Stuck fermentation? feel like a noob again...

[Dr_Deathweed]

Brewed this on 10/26

Oatmeal Stout III


Batch Size: 11.00 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
OG 1.060

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
18.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 70.59 %
3.00 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 11.76 %
2.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 7.84 %
1.00 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 3.92 %
1.00 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 3.92 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 1.96 %
4.00 oz Williamette [5.40 %] (60 min) Hops 29.4 IBU
2.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
2 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-)


Split the batch with a friend, I don't know how his batch finished out since they left town for the holidays. I have been wanting to bottle this batch so I checked the FG 11/23 and it was 1.030. Decided that was high so I agitated the yeast cake a bit and let it sit to today. Get everything ready to bottle again, but the gravity is still at 1.030.

My options are:

1)bottle as normal, risk bottle bombs in case it is not completely done fermenting

2)bottle, but cut the priming sugar

3) re-pitch yeast and give it another few weeks

4) it tastes great, so just RDWHAHB and keg the damn thing

I am personally leaning toward #4, but just wanted to get some feedback from anyone else that has had a high FG after 2 months.

EDIT: Mashed at 156 for 45 minutes. I know this + the crystal + the cara-pils will leave more unfermentables, but 1.030 still seems really high to me.

 

[ol' rummie]

You should still be at around 4% abv.
What temp. is it sitting at now?

 

[Evan!]

Yeah, that's way, way too sweet. You're forgetting option #5, which is the ONLY one that works for me, and that is to pitch on another cake from another batch. I'm telling you, it's worked like a charm for me 4 or 5 times. Had a saison finish at 1.018, dumped it onto a witbier cake, dropped it to 1.011 in a few days.

So just put it in the corner and forget about it. Brew a british bitter. once it's done, rack it to secondary and then rack the oatie stout onto that cake. I'll be willing to bet you drop at least another 10 points.

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

Yeah, that's way, way too sweet. You're forgetting option #5, which is the ONLY one that works for me, and that is to pitch on another cake from another batch. I'm telling you, it's worked like a charm for me 4 or 5 times. Had a saison finish at 1.018, dumped it onto a witbier cake, dropped it to 1.011 in a few days.

So just put it in the corner and forget about it. Brew a british bitter. once it's done, rack it to secondary and then rack the oatie stout onto that cake. I'll be willing to bet you drop at least another 10 points.

I like that plan. I have a hobgoblin clone thats about ready to be racked using notty, I will give that a shot! If I get flavors from the hobgoblin in the stout, thats just awesome on awesome, I can live with that

Edit: sitting at 65F

 

[Alemental]

Racking on to a yeast cake; what a good idea Evan! A boatload of active yeast, and it costs nothing extra. A win/win deal. I'll file that idea away for future use.

 

[brown_dog_us]

I've never thought of racking onto another cake, but I have poured about a quart of slurry in to a stuck batch. It fermented out in a few days, but I had to wait for another week for it to clear.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Oats Over Goblin. Think you have a name for it now, too.

 

[vtbeerman]

Racking onto another yeast cake has worked for me. I tried nearly everything one time and that was the only thing that worked.

 

[Pete08]

Oats Over Goblin. Think you have a name for it now, too.

Or Gobs of Oats.

 

[Dr_Deathweed]

Update:

Well, checked it again today after racking to a yeast cake back on 12-22. The gravity has dropped to a whopping 1.028! I think this one is destined for the keg... It tastes great, but I don't think I will trust this one in bottles.

 

[nate0075]

Hey just one more thought. I JUST got done bottling a Sammy Smith Oatmeal stout and it got sutck as well. I figured you had tried this, but I still wanted to throw this out there. I moved the carboy to my closet where there's a very unecessary heating duct. It gets nice and toasty in there (72ish when the rest of the house is around 68). Gave it a shake and it kicked back up again, dropped it from 1.024 to 1.013 which was perfect. I find its VERY hard to mantain the temp in this cold weather so my yeast is prone to going dormant mid fermentation. Just a thought!