Beer too sweet, what would you do?

[Markd27]

So about 8 weeks ago I brewed an all grain batch of Jamil's Evil Twin. I used Wyeast 1056 and made a 1.5L starter. Yeast was only about 10 days old before making my starter. I fermented at 65* and everything looked like a normal fermentation, OG was 1.066. Didn't even barely look at it from here on out other than early on to make sure things were on the up and up.

Fast forward about 4 weeks... The day before I was going away for a 2 week vacation, I decided to rack to a keg and put it on CO2 so it would be ready for when I got back. After sanitizing everything I needed, getting everything ready, I pulled a sample, tasted it, and checked FG. Sample tasted good, but a little sweet, and much to my dismay, FG was still around 1.026 - 1.027. In a total fit of laziness, I said eff it and kegged it anyways. Figured I'd worry about it later.

Fast forward another 4 or 5 weeks, and I can barely choke down a pint of this, it's that sweet. However, other than the sweetness, it tastes awesome. At first I figured maybe I would just brew a dry pale ale and blend it, but I now I'm wondering if I can fix this. I was thinking I'd just pull it out of the kegerator, rack to carboy, and toss in another smack pack of 1056. Also open to other ideas, what would you guys do, if anything?

 

[Denny]

If the fermentation is truly stuck, you need a LOT more than a smack pack to get it going. A qt. of slurry would be advisable. And I have doubts about whether that would work, anyway. Did anything happen during brewing that would give you a less fermentable wort?

 

[david_42]

Another option is to boost the IBUs a bit. Boil a half ounce of a high-AA hop in a quart of water for an hour, strain and add. That will kick the bittering 5-10 IBUs.

 

[Denny]

Another option is to boost the IBUs a bit. Boil a half ounce of a high-AA hop in a quart of water for an hour, strain and add. That will kick the bittering 5-10 IBUs.

David, have you done this? When I've tried it it's so harsh and vegetal that I couldn't bear to add it to the beer.

 

[Willum]

I would pitch some brett and leave it for about 3-4 months.

 

[TuttleCreekBrewing]

Good question. I was probably just going to do the same thing in another day or two (bottle it anyway despite a FG of 1.029), but after seeing this thread I'm not so sure!

If the fermentation is truly stuck, you need a LOT more than a smack pack to get it going. A qt. of slurry would be advisable. And I have doubts about whether that would work, anyway. Did anything happen during brewing that would give you a less fermentable wort?

Denny, what are your doubts? Why wouldn't it work? In my case I'm certain the stuck fermentation is simply due to underpitching. Wouldn't a re-pitch be good enough to get it to finish?

 

[Markd27]

If the fermentation is truly stuck, you need a LOT more than a smack pack to get it going. A qt. of slurry would be advisable. And I have doubts about whether that would work, anyway. Did anything happen during brewing that would give you a less fermentable wort?

I could do another big starter... Looking back at my brew day notes, I came in a few degrees high at dough in, but was able to get it pretty close to my target of 152. I didn't note exactly what temp I got to or how long it took to cool it. I'm going to speculate that I got to 152, but it may have taken 10 - 15 minutes?

I suppose another option would be to brew another IPA and rack this on top when that one is done. Hmm, decisions.

 

[Denny]

I could do another big starter... Looking back at my brew day notes, I came in a few degrees high at dough in, but was able to get it pretty close to my target of 152. I didn't note exactly what temp I got to or how long it was high.

I suppose another option would be to brew another IPA and rack this on top when that one is done. Hmm, decisions.

When I say a qt. of slurry, I don't mean a qt. starter. It's more like the entire yeast cake from a 5 gal. batch.

Denny, what are your doubts? Why wouldn't it work? In my case I'm certain the stuck fermentation is simply due to underpitching. Wouldn't a re-pitch be good enough to get it to finish?

It might work, but as I said above, you need a LOT of yeast.

 

[TuttleCreekBrewing]

I suppose another option would be to brew another IPA and rack this on top when that one is done. Hmm, decisions.

I like this idea. More beer!

 

[Denny]

I like this idea. More beer!

Yeah, sounds like a plan to me.

 

[Markd27]

It might work, but as I said above, you need a LOT of yeast.

Would you mind expanding on this?

 

[Denny]

Would you mind expanding on this?

Since the wort has been fermenting, the O2 has been depleted. You don't want to aerate it again becasue there may not be enough continued fermentation to use up the O2. Yeast need O2 to multiply, so there won't be much cell growth. Therefore, you need to pitch a lot of yeast since just adding a pack of yeast won't be enough cells to get the job done.

 

[Markd27]

Makes sense, thanks Denny!

 

[Dan]

My impression of Denny is he is quite experienced and his brewing guidance is pretty solid so accepted what he said, but Markd27 I'm glad you asked the "Why?" question. Thanks! His response did make a lot of sense once explained.

