Hi All - I've just gotten into home brewing in the last few months and every time it takes about 4-5 weeks for the primary fermentation to complete. I've brewed 4 batches and each time is a Brooklyn Brew mix. The first three that I've tasted so far have been great, so I know I'm doing it somewhat right, but it just seems odd that it's taking 4-5 weeks to reach FG. The mix instructions all say 2 weeks to ferment before moving to bottles, but I know from reading these forums it's best to wait 3 weeks. I take SG readings every 3-5 days after 2 weeks and every batch I get lower readings until about 5 weeks in when the readings are stable. My OG on all batches is where I expect it, I ferment between 68-72 degrees and I know I keep stable temps as I have on-demand temp readings from a thermometer I place next to the carboy (actually 2 thermometers to be sure!). Is the 4-5 weeks in primary unusual or am I just another newbie being impatient? Thanks for the help!
5 weeks to complete primary fermentation - normal?
- Thread starter akuntz1
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yeah 4-5 weeks is a LONG time...
i get a complete ferment in usually 4 days, to 1.000 from 1.067.....
(1.000 FG isn't normal, i add enzymes)
i get a complete ferment in usually 4 days, to 1.000 from 1.067.....
(1.000 FG isn't normal, i add enzymes)
dawn_kiebawls
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I agree, 4-5 weeks is a long time to hit FG.
What yeast are you using? It would almost make sense if you were using a liquid yeast WAY past its best-by date, but since it's a kit I'm assuming it's dry.
What recipes have you been making? I don't think it matters much, I'm just trying to gather info.
What yeast are you using? It would almost make sense if you were using a liquid yeast WAY past its best-by date, but since it's a kit I'm assuming it's dry.
What recipes have you been making? I don't think it matters much, I'm just trying to gather info.
I'm using the dry yeast from the Brooklyn Brew Shop mix which are all nowhere near expiration. (I tried to link to the Brooklyn Brew website but it wouldn't let me post).
From what I've read before it shouldn't make a difference but I do live at elevation
From what I've read before it shouldn't make a difference but I do live at elevation
I'm using the dry yeast from the Brooklyn Brew Shop mix which are all nowhere near expiration. (I tried to link to the Brooklyn Brew website but it wouldn't let me post).
From what I've read before it shouldn't make a difference but I do live at elevation
From what I've read before it shouldn't make a difference but I do live at elevation
Damn i didn't say Welcome! 
i just know, you reminded me i have a brew that had a OG of 1.070 that i brewed on 7-19-20...and i'll double check first, but i should get it into kegs allready.....
i just know, you reminded me i have a brew that had a OG of 1.070 that i brewed on 7-19-20...and i'll double check first, but i should get it into kegs allready.....
yeah i do too, we really need to get your turn over time quicker......you goin' to be drinkin' a lot!!
what the gravity at first check? how much does it continue to go down? do you spin the hydro first?
Depends on the brew, but the last one was 1.056 OG. 7 days in 1.018, 14 days in 1.017, 21 days in 1.015, 26 days in 1.013, 31 days in 1.012, 35 days in 1.012, and this one is still bubbling
The one before that was 1.070 OG, 10 days in 1.018, 24 days in 1.017, 32 days in 1.013.
I take multiple hydro readings and even refractometer readings each time to double check. Yes I spin the hydro
what yeast is this? could be one that breaks down longer dextrins over time...forget what @RPh_Guy calls them, he could help you.... 
edit: but for the time being i'll just say, those are perfectly fine final gravities...and 1.001 difference....is minor.....and you can try and add my favorite enzyme gluco-amylase you'd have 1.000 in 4-6 days.........(some yeast do the same thing naturally, but slowly)
edit: but for the time being i'll just say, those are perfectly fine final gravities...and 1.001 difference....is minor.....and you can try and add my favorite enzyme gluco-amylase you'd have 1.000 in 4-6 days.........(some yeast do the same thing naturally, but slowly)
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in beer the only reason they don't all finish at 1.000 or less is dextrins, some yeast are capable of breaking them down slowly.....and your FG readings would seem like maybe that's what's happening.....
So I guess I'll just have to be patient for the foreseeable future...or switch up my yeast
hmmm, no i think Rph_Guy will tell you about gravity readings like that before your next batch.......
edit: or like i said you could get gluco-amylase and get 1.000, no mater what yeast you use....
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I've had darker beers (porters/stouts), beers with English yeasts, and higher gravity beers, take longer times than simple lighter grain bills, lower starting gravities (1.045, 1.040), and non-English yeasts. I noticed better, more consistent process overall when I took care to do everything the same along the way. And using liquid yeast, temp control, building starters, aeration with O2; all helped. But do the same thing all the time and you'll at least know what to expect and I wouldn't fret too much about the time. Yeast really don't know much about this human creation of "time" anyway. They're gonna do what they do when they do it.
BrewnWKopperKat
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What dry yeast strain(s) are you using?
I'm not 100% sure as the Brooklyn Brew Shop mixes do not specify the yeast strain that comes with their mix, but some googling indicates at least the IPA I brewed used US-05.
BrewnWKopperKat
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Apparently, some dry yeast strains can (but not always) be slow finishing up those last couple of gravity (M44 anecdotal, US-05 chart). So working with a known yeast strain would certainly help with troubleshooting.
FWIW, with dry yeast strains, I find that Nottingham ferments similar (in flavors) to M44/US-05, but I find it's faster than either M44 or US-05.
Consider giving Nottingham (or US-05) a try in place of a generic American Ale yeast. If it's an generic English yeast, S-04 would be worth considering so that you're brewing with a known strain of yeast.
FWIW, with dry yeast strains, I find that Nottingham ferments similar (in flavors) to M44/US-05, but I find it's faster than either M44 or US-05.
