Fermentation stopped after 4 days

[jbowersett]

This is a 5 gal Everyday IPA. It was bubbling nicely for 4 days then pretty much stopped. And it never got that "boiling" look. I racked it to a secondary after giving it a good stir to try to get the yeast back in action, but after 2 more days there is no sign of activity. The temps have been pretty consistent.
Do I pitch more yeast or let it ride? When I racked it, the smell was good.

 

[j1n]

take a hydrometer reading.

 

[jbowersett]

Right. And what value should I anticipate? There is no FG given in my recipe.

 

[ol-hazza]

What was your SG?

 

[jbowersett]

Well..... I was afraid you would ask that. On brew day, it was found that the hydrometer had broken in two. But, the mashing went as per recipe and the pre-boil gravity was SUPOSED to be 1.046. So lets say that's what it was.

 

[Yooper]

Most beers, especially with that OG, will generally only show fermentation activity for 3-5 days, so you're right in the ballpark. Now, just wait and let it clear for at least a week more.

 

[ol-hazza]

Ok so we would need to know the boil off rate to estimate your SG.

But that doesn't really actually matter. What matters is that your gravity is stable now, that will say that fermentation has finished its initial phase. I'm guessing that your gravity will be around 1.010-16.
Personally i would now let it ride for another 2 weeks, and bottle. If your SG is well outside that range I mentioned then you may need to consider further investigation into a fixup

 

[jbowersett]

Thanks. I appreciate your help. I can relax now.

 

[BigFloyd]

Next time, may I suggest that you not "give it a good stir" at any time after fermentation has begun. You risk oxidation doing that and likely ended up transferring most of the trub into your secondary.

 

[RM-MN]

Your fermentation didn't stop after 4 days, it just quit giving external indications. The yeast keep on working but quit putting out CO2. Take a look at this article. It assumes perfect conditions for its timeline but my beers always take longer than that due to my imperfect setup. http://www.brewgeeks.com/the-life-cycle-of-yeast.html

 

[unionrdr]

Besides not racking the beer till it's at FG. When the rapid bubbling slows or stops, only initial fermentation is done. It'll then slowly, uneventfully creep down to FG.