This problem has happened to my last 2 brews (including this one) unfortunately, the other one was bottled before I checked the hydrometer (Newbie mistake, doh!)

Boil 2 gal, cool, add to primary
Make wort
Shake 2 gal. like hell
pitch starter
add wort aggressively

I'm sure what strain of yeast it was.....just the Coopers ale dry yeast in the gold packets.

 

[Steveo_55]

Since there has hardly been any fermentation, would aerating and pitching new yeast into a new primary help or ruin the beer?

 

[ChshreCat]

What temp has it been sitting at? I agree that you should just give it a gentle swirl to get some yeast up into suspension and warm it up closer to 70F if it's been down in the low 60's. (Sorry, I don't know how to convert to your funny Canadian temperatures. )

 

[Steveo_55]

I had it around 65 for the first week then I moved it upstairs and it is now been at 70 for 3 days. I've tried giving it a swirl but it seems hard to do without shaking everything up...I'm wishing I had used a bucket rather than a glass carboy.

 

[ChshreCat]

It doesn't take much. Just take the neck of the carboy and move it in a small circle. that'll be enough to get the beer swirling a bit. You're not looking at stirring everything up, just a gentle swirl to get the yeast on the top of the cake floating again. Then ignore it for a few days.

 

[Steveo_55]

ok thanks, I'll try that and report back with some good news...hopefully

Will the extra time in the primary be ok?

 

[ChshreCat]

People on here primary for months with some beers. I go a minimum of 3 weeks on mine, no matter what I'm making. Longer with some. You're just fine.