Another Stuck Fermentation...

[ColoradoXJ13]

SO the first batch I brewed was a Dunkelweizen, partial extract:

3.6lbs Dark Malt Extract
3.3lbs Wheat Extract

3/4 lbs Caramunich 60L Malt
1/4 lbs German Black Malt
1/4 lbs Belgian Chocolate Malt

1 1/4oz German Hallertauer Pellets
1 oz Mt Hood Pellets

White labs WLP380 Hefeweizen Ale 4

schedule
·Brought 5 gallons of mineral water to 160 F
oPut milled grains in grain bag and steeped at 155 F for 30 mins
oSparged grains and bring mash to boil
·Add malt extract and boiling hops
o(1.5 oz German Hallertua Mittelfruh) (6.3 HBU)
oBoil for 30 mins
·Add flavor hops
o(0.5 oz Mt. Hood)(2.4 HBU)
oBoil for 20 mins
·Add aroma hops
o(0.5 oz Mt. Hood)(2.4 HBU)
oBoil for 5 mins
·Added 0.25 tsp of Irish moss to final 10 mins of boil
·Strained into wort cooler to cool
·Strained/aerated into fermenter, brought up to 5 gal. and pitched yeast

o11/06/06 10:30 PM Pitched Yeast
a.Temp: 68 Original SG: 1.39
o11/11/06 Racked to secondary fermenter
o11/24/06 Specific Gravity Test
a.Temp: 64 SG: 1.027
i.Added about 10 ml (1/4 bottle) of White labs 820 Ocktoberfest/Marzen Larger Yeast to try and re roust the fermentation

So on 11/27 I moved the secondary up to a room upstairs that is a fair bit warmer (65-75*F), took a SG 11/30 and it was 1.024....stopped bubbling soon after and moved back down to the basement.

on 12/4 I added another batch of the Weizen yeast which I grew in the lab I work in (nice added bonus to my job, I have the materials/expertise to freeze down and grow up yeast for brewing!)...nothing has happened since, SG is still 1.024.


I am sure that the extracts weren't the problem, I brewed another batch two weeks ago with the same extracts + a little LME and honey and it has been fermenting for two solid weeks.

My basement fluctuates between ~58-63*F, and the second batch (with lager yeast) is doing fine...

Should I just give up and keg the beer and force carbonate just so I can drink it? Is there anything else I can do?

Thanks in advance, sorry for the newbie question...

 

[ScoutMan]

Im by no means any kind of expert, but Im not understanding your line of thought.

WLP380 wants to be at 66*-70*, but you had it in the basement at 58*-63*
WLP820 wants to be at 52*-58*. but you moved it to another room 65*-75*

"My basement fluctuates between ~58-63*F, and the second batch (with lager yeast) is doing fine..."

Perhaps it is as simple as keeping your brew at the temps reccomended for your particular strain of yeast?? Im sure someone will set me straight, as Im just a newb too...

 

[ColoradoXJ13]

I really didn't think the yeast was super sensitive to temperatures.

I added the lagering yeast just to try to kickstart fermentation, didn't see any change so I bumped up the temperature...

Just racked my Christmas ale, SG was 1.069 and after 16 days in the primary (down to ~2 bubbles / min) it is only down to 1.040....what is going on with my beers? Is my basement just too cool for brewing?

 

[ScoutMan]

In my limited experience, yeast is VERY sensitive to temperature. Your basement sounds like it could be ideal for lagering, but too cold for ale yeast. The warmer room you mentioned sounds like it would be ideal for fermenting ale. Remember, when talking of fermenting temps, it is the temp of the liquid, not the room temp. By which I mean that if you have a low of say 62* and a high of 75* room temps, your beer will not see such a large swing. The liquid will warm up and cool down only a few degrees.
While your basement may be too cool for ales right now, it should be a big help come summertime. I plan on making a lot of lagers this winter, to take advantage of the cooler temps, and then turn to ales as the temps increase.

Each type of yeast has a specific temperature range in which it works best.

 

[gauthierk]

Yeast do operate differently in temps... Two low gives it more of a lag time and too high gives off too many flavors... In your case, you might need to wait until fermentation starts then move it to a colder environment... Once fermentation kicks off, the metabolism of the yeast will warm up the wort and it will work pretty good... You might even consider getting one of those carboy warmers you sit the carboy on to bring it up 10 degrees...

 

[ColoradoXJ13]

So what do you all think I should do with the beer? Add beano? Keg it, drink it, and be merry?

 

[david_42]

Yes, yeast is extremely temperature sensitive, both the temperature range and temperature variation. Your basement is too cool for most ale yeasts and too warm for lagers. I'd recommend finding a yeast that can ferment in the 58-63F range and pick styles that are compatible. You can try using Nottingham. I've never used it below 65F, but Danstar says it is good down to 57F. Just re-hydrate it correctly & let it cool the the basement temperature before pitching.

1/4 of a tube of yeast is almost no yeast, so I can see why adding the lager yeast didn't help.

If you want to stick to White Labs, this is the only beer yeast they sell that will work in the range you have:

WLP810 San Francisco Lager Yeast
This yeast is used to produce the "California Common" style beer. A unique lager strain which has the ability to ferment up to 65 degrees while retaining lager characteristics. Can also be fermented down to 50 degrees for production of marzens, pilsners and other style lagers.
Attenuation: 65-70%
Flocculation: High
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 58-65°F
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium-High

Remember yeast are alive and if the yeast ain't happy, nobody's happy.

 

[ColoradoXJ13]

I could probably pull off lagers in my closet in the winter, it is damn cool in there (need to take a temperature reading still)...

the question still remains, what should I do with the beer?

 

[david_42]

Warm it up to 70F and pitch a packet of Nottingham. Wait a week & check.

 

[ColoradoXJ13]

Well, to update, that re-pitch of the WLP380 didn't seem to help at all, so I moved the secondary up to the warmest room in my house (70-75*F) and this seemed to do the trick, I also rotated the fermenter to re-roust the yeast and added a couple (4) beano tabs all ground up....has been fermenting like crazy (bubble every 3-8 secs) for a week or so now, guess I'll just wait for it to finish and rack it to another secondary for a few weeks....man I want to drink this stuff!