Fermentation Stopped

[Murray]

I am brewing an altbier (OG 1.052, using Wyeast 1007 German Ale). It have been fermenting for 2 weeks now, and the gravity move from 1.052 to 1.020 in an orderly fashion (about 6 days) and has not really moved since. It crept down to 1.018, but has been totally stagnant there for 5 days now. The fermentation temperature is around 15 degrees C, which is apparently right for 1007.

The FG of the recipe was targeted at 1.011. I almost always hit my FG properly.

Any ideas? Poor yeast, too much unfermentables in my crush, temperature too low? I don't have more yeast to pitch (I pitched 3 packs of Wyeast after making a 2 step starter - I should have had loads of yeast so I don't think this is it).

Should I rack to secondary and see if the yeast is reinvigorated, or should I try to bottle it? It does not taste sweet though. It tastes OK, like yeasty beer at the moment.

Any suggestions most welcome.

 

[samc]

Sounds like it is done and if it tastes ok, what are you waiting for?

Doesn't sound like a yeast issue, so might have been mash temps.

 

[kh54s10]

(I pitched 3 packs of Wyeast after making a 2 step starter - I should have had loads of yeast so I don't think this is it).

3 packs plus a 2 step starter? Wow! that is a lot of yeast. The cost of the yeast must have been almost as much as the ingredients!

I don't know if that had any effect. Maybe the recipe left you with a lot of unfermentable sugars.

 

[BierMuncher]

65% attenuation is not that bad. Extract or All Grain?

 

[Murray]

Yeah the reason I used 3 packs of yeast is because it was a few months old and the mr malty and yeastcalc programs described how many cells I needed. The assumption was that the cells were not that viable because of the age of he yeast packs (manufactured 5 months before use).

It is an all grain recipe. You think I take my chances and rack this now? Beer actually tastes decent. No cloying flavours at all. I am just worried about bottle bombs if I get to the bottle and we kick off fermentation again....

 

[samc]

If the gravity number has remained the same over several days you should be good to bottle.

 

[Murray]

Thanks Guys, I racked to a secondary and will fine the beer now, leave it to clear a couple days and then bottle it. Tastes pretty good so I am not worried anymore...