 

[ArcLight]

I hadn't thought about pitching on a yeast cake.
Is pitching on a yeast cake really going to help much? Isn't that yeast somewhat worn out?
I suppose it's worth trying since 1.027 beer is not what I'd care to drink, but I don't know how good it will taste.

Mark,
Please let us know how it works out.

I'm always interested in ways to help a stuck fermentation.

 

[Denny]

My impression of Denny is he is quite experienced and his brewing guidance is pretty solid so accepted what he said, but Markd27 I'm glad you asked the "Why?" question. Thanks! His response did make a lot of sense once explained.

I advise you to never just accept what I (or any other person) says to you without thinking about the why. I may be wrong, or I may be right, but the objective is that we all learn something from these discussions!

 

[Denny]

I hadn't thought about pitching on a yeast cake.
Is pitching on a yeast cake really going to help much? Isn't that yeast somewhat worn out?
I suppose it's worth trying since 1.027 beer is not what I'd care to drink, but I don't know how good it will taste.

It might and it might not, but you'll never know til you try. It's about the only thing you can do in a situation like that.

BTW, there are some 1.027 FGs that are heavenly to drink. Like a BW or my BVIP.

 

[ArcLight]

>>BTW, there are some 1.027 FGs that are heavenly to drink. Like a BW or my BVIP.

I meant in context of this thread - not that there are no such beers (high alcohol) that meet that criteria.

I dont think I'd care to drink a beer with a starting gravity of 1.06 that ends up at 1.027.
Are there any?

This one starts at 1.088 and ends at 1.019, not 1.027
http://hopville.com/recipe/47884

 

[Newgene]

I think pitching a 1L starter from a smack pack or a pack of dry yeast would do it. Sure, you don't want to aerate again, but if it stuck before finished, it may still be somewhat aerated just like it would from the start. I'm not sure where the O2 went if it wasn't used in the process. Now, if it stopped because you were completely O2 limited, then you need to really dump the yeast to get it going. I would repitch an average starter and wait. If it's going to ferment at all, that would do it. Heck, even if you bumped the temperature a little, it shouldn't be that bad. You've already converted most of your alcohol already.

 

[Denny]

I think pitching a 1L starter from a smack pack or a pack of dry yeast would do it. Sure, you don't want to aerate again, but if it stuck before finished, it may still be somewhat aerated just like it would from the start. I'm not sure where the O2 went if it wasn't used in the process. Now, if it stopped because you were completely O2 limited, then you need to really dump the yeast to get it going. I would repitch an average starter and wait. If it's going to ferment at all, that would do it. Heck, even if you bumped the temperature a little, it shouldn't be that bad. You've already converted most of your alcohol already.

Have you done this with success?

 

[Newgene]

Have you done this with success?

May have been unnecessary, but yes.

 

[ArcLight]

In the Yeast book I think they say this wont work very well.
The 02 is used up in the first 12+ hours.

I think pitching a 1L starter from a smack pack or a pack of dry yeast would do it. Sure, you don't want to aerate again, but if it stuck before finished, it may still be somewhat aerated just like it would from the start. I'm not sure where the O2 went if it wasn't used in the process. Now, if it stopped because you were completely O2 limited, then you need to really dump the yeast to get it going. I would repitch an average starter and wait. If it's going to ferment at all, that would do it. Heck, even if you bumped the temperature a little, it shouldn't be that bad. You've already converted most of your alcohol already.

 

[Newgene]

In the Yeast book I think they say this wont work very well.
The 02 is used up in the first 12+ hours.

My example was for the case where you were not limited due to lack of oxygen. I agree, if your oxygen is almost gone, it will take a lot more yeast. Also, if the yeast aren't actively eating, the oxygen level will start to rise naturally again if it is exposed to air (and oxidize too unfortunately).

 

[Markd27]

My impression of Denny is he is quite experienced and his brewing guidance is pretty solid so accepted what he said, but Markd27 I'm glad you asked the "Why?" question. Thanks! His response did make a lot of sense once explained.

Exactly... I love knowing the why!

Not sure what, if anything, I'm going to do with this batch yet, but I'll be sure to report back!

 

[bottlebomber]

Pitching 099 will bring it down. It may take a month, but it will dry out, guaranteed.

 

[mewithstewpid]

I wonder if this is a candidate for pitching a new pack of yeast and adding a little drop of Olive oil instead of aerating....

 

[TuttleCreekBrewing]

I wonder if this is a candidate for pitching a new pack of yeast and adding a little drop of Olive oil instead of aerating....

I've never heard this idea before. What does the olive oil do?

 

[Chefencore]

Ever think that the yeast didn't stop? Maybe they did their job and were done. If you repitch onto 'wort' that has no fermentables left, what is going to happen?

 

[nutty_gnome]

I'd make a batch with wlp90 the new clean but attenuative yeast (or wlp 007 is another alternative) and mash low and pitch the right amount to get a nice dry beer then just blend them.

 

[Denny]

I've never heard this idea before. What does the olive oil do?

Nothing really. It's a myth that won't go away.