I am brewing a double IPA and my OG was recorded at 1.046. It's been 3 weeks now and my refractomerer reading seems stuck at 1.029. I used a rehydrated s05. What can I do to restart fermentation. I tried warming the fermentation chamber from 15c to 18 c but didn't help.
Fermentation stall?
- Thread starter betaman
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Try a hydrometer to test gravity post fermentation. Refractometer will not read correct with alcohol though I do believe there is conversion calculator you can use if the refractometer is all you have.
Right. Refractometers read the refraction of light in a sucrose solution. We can use it from brewing, and it's fairly accurate even though our solutions are primarily maltose. But once alcohol is in the mix, alcohol skews the refraction of light, making the reading relatively worthless once fermentation has begun.
I generally use a refractometer up until then, when I use a hydrometer.
If you want to use a calculator to guestimate the Fg, you can use this calculator, which is more accurate than some: http://seanterrill.com/2012/01/06/refractometer-calculator/
It's most accurate if you know your own wort correction factor, but the default is often pretty close.
I generally use a refractometer up until then, when I use a hydrometer.
If you want to use a calculator to guestimate the Fg, you can use this calculator, which is more accurate than some: http://seanterrill.com/2012/01/06/refractometer-calculator/
It's most accurate if you know your own wort correction factor, but the default is often pretty close.
rlmiller10
Well-Known Member
I also wonder about you OG. 1.046 is very low for a double IPA. I would expect something closer to 1.060 or above.
If the reading is correct, either your grain bill was off or your efficiency was low.
If the reading is correct, either your grain bill was off or your efficiency was low.
microbusbrewery
Senior Member
Awesome that you hit your target gravity, but to rlmiller10's point, that definitely is not a double IPA. An OG of 1.046 isn't even within the low range for an English IPA or an American IPA. Gravity-wise that would be more along the lines of an English Bitter or an American Pale.
Oops...I have a couple on the go and the 1.046 was the OG from a caramel apple ale but I thought stalled I will use a hydrometer tomorrow on it and let you know where it reads. Thanks again you guys for your knowledgable input.
I see that as a 1.014...but more importantly, is the hydrometer touching the wall of the collection tube down there? I rotated your image and drew a line or 2...so if it's been 3 weeks, it's probably done. Still, I'd take another reading on Saturday, and if it's the same as today, bottle it up.
It's important to read it at eye level. So just lean over, and look straight across where the line of the beer crosses the hydrometer. It looks like 1.014 from my angle, so that should be done.
