Why is my fermentation so slow?

[brewbuddynick]

Greetings Brewing Enthusiasts,

Embarking on my inaugural journey into crafting an American amber ale has been an exciting venture. With an initial gravity reading of 1.057, fermentation kicked off approximately 36 hours later. Employing the reliable US-05 yeast, I adhered to the manufacturer's guidelines by rehydrating the yeast before pitching.

However, I've observed a slightly slower fermentation pace than my previous experiences with US-05, currently progressing at 4 gravity points per day, as monitored by the Rapt pill.

Now, I find myself at a crossroads and would greatly appreciate your insights. Should I exercise patience and allow the fermentation process to unfold naturally? Is it advisable to consider a slight increase in temperature, perhaps by 1 or 2 degrees Celsius?

Additionally, I have a packet of Verdant IPA yeast at my disposal. Would it be fine to introduce this yeast into the mix, potentially reviving the fermentation?

Your expertise and suggestions will be amazing to hear

 

[Stikius]

It does seem a bit slow, but nothing extreme if you ask me. As long as there is some progress I wouldn't do anything (if you are not very thirsty and need to have it finished fast). If it slows down even more I would try to rouse it and maybe raise temp 1 or 2 Celsius.
What was your mash temp?

 

[brewbuddynick]

It does seem a bit slow, but nothing extreme if you ask me. As long as there is some progress I wouldn't do anything (if you are not very thirsty and need to have it finished fast). If it slows down even more I would try to rouse it and maybe raise temp 1 or 2 Celsius.
What was your mash temp?

Thank you.
Mash temp was at 66.7C for an hour and did a mash out before sparging at 75.6C

 

[Stikius]

Sounds good I was afraid you mashed to hot and that there were more or less only unfermentable sugars, but that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[brewbuddynick]

Sounds good I was afraid you mashed to hot and that there were more or less only unfermentable sugars, but that shouldn't be a problem.

Could it also be that i under pithced the yeast, just did a calculation if i needed a yeast starter. I was 120 billion yeast cells of. I could add another pack and reintroduce some oxygen to the wort.

 

[Stikius]

If fermentation stops you could possibly do that. But during the past 4-5 days it should have built up enough cells to progress by itself. As long as there is activity I would just wait it out, or possibly shake it up a bit (without exposing it to oxygen). But on the other hand I almost always leave the beer in the FV 14 days even if it's ready in 5. Patience is a virtue

If you are in a hurry someone else might be able to step in and provide advice on how to speed things up though.

 

[SFC Rudy]

Let the yeast do its job.

 

[tracer bullet]

Agreed to let it go. It is fermenting and that's about all you can ask for.

You can increase the temps, yes. I sometimes do a degree a day until I hit something like 70, maybe 72F. It might help it go a little faster or for longer. That's the conventional wisdom anyhow, I haven't actually tested it.

You could also pitch additional yeast, but I don't think you actually need to.

There's also a chance your measurements aren't quite right. Is anything built up on it? does it read 1.000 in straight water?

 

[hotbeer]

Employing the reliable US-05 yeast, I adhered to the manufacturer's guidelines by rehydrating the yeast before pitching.

What temperature was the water or wort that you rehydrated it in? They recommend 25 to 29°C (77°F to 84°F).

Blue line is temperature of the beer? Are you doing any active cooling or is the FV where ambient temperature is very cool? You are cooler by a few degrees than where I ferment which is 20°C. In fact the ambient temperature is 20°C and I don't use any direct cooling or heating for the FV. Usually when US-05 kicks off for me, the temps briefly go to 23 - 24° C for a brief time then return to almost ambient. And I don't see that on your graph. So that's why I wonder if you actively cool it.

I use US-05 quite a bit. It's slow to kick off, but never that slow for me. Usually less than 18 hours. However I direct pitch which is also one of their guidelines. Older advice on their website tended to make rehydrating seem like the preferred thing, but more and more they and other dry yeast makers now seem to be showing more favor toward direct pitching.

 

[brewbuddynick]

Agreed to let it go. It is fermenting and that's about all you can ask for.

You can increase the temps, yes. I sometimes do a degree a day until I hit something like 70, maybe 72F. It might help it go a little faster or for longer. That's the conventional wisdom anyhow, I haven't actually tested it.

You could also pitch additional yeast, but I don't think you actually need to.

There's also a chance your measurements aren't quite right. Is anything built up on it? does it read 1.000 in straight water?

It is still going steady, upped the temperature by a degree and it seemed to do the trick.
The pil is reading good in straight water, but have to do some good calibration for higher gravity.
But i can see if fermentation is going slow or completly stalled.

 

[brewbuddynick]

What temperature was the water or wort that you rehydrated it in? They recommend 25 to 29°C (77°F to 84°F).

Blue line is temperature of the beer? Are you doing any active cooling or is the FV where ambient temperature is very cool? You are cooler by a few degrees than where I ferment which is 20°C. In fact the ambient temperature is 20°C and I don't use any direct cooling or heating for the FV. Usually when US-05 kicks off for me, the temps briefly go to 23 - 24° C for a brief time then return to almost ambient. And I don't see that on your graph. So that's why I wonder if you actively cool it.

I use US-05 quite a bit. It's slow to kick off, but never that slow for me. Usually less than 18 hours. However I direct pitch which is also one of their guidelines. Older advice on their website tended to make rehydrating seem like the preferred thing, but more and more they and other dry yeast makers now seem to be showing more favor toward direct pitching.

The temperature was around 25 degrees when i rehydrated.
Correct the blue line is the temperature, it is a little chilly where it is standing at the moment but can do active cooling and heating.
After i increased the temperature it seemed to be going a little quicker.

 

[redrocker652002]

I am a bit late to the party, but will just say what others already have. If it is still going let it be. I use s05 quite a bit, and if I remember correctly, it is a slower start and takes a while, but as I have learned in the time I have been doing this, patience is a virtue. Let it do it's thing, don't mess with it for at least 2 weeks, that is what I have done in the past. And check the gravity once or twice after that and see when it stabilizes. Once it does that, you still have to package and wait for carbonation. I am still trying to get my timing right so that I always have something at the ready. Keep updating, and enjoy the process.