Fermentation taking so long I'm running out of homebrew!!

[MTBfreak03]

Hey Guys,

Sorry if this turned into a bit of a novel.. just had to give context!

So.. I am still dealing with the beer batch from hell. I posted about 3 weeks ago regarding a batch of beer I took off the primary fermentation too quickly, not to mention was mislead by my LHBS and didn’t ferment at the right temp. The link to the thread is below..

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/fermentation-not-going-planned-223140/

So I took everyone’s advice.. First, I attempted to rouse the yeast. This did nothing I was still stuck. I then went out, bought a good ole 2000ml pyrex flask and made a starter. My local LHBS was out of Saison yeasts so I bought a pack of 3787 Trappist yeast.. im new to this.. this is my second batch.. but I figured this might be a similar profile (right or not.. this is what I ended up with!).

My starter blew up like a volcano while I was at work.. even though I had good amount of head room. I can’t seem to do much right haha. I researched what others did when they had this problem and the overall response was.. just dump the starter in anyways. So I decanted, and pitched the starter yeast in (it was an ok sized cake but definitely lost a lot to the blow out).

So it has been 7 days since I pitched the yeast. There’s been about a ¼-1/2 inch foam on the beer since I pitched it. The airlock is bubbling every 10 seconds or so and has been for the last 7 days. Here are my gravity readings:

Belgian Strong Ale (Original Yeast 3724):
Starting Gravity: 1.073
+8 days Gravity: 1.050
+11 days Gravity: 1.047
+13 days Gravity: 1.046
(This big gap was when I posted last time and tried to rouse the yeast and make a starter)
+27 days Gravity: 1.038 (4 days after pitching the 3787)
+29 days Gravity: 1.034
+30 days Gravity: 1.032 (Today)

(Thank god I got a refractometer for Christmas or I’d have no more beer left from doing readings!)

Ok so finally to the questions…

I am really afraid given the yeasts that I’ve used and the immense amount of time that’s gone by, that the flavor profile is going to be really affected by the yeast (if it isn’t already). Though I did initially siphon to the secondary too early so most of the original 3724 yeast was left behind anyways.

My LHBS gave me 2 packs of Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast to use as a last ditch effort. What are your thoughts? Their advice has been horrendous so I honestly don’t know what to do here.

Do I just let the 3787 keep going? It seems to be active and it may eventually get there.. but at the rate its going, it’s gonna take awhile.

Thanks for takin the time to read! I just wanna get this guy done with! I’ve made a lot of mistakes but I’ve learned a lot (specially in regards to racking and ALWAYS making a starter). I just want to get on to my next batch!!

 

[Golddiggie]

Give the new yeast more time... Three days isn't enough, in my opinion, to say it's done all it can.. What temperature is the wort at now? Your new yeast lists a range of 64-78F... As long as you're within that window, you should be fine...

I would wait a few more days before taking another reading. I would also start tasting the wort to see what's going on there. SG readings only tell you part of the story, taste will tell you the rest.

 

[MTBfreak03]

I have consistently kept the wort between 70 and 74 degrees. Thankfully I learned from my first mistake of taking the LHBS advice and looked up the yeast on the Wyeast website first.

The taste isn't bad. It seems a bit bitter. I am no expert though.. but hey I'd drink it so it can't be that bad. It's been 7 days since I pitched the 3787 starter. It's gone down from about 1.046 to 1.032 since I pitched. Which is nice and all.. but to get to my goal of 1.010, I could be waiting forever =/. So as long as its not tasting bad, your for just letting it run its course? Champagne yeast a bad idea? I know the Champagne yeast will dry it out a lot based on what I read but this is a dry beer anyways no?

 

[Golddiggie]

I know it's going to probably hurt, but I'd let the new yeast ride for at least another week or two... As long as the SG readings are getting lower, it's doing what it can...

In my own experience, once a wort has been fermented by yeast, and it stops (when it's not one of it's know 'features') then chances are everything that could be fermented has been. SO pitching the champagne yeast in probably won't do much of anything...

Was this an extract brew or all grain or partial mash? If extract, then chances are, whatever the recipe (or software) says it will hit, you'll either hit or get damned close to it. If it was all grain/PM, then depending on how you mashed/sparged will determine how low your FG will be...

At least you're learning from this one... Bet you won't make the same errors again... Well, at least not if you're sober...

 

[MTBfreak03]

It was an extract with partial mash. Also, from what I read about Champagne yeast, it actually ferments different sugars.. or something different than ale yeasts. Which is why it results in such a dry beer instead of a crisp full bodied beer.

I honestly just want to pitch it to get this thing done. I have like 4 beers in line to be made and more coming by the day!! Maybe the solution is just to buy another 5 gallon carboy fermentor =D. And let this one play out. I just hope the yeast doesn't taint it in any way.

 

[EoinMag]

Are you expecting to get down to 1.010 from that high of a starting gravity? I'd have thought if you get down to 1.020-1.025 that you'd be at the end of it, 1.010 seems a bit aspirational

 

[Hoodweisen]

I thought refractometer's are for unfermented wort and must
im a noob

 

[Poobah58]

Are you compensating for the alcohol in the wort? Example, if your last reading was 8 Brix, you are at 1.006...not 1.032.

 

[MTBfreak03]

I am using the excel worksheet provided here to do the conversions:

http://morebeer.com/learn_vids/vids_refract

I was skeptical at first but the first two refractometer readings I did, I simultaneously did a hydrometer reading.. and it was dead on. LOVE this thing, its sooo much easier than a hydrometer.

 

[bowiefan]

I am using the excel worksheet provided here to do the conversions:

http://morebeer.com/learn_vids/vids_refract

I was skeptical at first but the first two refractometer readings I did, I simultaneously did a hydrometer reading.. and it was dead on. LOVE this thing, its sooo much easier than a hydrometer.

It has been my experience that the morebeer excel sheet puts you a bit higher than you actually are as you get lower on the gravity scale. That said, I recently finished a belgian golden strong that started at 1.135. It finished up at 1.012, but that took 6 months, and it was an all grain batch with a very messed up mash schedule. With an extract batch starting at 1.07+, I would not expect to get below 1.020, and it will take some time to get there. Get a couple more fermenters (go with 6.5 gal) and let this batch do it's thing for another month.