Diary of a stuck fermentation

[Unferth]

Unferth likes to make big beer, so he made a very nice wort for a Belgian Trippel (OG 1.075) and pitched a 2 liter, 3 day old starter of Wyeast 1388 (Belgian Strong Ale).

Days 1-2: Fermentation takes off, so Unferth is very happy. Bottles are lovingly polished in anticipation, birds coo at the sound of air bubbles, etc.

Day 3: Unferth feels like house is too warm, so he lets temperature drop to 60F. 'No big deal,' thinks Unferth, 'the cooler temperature will make for a cleaner tasting beer.' Stupid Unferth!

Day 4: no airlock activity, Unferth takes a reading: SG 1.042.

Day 5: No airlock activity, Unferth takes another reading: SG 1.042. Unferth begins to fret. Unferth moves primary to warmest spot in house: directly in front of toilet. (temp: 74F)

Day 6: After some quality time sitting directly in front of primary and watching no airlock activity, Unferth takes another reading: 1.042. So he adds 2.5 tsp yeast energizer and 1 tsp yeast nutrient and he stirs ever so gently.

Day 7: Unferth takes reading: SG 1.042. Unferth cries, curses beer gods, has existential crisis, then crawls into fetal position and types a desperate plea for help from the Homebrew Talk community.

Can you help Unferth?

 

[SVB]

Thats a lot of 3rd person

What was your initial aeration of the beer like?
Keep it in a warm area and rouse the yeast, dont worry to hard about splashing as there should be only co2 in with the beer, even if you aerate it a little its not going to hurt anything with that much sugar left to consume.

 

[beergolf]

Day 3: Unferth feels like house is too warm, so he lets temperature drop to 60F. 'No big deal,' thinks Unferth, 'the cooler temperature will make for a cleaner tasting beer.' Stupid Unferth!

There is the big problem. Belgian yeasts DO NOT like to be cooled down, especially down to 60, after fermentation starts. They will quit (as you found out) and will not start again.

You can try warming it up and see what happens, but I am guessing that it will not start up.

I have never tried it but Wyeast claims that 3711 can be used to restart a stuck fermentation. I have used it a lot and I do know that 3711 will chow through anything. Make a starter of it an pitch it at high krausen.

YEAST STRAIN: 3711**|**French Saison

Back to Yeast Strain List

A very versatile strain that produces Saison or farmhouse style beers as well as other Belgian style beers that are highly aromatic (estery), peppery, spicy and citrusy. This strain enhances the use of spices and aroma hops, and is extremely attenuative but leaves an unexpected silky and rich mouthfeel. This strain can also be used to re-start stuck fermentations or in high gravity beers.

Origin:
Flocculation: Low
Attenuation: 77-83%
Temperature Range: 65-77F 18-25C
Alcohol Tolerance: ABV 12%

 

[pdxal]

How about more detail on your recipe, Unferth? Grain bill, mash parameters, sugars, oxygenation?

 

[Unferth]

What was your initial aeration of the beer like?

I stirred the hell out of it, then put a bung in the top and rolled it around every few hours for the next day.

You can try warming it up and see what happens, but I am guessing that it will not start up.

That is sad, indeed.

I have never tried it but Wyeast claims that 3711 can be used to restart a stuck fermentation. I have used it a lot and I do know that 3711 will chow through anything. Make a starter of it an pitch it at high krausen.

I haven't encountered this yeast before. If it doesn't start up by tomorrow, I will give it a shot. You think a 2 liter starter should be enough?

 

[Unferth]

How about more detail on your recipe, Unferth? Grain bill, mash parameters, sugars, oxygenation?

Its an extract brew:

Steeping: .75 lbs belgian bisquit, .75 belgian aromatic

LME: 7 lbs Pale, 4.5 Wheat

2 lbs clear belgian candi.

No oxygenation of wort other than shaking it, as mentioned.

 

[jtejedor]

Maybe the yeast don't like watching you poop. I don't know if I have ever cooled down Belgian yeast very quickly but I would think most yeast would react to being warmed up and stirred. Otherwise crash cooled starters would never come back to life. Do you have one of those stick on thermometers on your fermenter? Did the wort actually warm up to 72? If you do pitch other yeast then yeah at least a 2 liter starter if not more.

 

[Unferth]

Maybe the yeast don't like watching you poop. I don't know if I have ever cooled down Belgian yeast very quickly but I would think most yeast would react to being warmed up and stirred. Otherwise crash cooled starters would never come back to life. Do you have one of those stick on thermometers on your fermenter? Did the wort actually warm up to 72? If you do pitch other yeast then yeah at least a 2 liter starter if not more.

haha. I watch them in their excretion activities all the time! what goes around comes around.

Nah, its a plastic bucket, so no little stick on thermometer. One would assume that after 3 days it would come around to at least 70 though.

 

[beergolf]

I haven't encountered this yeast before. If it doesn't start up by tomorrow, I will give it a shot. You think a 2 liter starter should be enough?

It probably does not even have to be that big. Once 3711 gets started it will chow anything in there. My experience with 3711 is that it will ferment. low, so if you are at 1.046 it does not have that much work to do. It just needs to get started.

1.075 is not that big so it definitely was the cool down of the yeast that caused the problem.

Pitch some 3711, keep the temp in the mid 70's and it should finish up. Maybe even finish lower than you expected

 

[Unferth]

Thanks for all the help. I will update any progress.

 

[pdxal]

You could just wait it out a little longer too. You're only 7 days into fermentation, that's very early. If I remember right, that yeast was a slow worker for me. You should be expecting to wait weeks for fermentation and clean up with a 1.075 beer, bad temperatures or not. You could just warm it up, and wait a week and see what happens to the gravity. Pitching 3711 is a good idea, but you could stand to wait longer before doing it without any ill effects if you do indeed need to use it.
Wyeast says that yeast continues to produce CO2 for a long time, so be prepared for that too.

 

[beergolf]

You could just wait it out a little longer too. You're only 7 days into fermentation, that's very early. If I remember right, that yeast was a slow worker for me. You should be expecting to wait weeks for fermentation and clean up with a 1.075 beer, bad temperatures or not. You could just warm it up, and wait a week and see what happens to the gravity. Pitching 3711 is a good idea, but you could stand to wait longer before doing it without any ill effects if you do indeed need to use it.
Wyeast says that yeast continues to produce CO2 for a long time, so be prepared for that too.

I don't think waiting it out will do any good. He cooled it down to 60 degrees. Once Belgian yeasts stop they very rarely start again.



I found what I was looking for on pg 184 of Brew Like a Monk.

Chris White says about Belgian yeasts, " When you cool them, they stop. They go into survival mode. You can try rousing them again, raising the temperature, but they won't start again. You just have to add new yeast."

 

[Unferth]

Checked the gravity this morning and it has dropped to 1.020. And without bubbles in the airlock... which is weird.

The temp in the bathroom this morning was nearly 80F, though, so that must have roused em a bit. I hope it doesn't give any weird flavors to the beer. regardless, I'd rather have slightly funky, drinkable, carbonated beer than flat cloyingly sweet beer.

Thanks for all the help, folks!