Is primary done or stalled??

dawn_kiebawls · Sep 11, 2017

I recently brewed a spiced raspberry saison and pitched a single smack pack WY3724 at ~65F. Fermentation started in about 12 hours and I let it sit for 11 days at ~73F. My OG came in low at 1.042 but my FG was only 1.012, which seems like low attenuation...

I added 2lbs of raspberries which will get the fermentation going again, and I'm going to add 2 more lbs today. Should I kick the temp up to ~80F and hope that gets the yeast more active, or will it just not be as dry as standard saisons and a little sweeter? Thanks for all the help guys and gals! I really want to avoid grenades at all cost!

Jimbodaman · Sep 11, 2017

I would add the raspberries, wait a week, check to make sure the FG has stabilized, then bottle. I don't see why 80F would be much different than 73F. It doubt a 1.012 vs 1.009 FG would be noticeable so RDWHAHB. If you did an all grain batch try mashing at a lower temp, say 145F for 90 min next time that will produce a more fermentable wort hence lower FG. If you used extract 1.012 is about as low as you can expect to go. Cheers

rhys333 · Sep 11, 2017

3724 has a tendency to stall out and then creep down the last few points over a couple weeks. The best thing to do is to let it ride for 5-6 weeks the first time you brew with it, and then harvest the slurry. 2nd gen onward, it ferments out really fast.

Since you've added fruit, it may not the best idea to let it sit for an extended period of time. Instead, you can pitch 3711 or Belle Saison to bring the gravity down quickly.

dawn_kiebawls · Sep 11, 2017

Jimbodaman said:
I don't see why 80F would be much different than 73F. It doubt a 1.012 vs 1.009 FG would be noticeable so RDWHAHB

Thanks for the quick response! I'll get the rest of the berries in today and just make sure its stabilized before bottling. To add a little extra information, it was a 5 gallon, AG batch. I did a single infusion mash at 150 for 80 minutes with a batch sparge at 170. I'll try a lower mash temp next time.

It sounds like its as done as it will get, though. Thanks for the reassurance! I need to get this bottled ASAP (when finished..) as I am fresh out of home-brew!

dawn_kiebawls · Sep 11, 2017

rhys333 said:
3724 has a tendency to stall out and then creep down the last few points over a couple weeks.

In the future, could this be avoided by making a starter? I planned on making one but ran out of time and had to go with just pitching a smack pack. Thanks again!

rhys333 · Sep 11, 2017

dawn_kiebawls said:
In the future, could this be avoided by making a starter? I planned on making one but ran out of time and had to go with just pitching a smack pack. Thanks again!

No, not really. It needs to get used to brewing 5 gallons in your brewing environment. Worth the pain though, if you like 3724.

dawn_kiebawls · Sep 13, 2017

*UPDATE*

I added the rest of the berries Monday and put my primary vessel in a warm water bath and brought the temp up to 81F. I gently agitated the bucket to try and re-suspend some yeast and for the last 36 hours the airlock has been steadily burping along. I will check gravity on Sunday and report back, hopefully its lower than it was prior to berry additions! Thanks again guys

Is primary done or stalled??

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