another possible stuck fermentation question

[mmmforbiddendonut]

I made a brew that was intended to be a porter, but i'm unsure if it is stuck or if it is done.

Ingredients:

steeped at 160F for 40 min in 2 gal, sparged w/.5gal 170F before boil:
1# black patent
.5# chocolate malt
.5# crystal 120L
boiled:
6.6# john bull unhopped dark lme
1# dark dme

2 oz northern brewer leaf 8.5%aa boiling (60min)
1 oz tettnang leaf 4.5% aroma

2.5 gal boil, 5 gal total
OG: 1.062

Currently the gravity is at 1.024. It's been sitting in primary for 2 weeks and i'm moving to secondary tomorrow to mellow. I'm curious if i used too much unfermentables and this is the final gravity or if it stuck. I was expecting a FG of 1.012-1.016. At the moment it is rather sweet and I'm considering dry hopping just to balance.

So my questions:
Is this finished or stuck?
If it's stuck, what can i do?
If it's finished, which and how much hops should I consider for a dry hop in secondary?
If i dry hop, do I need to do anything to the hops to prevent contamination or just add them to the secondary out of the package (I have easiest access to leaf hops at the shop down the street, they only have a few pellets and no plugs)?

Forgot to add:
Yeast: Munton's dry ale yeast, pitched directly into beer at 75F. Fermentation was vigorous within 18 hours (3 inches of foam in 6.5 gal carboy). Slowed down 3 days after pitch and head dropped off completely 6 days after pitch. Kept at roughly 67F throughout fermentation and currently. The room its in stays pretty constant.

 

[Orfy]

62/24*100=39

So you got 61% attenuation. It's sweet because it's not finished.
I don't know the spec. on the yeast but I'd expect it to got 75-80% if not more. Your wort isn't high in unfermentables so I'd say it stuck. Racking to secondary may get it going again but it may not.
Shake it up. Maybe add nutrient. leave it 3 days if nothing pitch more yeast.

Did you aerate?

 

[mmmforbiddendonut]

when i added the wort to the carboy i already had 2 gallons of water to cool more quickly, and i shook the crap out of it before and after adding the wort. Is there something else to do to aerate it? I have extra yeast packets and i will attempt to shake/add more yeast to see if it finishes off.

Thank you

 

[Cool Hand]

I've had the same problems, taken the same advice, carried out the same solutions to no avail on four separate batches. I've shook, re-shook, and shookshimmyshadoobee'd and the gravity will not go down. I think it's a sub par kit. I'm using True Brew from crosby&baker. I bought a brew belt to keep the temp nice and warm, I've hydrated yeast, made starters, used buckets vs. glass carboys....nothin changed. So you wanna know what I did??? First I cracked open a delicious home brew and then I threw my hydrometer into the street. It's as easy as that. Yeah some of my brews are a little bit on the sweet side but really its pretty unnoticable. I have an extract kit from a different company, Brewers Best, so I will give that a shot before I actually lay any blame on the brewer himself.

 

[boo boo]

throwing away the tools that help make good beer better won't solve your problem. ( cool hand says what problem, lol)

Taking your wort off the main yeast won't help if the yeast isn't finished either.
In my opinion your yeast is done though. The 7.6 Lbs of dark Dme plus an extra 2 pounds of speciality grains would account for a lot of unfermentables IMO.

 

[WOP31]

Is there something else to do to aerate it? I have extra yeast packets and i will attempt to shake/add more yeast to see if it finishes off.

DON'T aerate fermented beer! It will oxygenate it and give a cardboard flavor. IMO

As to if there is anything else that you can do to aerate it, Yes, there is. Use a pure O2 set-up. Dry hopping it won't help with the sweet flavor, it will just add a more hoppy aroma. Which wouldn't be bad, but not for a porter. While 1.024 is sort of high it might not be too high for the style. I would carry out as normal giving an extra couple of days or an extra week in the secondary just for ageing. Also give this one a little bit more time in the bottles just so the flavors have time to mellow and combine.
This just my opinion though.
Also I would carfully consider how much primer I am using before bottling, with a higher FG like that you may not need as much priming sugar. I have brown ale that ended higher than I wanted and I didn't adjust my sugar for that and now they are all over carbonated.

Cheers, let us know how it comes out.

 

[Cool Hand]

I would carry out as normal giving an extra couple of days or an extra week in the secondary just for ageing. Also give this one a little bit more time in the bottles just so the flavors have time to mellow and combine.

This is what I did actually, it's good advice.
My amber ale has been in the bottle for about 6 weeks now after it spent 3 weeks in the secondary and has never tasted better. In fact I may have just talked myself into crackin one open during the bottling of my Pilsner tonight!

 

[mmmforbiddendonut]

Well, after the post I added another packet of the same yeast (rehydrated this time) and now it's two days later and nothing happened. I did not aerate the fermented beer. I'm probably going to rack to secondary in the next day or so. Any suggestion on how much primer to use? i was planning half a cup of corn sugar seeing i have it sitting around...