I've been making wine for 15yrs about a year ago I decided to make beer (because I love and appreciate beer just as much as wine) so I did my research (I purchased John Palmer's book and trolled forums). I have plenty of equipment so I made two different beers a Hefeweizen and a American Pale Ale (Malt extract because I'm a noob). Its been 7 Days and 7 refractometer readings later and the Hefe is doing great the Ale has stalled to roughly 3% alcohol. I used White labs California ale yeast should I re-pitch yeast? I used a starter for both batches so I'm a little confused as to why it stalled (both are stored in temp controlled wine cellar).
Some Advise for a Noob
- Thread starter Magee
- Start date
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Try aerating it first. Just shake it like crazy for a couple of minutes and see if it doesn't start back up in a day or so. If not, you could add yeast nutrient, or repitch. What temp are you fermenting at?
If you make wine, you realize that refractometer readings are useless when it comes to Fg without the correction for alcohol in the liquid.
I'd suggest taking a hydrometer reading to check it. If you have a SG under 1.020, the beer is done.
Please don't aerate, shake, or otherwise oxidize the beer!
Thank you for the responses....Temp is 65F........Yep took a hydrometer reading this morning Hefe is at 1.011 the Ale right around 1.022. I'll wait out the weekend and take another reading Sunday night. If its still at 1.020 should I pitch yeast again? I was using the Refractometer spread sheet provided on morebeer.com so I had a start reading of 11.1 - 1.044 O.G. and have been consistent(2days) at at 7.7 - 1.022 O.G.
BelgianKing
Well-Known Member
+1 Yooper. I agree with you 100%
Even though the gravity readings maybe consistent for a few days I would still leave the beers in the primary for at least another week if not 2. After fermentation is complete the yeast still needs time to clean up the mess they have left behind. I always go 3 weeks in primary for my ales regardless of consistent hydrometer readings. I didnt establish this technique until after my first 2 batches and my beer has become way better.
I wouldnt re-pitch any yeast on the ale. The SG will continue to drop and try not to open the fermenter too much cause you may get something in there that is unwanted. At 7 days of fermentation, the beer is still fermenting at a slow pace. It could be on its last stage and it usually goes slower. Just give it a week and take another gravity reading. You will be happy with the results. Cheers!
Even though the gravity readings maybe consistent for a few days I would still leave the beers in the primary for at least another week if not 2. After fermentation is complete the yeast still needs time to clean up the mess they have left behind. I always go 3 weeks in primary for my ales regardless of consistent hydrometer readings. I didnt establish this technique until after my first 2 batches and my beer has become way better.
I wouldnt re-pitch any yeast on the ale. The SG will continue to drop and try not to open the fermenter too much cause you may get something in there that is unwanted. At 7 days of fermentation, the beer is still fermenting at a slow pace. It could be on its last stage and it usually goes slower. Just give it a week and take another gravity reading. You will be happy with the results. Cheers!
Thanks for the advise I planned on leaving both in the primary for a month and then straight to bottles after. I’ve actually been taking readings by removing the airlock and using a thief. I think I need to be a little more patient.
rico567
Well-Known Member
Brewing is a valuable pastime for a number of reasons, not least being that we live in a society where instant gratification is seen as a "norm," and is blasted at us in all public media.
Two things I've learned (and they are interrelated) in the four years I've been homebrewing that aren't specifically about making beer:
1. Patience makes things better.
2. A pipeline make patience easier.
The changes I've made to facilitate these things are to drop the usual recommendations for fermentation and go to a 3-4 week primary, then (for most beer) straight to the bottle. Then, I've rearranged my basement for more efficient use of space, installed more shelving so that I have room for about 8 batches of beer. All the pressures that used to push me to do things too early have now disappeared. There are also fringe benefits, a good example being that the additional storage space for finished beer allows me to brew during those seasons of the year that are more conducive to the activity. Around here, brewing in high Summer or dead of Winter = not fun.
Two things I've learned (and they are interrelated) in the four years I've been homebrewing that aren't specifically about making beer:
1. Patience makes things better.
2. A pipeline make patience easier.
The changes I've made to facilitate these things are to drop the usual recommendations for fermentation and go to a 3-4 week primary, then (for most beer) straight to the bottle. Then, I've rearranged my basement for more efficient use of space, installed more shelving so that I have room for about 8 batches of beer. All the pressures that used to push me to do things too early have now disappeared. There are also fringe benefits, a good example being that the additional storage space for finished beer allows me to brew during those seasons of the year that are more conducive to the activity. Around here, brewing in high Summer or dead of Winter = not fun.
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