Another stuck fermentation question

[tochsner]

I brewed an AG BIAB English mild last sunday. OG was 1.037. Based on the Beer Smiths pitch rate I used 2 Wyeast 1968 smack packs. This was about 9 billion cells over what was called for but I figured that was a pretty small thing. I have a temperature controlled chamber and it has been at 68* continuously. Visible fermentation started in about 10 hours. There was no more bubbles in the airlock by Tuesday morning. I have read enough here to know that doesn't mean much so I just ignored it. Yesterday morning I decided to check and the gravity was at 1.022. This morning, still 1.022?

I did a search first and I found the possible answers:

Pitch more yeast
Stir up the yeast on the bottom
Raise the temperature
Keg it now
Wait at least 2 more weeks and keg it
Pour the whole thing out

I am a little unsure of what to do.

Thanks for reading another one of these posts.

 

[MuchoGusto]

Stir up the yeast. Wyeast 1968 is highly flocculant and can settle out before fermentation is complete. The temp is fine.

http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=22

 

[tochsner]

I stirred up the stuff on the bottom of the fermenter and raised the temp to 70*. As of this morning, it is still at 1.022.

More yeast?

 

[sloanb27]

I stirred up the stuff on the bottom of the fermenter and raised the temp to 70*. As of this morning, it is still at 1.022.

More yeast?

Not unless you want to risk oxidizing your batch!

Here's a great trick...complements of a new study on this subject:

Make a small starter (not on a stir plate), decant the liquid after 18 hours, and add olive oil to the starter, just enough to cover the yeast. Let sit for another 24 hours. The yeast will use up the remaining oxygen, and the olive oil will help the yeast build up glycogen reserves with no oxygen, then pitch.

 

[g-star]

That works out to 1.96% ABV...now that's a session beer!!!

 

[sloanb27]

That works out to 1.96% ABV...now that's a session beer!!!

I wasn't saying that would be enough yeast for a 10 gallon batch, I was just illustrating how much yeast you can make in 36 hours beginning with 100 billion cells.

 

[sloanb27]

I wasn't saying that would be enough yeast for a 10 gallon batch, I was just illustrating how much yeast you can make in 36 hours beginning with 100 billion cells.

...oops...I see what you meant. I'm an ass.

 

[tochsner]

Well I did not pitch anymore yeast. As of this morning it is at 1.018. It has not moved in 4 days. I am going to cold crash it and keg it up.
The only thing I did different than my last batch was pitch 2 packs of yeast because BeerSmith said one was not enough. So what would cause such a small beer to stick?
I did overpitch a little. Would that do it?
Not enough oxygen? I splash it pretty good going into the fermenter, just like all my other batches.

And what can I expect from the finished beer? To sweet?

 

[seanybubbles]

Your beer might not be to sweet as the OG is pretty low. I would definitely check your mash thermometer and do an iodine test on your next batch as you pitched alot of yeast and your fermentation temps are good. I had the same problem myself. Turns out i was mashing at 175F!

 

[tochsner]

Your beer might not be to sweet as the OG is pretty low. I would definitely check your mash thermometer and do an iodine test on your next batch as you pitched alot of yeast and your fermentation temps are good. I had the same problem myself. Turns out i was mashing at 175F!

Can it be I mashed to hot if I hit my OG right on the number? Doesn't that mean I got the sugars I was looking for?

 

[pabloj13]

Can it be I mashed to hot if I hit my OG right on the number? Doesn't that mean I got the sugars I was looking for?

It says you got sugar out, but tells you nothing about whether the sugar was fermentable or not.

 

[GuldTuborg]

You are measuring with a hydrometer, right? If you're using a refractometer, are you correcting for the alcohol in the beer?

 

[tochsner]

Yeah I am using a hydrometer now.

I have checked my thermometer before and haven't had this problem on other batches but I suppose it could have gotten out of calibration.

I will check it.

 

[seanybubbles]

pabloj13 points it out best, its all in the conversion of sugars. If you can, pick up some iodine at the pharmacy for a couple of bucks and do a conversion test. It took me two batches to figure out the problem. good luck!