What Should I Do??

[YankeesHomeBrew]

Ok here's the deal... I have Brewers Best's Irish Stout extract kit in my fermenter right now. Here's the link, Irish Stout

My OG was 1.050, and after 1 week my fermentation stopped at 1.032... I've read different things about stuck fermentations but have never experienced one myself.

Should I try to swirl it around a lot and airaid it since there's still more than 50% of the sugar in it? Should I repitch it with the same dry yeast? Should I repitch it with a liquid yeast?

 

[Biobrewer]

What was your pitch rate? Did you make a starter? What was the fermentation temperature? What was your pitching temperature? Did you oxygenate well?

If your yeast was not healthy and you didn't make a starter, that is a really common cause. It's also only been 7 days, so, perhaps give it a little time.

 

[dawgman]

what was the mash temp?

 

[YankeesHomeBrew]

I did not make a starter, as this beer isn't a high gravity beer. I just followed the instructions on the pack of yeast, putting it in room temp water, waiting a bit then giving it a slow stir.

I'm almost 100% sure the reason it stopped was temperature durring fermentation. I'm in the process of buliding a new chamber and had to ferment this batch without a chamber. My temperature has been all over the place between 62-78. Trying to keep it at an even 70 is hard without a chamber like I'm used to...

As for the mash temp... well this was an extract kit, so there was no mashing...

 

[YankeesHomeBrew]

Nobody has any input on how I should get this batch restarted?

 

[jaynik]

Try pitching some dry yeast and see if it gets it going.

I normally try shaking the fermenter if it gets stuck. Cheap and easy first step.

 

[mcwilcr]

Nobody has any input on how I should get this batch restarted?

Patience is a virtue in brewing and posting questions.

My first suggestion would be to gentely stir up your fermenter to get the yeast back in suspension but try to be careful not to slosh too much. Also, you can try to move it to a warmer part of the house. If that's not an option wrap a towl or winter coat around the fermenter to try and bring up and stabilize the temperature. I wouldn't recommend aerating the wort at this point if it can be avoided. Give it another week if there is still no further fermentation you can pitch more yeast but I recommend using the same strain that the recipe calls for.