What Are Some Causes for Slow Fermentation?

[PistolaPete]

What Are Some Causes for Slow fermentation? I did a Cooper's Ginger beer kit and after 6-7 days it has only dropped from 1.027 to 1.019. The kit says it should be done by then, although I usually let my beers primary for 2.5 to 3 weeks so I will let it sit longer anyways. I usually do my own recipes and this is the first batch I have ever done as a kit and have never seen the fermentation take so long to drop the gravity. Temps are stable at 68-70F and the only thing I did outside of the kit directions was I rehydrated the yeast in warm, preboiled, bottled spring water instead of just sprinkling it on the wort. I'm not worried since I have plenty of other homebrew to drink for now but I am just curious to what makes a fermenation "slow" since I've never had it happen before.

 

[JonK331]

What was the temp of the "warm" water?

 

[TrubHead]

Hey neighbor PistolaPete - yeast starters get the action going fairly quick from my experience. How long does it usually take for fermentation in your past brews?

 

[PistolaPete]

What was the temp of the "warm" water?

around 100-95F

 

[PistolaPete]

Hey neighbor PistolaPete - yeast starters get the action going fairly quick from my experience. How long does it usually take for fermentation in your past brews?

Hi neighbor TrubHead! I've always used liquid yeast but until recently I didn't follow the proper pitching rates or use starters. Now I make starters w/ a stirplate and the lag time is def shorter and the fermentation is seems more vigorous.

Even when I was just beginning and not using starters I remember bottling after about 7-12 days or whenever the airlock really slowed down and two gravity readings didn't change. Even when I've used dry yeast for wine or cider it is more active than what I am seeing here. With this current kit batch I never really noticed a kreusen form and I find it weird after 6 or 7 days the abv was only at 1%. (it's supposed to finish around 3.5%) There is carbonation and it didn't taste or smell weird so I don't think it's infected. I'm just curious why it seems slower than normal.

 

[TrubHead]

Not that this applies now but is there information on what the ingredients are and what temps "mashed" in kits?

 

[PistolaPete]

It was a Cooper's Ginger Beer kit. Like most of these types of kits what you do is add the canned extract kit to hot water and add more sugar, in this case 2.2 lbs of white sugar. (I know DME is better but I wanted to follow the directions to see how it came out.) You then top off with cold water and pitch yeast. That's it.