Amateur Question on Stuck Fermentation

[DaveyP]

Hey All,

Did my first all grain batch. It was a pale ale, and original gravity was 1.048. Bubbling in the primary started within hours of pitching the yeast, but stopped completely after the first day. I checked it after day 5 and gravity is still 1.030 with no more action happening.

I added more ale yeast, but this hasn't helped either. I tried swirling up the primary fermenter, but no dice.

The temp was a little high when I mashed, but shouldn't I see more action? Any thoughts on how to get the fermentation back?

I appreciate any advice. Cheers!

 

[thehaze]

You can always try to raise the fermentation temeprature by a few degress. Let's say you started at 64-66F, you should bump it up to 70-72F to encourage the yeast to finish.

You say " The temp was a little high when I mashed, ... ": how high was that and how long did you keep that temperature? Is your thermometer/temp. probe accurate? You either had a bad reading or you denaturated the mash enzymes somehow.

 

[DaveyP]

Well, if I remember correctly I was about 5 to 10 C higher on the mash. So 40 to 50 F?

I believe the thermometer is accurate...its new and came with as a package with the turkey deep fryer I used.

I'll try raising the temp in the primary bucket and cross my fingers. Should I try to stir up the yeast that's settled out as well or let it be?

Thanks kindly for the input!

You can always try to raise the fermentation temeprature by a few degress. Let's say you started at 64-66F, you should bump it up to 70-72F to encourage the yeast to finish.

You say " The temp was a little high when I mashed, ... ": how high was that and how long did you keep that temperature? Is your thermometer/temp. probe accurate? You either had a bad reading or you

 

[thehaze]

In that case, 5 to 10 degrees C is a bit too much. If the mash is too hot, you would have denaturated the enzymes, which means your wort only had a minimum amount of fermentable sugars, which means there is a possibility your FG has been reached, especially when your fermentation kicked off.

To lower FG, you could try some enzymes like those used for Brut IPAs. It could work.

 

[DaveyP]

Well, I guess I should have not drank so many well trying to brew my own!

Thanks again for the info. Lesson learned for the next batch

 

[KB12]

If you have some iodophor you can run a quick iodine/starch conversion test to confirm if it's a mash problem or not.

 

[DaveyP]

Thanks KB12...that's a great idea. I'll give that a try. I added some Energizer yesterday and amped up the temp a bit. J got a few more bubbles through the airlock but not much.

Out of curiosity, I went for a strike temperature of about 70 C, but as I mentioned, I was a little higher. Is that an ideal strike temp when mashing for a pale ale?

Side note, I was doing BIAB.

Cheers!

 

[Rob2010SS]

Thanks KB12...that's a great idea. I'll give that a try. I added some Energizer yesterday and amped up the temp a bit. J got a few more bubbles through the airlock but not much.

Out of curiosity, I went for a strike temperature of about 70 C, but as I mentioned, I was a little higher. Is that an ideal strike temp when mashing for a pale ale?

Side note, I was doing BIAB.

Cheers!

Your strike temp is going to be based off of how much grain you have and how much water you have. Strike temp can/will change with different recipes.

 

[DaveyP]

Your strike temp is going to be based off of how much grain you have and how much water you have. Strike temp can/will change with different recipes.

Fair enough. Thanks Rob