Consider giving Nottingham (or US-05) a try in place of a generic American Ale yeast. If it's an generic English yeast, S-04 would be worth considering so that you're brewing with a known strain of yeast.
Are you rehydrating the dry yeast, and are you oxygenating your wort?
(Before anyone chimes in with "you don't have to do that with dry yeast", yes I'm aware of the newer data on dry yeast).
If the answer is no to either of those, try em and see if they don't speed em up.
5 weeks is a very long time. With most beers you should be at FG in 5-7 days (and in many cases less than that). It's rare I have anything but a sour or lager sitting in the fermenter more than two weeks.
(Before anyone chimes in with "you don't have to do that with dry yeast", yes I'm aware of the newer data on dry yeast).
If the answer is no to either of those, try em and see if they don't speed em up.
5 weeks is a very long time. With most beers you should be at FG in 5-7 days (and in many cases less than that). It's rare I have anything but a sour or lager sitting in the fermenter more than two weeks.
i was really hoping rph_guy would have known off the top of his head...but...i googled it,
https://www.chaibio.com/beer-spoilage/diastaticus
mostly just for the word....but there's a gene in some beer yeast that let's them ferment more dextrins, but slowly....search on this forum for diastaticus, and bottle bombs and what not.....(although i doubt bottling at 1.017, and it going to 1.014 would blow your tops)
https://www.chaibio.com/beer-spoilage/diastaticus
mostly just for the word....but there's a gene in some beer yeast that let's them ferment more dextrins, but slowly....search on this forum for diastaticus, and bottle bombs and what not.....(although i doubt bottling at 1.017, and it going to 1.014 would blow your tops)
I am pitching the the yeast dry into the 1 gallon carboy and then I shake the carboy vigorously for about 5 mins as form of oxygenation (or at least that's what i think it happening as the brew mix instructions tell me to do so). Sounds like I can improve my process a bit if i re-hydrate the yeast first and oxygenate the pure way. thanks
Newer research says dry yeast doesn't need rehydration or added oxygen. So it may not fix it. But if you're experiencing sluggish fermentation, those would be the first places I'd look. Yeast nutrition as well (though most nutrients add a boatload of unneeded and potentially detrimental FAN just to provide the small amount of zinc that wort is deficient in).
It's normally for fermentation to slow as it finishes. I'd expect the 10 day drop in 2 days, and the 32 day drop in 5 days.
I wouldn't call that stalled. I'd call it sluggish. Assuming that the lower figure is the FG and there's not something more insidious going on.
That said, if the given beer would have normally finished at 1.018, and there's an ongoing diastaticus problem as you said, that'd also be an explanation.
But as it sounds like this happens to every beer the OP has brewed, it's something systemic.
Have these all been dry-hopped, perhaps? Hop creep could absolutely be the issue at play as well.
I wouldn't call that stalled. I'd call it sluggish. Assuming that the lower figure is the FG and there's not something more insidious going on.
That said, if the given beer would have normally finished at 1.018, and there's an ongoing diastaticus problem as you said, that'd also be an explanation.
But as it sounds like this happens to every beer the OP has brewed, it's something systemic.
Have these all been dry-hopped, perhaps? Hop creep could absolutely be the issue at play as well.
My FGs have all been exactly where I expect them to land and there's nothing I can tell (visually or taste) that something more problematic is happening like an infection. Once I get to my expected FG (after 4-5 weeks) all activity inside the fermenter stops, no bubbles, beer clears up, etc. and I bottle a few days later. The beers all do taste fantastic so maybe the very slow fermentation at proper temps is actually beneficial from a quality standpoint (but certainly not from a patience standpoint!)
None of my brews are dry-hopped so that can be ruled out.
Kickass
Well-Known Member
Are these one gallon batches? If so, that generates more of an eyebrow raising.
I might try a different yeast.
What are you brewing that requires an FG of 1.000? A nice dry red wine yes but not a beer.what yeast is this? could be one that breaks down longer dextrins over time...forget what @RPh_Guy calls them, he could help you....
edit: but for the time being i'll just say, those are perfectly fine final gravities...and 1.001 difference....is minor.....and you can try and add my favorite enzyme gluco-amylase you'd have 1.000 in 4-6 days.........(some yeast do the same thing naturally, but slowly)
These being one gal batches I assume the fermenters are small and have a very small head space. So when you shake them there is very little O2 to dissolve into the wort. Try opening the fermenter between shakes to get more air into the wort. Better yet get pure O2 and a stone and really get the O2 in there. Also, how much yeast is in each dose? Not to sound old hat but I still do starters with dry yeast.
I understand the suggestion and when I shake I open the fermenter several times, but would a lack of O2 really be the problem if I'm getting 80-90% through fermentation in the first week and it's the last 10% that is sluggish? Not sure on the quantity of yeast as it comes in a packet with the mix and is intended for 1 gallon.
That's a good point. It seems all your beers have been from one supplier. How about trying a batch using DME and adding some hops to make a beer of your choice. See if you get different results. Use half or quarter pack of a dry yeast of your choice as well. Also, what are you using for water?
I think you're right I need to branch out and try a different supplier. I was using Brooklyn Brew Shop because they make the process simple but it may be time to move on. I'm using tap water but I live at lake tahoe so it's pretty much pure alpine water
BrewnWKopperKat
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No need assume - Brooklyn Brew Shop puts their kit instructions online. Fill instructions are essentially the same as those for Northern Brewer 1 gal kits.
Out of 179 batches, I had very sluggish fermentations three times. All three were with Mangrove Jack's yeast. I think I've used MJ four or five times total. So I don't use it any more. This seems to agree with some of the other suggestions to use a different brand of yeast.
