Stuck fermentation... I think.

[arrup85]

Hello all!

This is my first post as I am new to the forum (well I have been reading a lot) and I am new to homebrewing. Just finished brewing our fourth batch of beer on Saturday (6/27/15) using Northern Brewer’s Sierra Madre Pale Ale kit. We opted for the liquid yeast (Wyeast 1056) and did not make a starter. What’s wrong is that I am really surprised at the bubbling I am getting through the airlock on our primary bucket. It was in the basement at around 60 degrees with a blow off setup and it didn’t seem to be bubbling at all (72 hours in). We then moved the fermenter into the garage (~64 degrees) and put on a standard airlock. Still no bubbling, but the water has moved over to one side. I was thinking of adding a packet of dry yeast (Safale US-05) to speed things along. However, when I drew off a sample from the spigot to take a specific gravity reading, I found that it is at 1.022 (OG 1.046). What’s going on? Could this slow fermentation be a result of underpitching by not making a starter? Is there something I should do to speed things along? Or should I just leave it be? I’m worried fermentation might just stop completely or that we may get off flavors in the beer if we do nothing.

 

[Vamptrump]

Never rely on airlock activity as an indicator of fermentation. Given that you've dropped to 1.022 you clearly have fermentation going. More than likely you just have a leak somewhere. Are you using a carboy, bucket, or something else? If a bucket, then it's more likely that there is a leak in the seal on your lid. Not a big deal though.

 

[arrup85]

Just smelled around the lid. Hmm... there is a sweet smelling spot. Pulled up the lid on that side to reset the seal. I'll keep you updated. Thanks!