Found My Fermentation Stalled After Dry Hopping

[Crumb93]

I dry hopped my beer last Saturday. I went down to take a look yesterday, and noticed that the beer appeared to be fermenting. The beer had developed a thin foam layer on top; I noticed visible bubbling, and airlock activity. So I took a gravity reading; 1.020. So I gently swirled the fermenter, and raised the heat a bit.

I know that dry hopping can create co2 bubbles. However, I don’t think this beer fermented warm enough. I added too many ice packs during the first 24. I removed them, and then let the beer ferment at an ambient temperature of 65 degrees. I'm wondering if it just got too cold for it initially.

I’d like to drop .8 points from the FG before bottling if possible. I’m not opposed to pitching a bit more yeast, and then another oz of dry hops. However, I’m concerned about grassy flavors due to the beer sitting with the hops for too long.

Can you give me any advice?

 

[brew_ny]

so you dry hopped it before you hit your FG?

 

[Calypso]

My first advice would be to wait until fermentation is finished before dry hopping next time. Ideally, you would bottle immediately after dry hopping is complete (plus any time you want to spend cold crashing / conditioning).

Can you provide recipe + yeast used? It's possible that cold temperatures stalled fermentation, but once you let it sit at 65F I would think it should have restarted. If you let it sit at the warmer (65F) temperature for a couple days, I'm betting fermentation will pick back up, even if there aren't visible signs. And then I would consider adding a bit more hops for a few days once fermentation is well and truly done (like a couple of weeks from now).

 

[Psylocide]

Meh... who takes a reading before dry hopping?

Is this an extract recipe? 1.020 is a notorious FG for full extract brews if I remember right.

I could be wrong though.

 

[Crumb93]

My first advice would be to wait until fermentation is finished before dry hopping next time. Ideally, you would bottle immediately after dry hopping is complete (plus any time you want to spend cold crashing / conditioning).

Can you provide recipe + yeast used? It's possible that cold temperatures stalled fermentation, but once you let it sit at 65F I would think it should have restarted. If you let it sit at the warmer (65F) temperature for a couple days, I'm betting fermentation will pick back up, even if there aren't visible signs. And then I would consider adding a bit more hops for a few days once fermentation is well and truly done (like a couple of weeks from now).

I waited two weeks to dry hop. There were no visible signs of fermentation. I boosted the temp after swirling to around 68 the other day.

Here's the recipe: - WLP001

http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/allgrain/AG-HopquilaDIPA.pdf

 

[Crumb93]

Meh... who takes a reading before dry hopping?

Is this an extract recipe? 1.020 is a notorious FG for full extract brews if I remember right.

I could be wrong though.

I've had that happen, but this was AG.

 

[Psylocide]

Recipe and Mash temp/time would be extremely helpful in this situation then.

Also, How cold was it when it was fermenting and what yeast did you use?

 

[Crumb93]

Recipe and Mash temp/time would be extremely helpful in this situation then.

Also, How cold was it when it was fermenting and what yeast did you use?

Mashed @ 154, for 90 minutes.
Mashed out @ 168 for 10 minutes

Initially the temp dropped to around 60 degrees.

Here's the recipe http://www.northernbrewer.com/docume...pquilaDIPA.pdf

 

[Psylocide]

Link is dead.

The temp being 60° but then increased to 65° over 24 hrs wouldn't raise any red flags.

 

[Crumb93]

Link is dead.

The temp being 60° but then increased to 65° over 24 hrs wouldn't raise any red flags.

Sorry about that. Here's the recipe

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.10 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.25 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.55 gal
Estimated OG: 1.074 SG
Estimated Color: 12.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 80.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 80.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
12 lbs 5.3 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 1 87.1 %
12.3 oz Crystal, Dark (Simpsons) (80.0 SRM) Grain 2 5.4 %
1.0 oz Black Malt (Simpsons) (550.0 SRM) Grain 3 0.4 %
1.00 oz Mosaic (HBC 369) [12.25 %] - Boil 60.0 m Hop 4 34.5 IBUs
1 lbs Corn Sugar (Dextrose) [Boil for 60 min]( Sugar 5 7.1 %
1.00 oz Mosaic (HBC 369) [12.25 %] - Boil 20.0 m Hop 6 20.9 IBUs
0.50 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 7 -
2.00 oz Mosaic (HBC 369) [12.25 %] - Boil 10.0 m Hop 8 25.0 IBUs
2.0 pkg California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [35. Yeast 9 -
2.00 oz Mosaic (HBC 369) [12.25 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Hop 10 0.0 IBUs
0.53 tsp Gelatin (Secondary 5.0 hours) Fining 11 -
6.00 oz Reposado Tequila (Bottling 0.0 mins) Flavor 12 -


Mash Schedule: BIAB, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 14 lbs 2.6 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Saccharification Add 32.26 qt of water at 163.5 F 154.1 F 90 min
Mash Out Add -0.00 qt of water and heat to 168.0 168.0 F 10 min

 

[Psylocide]

Nothing really jumps out at me... what yeast were you using? How long has it been since pitching?

 

[Crumb93]

Snip

 

[Crumb93]

Nothing really jumps out at me... what yeast were you using? How long has it been since pitching?

The only thing I haven't been doing is taking PH readings. I pitched two vials into a 2L starter on a stirplate. Started at 1.077OG.

I was using WLP001 California Ale Yeast, so the yeast should have been able to take care of that.

I want to take another reading when I get home today. I'm just really worried about getting grass, mainly.

Is it possible that I could have pulled my gravity sample from a bad spot in the fermenter? I noticed that there were a lot of particles floating around. It didn't taste bad, but the hop flavor was slightly muted.

 

[Psylocide]

I wouldn't worry too much about grassy flavors... some people leave dry hops in the keg for the duration or do double dry hop schedules over a 1.5 - 2 week period.

I wouldn't sweat that part of it. Taste your sample, I'm sure it'll be fine.

Good luck.

 

[tgmartin000]

Don't worry about grass. You're fine.

 

[Natdavis777]

Grassy flavors usually start to impart around 14 days of dry hopping. People get away without grassy flavors in the keg because hop oil extraction decreases at cooler temps.

As for dryhopping in the future, I would wait until fermentation ceases (krausen falls, FG number hit, etc) that way you do not purge any of the aromas you are trying to gain from the dry hop process.

 

[govner1]

Meh... who takes a reading before dry hopping?

Is this an extract recipe? 1.020 is a notorious FG for full extract brews if I remember right.

I could be wrong though.

Why wouldn't you check your SG when going to 2°? AG or extract?
It's always good to know where you are re fermentation.

 

[Crumb93]

Grassy flavors usually start to impart around 14 days of dry hopping. People get away without grassy flavors in the keg because hop oil extraction decreases at cooler temps.

As for dryhopping in the future, I would wait until fermentation ceases (krausen falls, FG number hit, etc) that way you do not purge any of the aromas you are trying to gain from the dry hop process.

I took a good look at the beer last night. I think what I'm seeing is nucleation sites created by dry-hopping. The gravity hadn't budged in two days, and quite honestly it's been two weeks since the beer was pitched. I think it's simply done.

I added another oz of hops, and I'm going to bottle tomorrow. I definitely have aroma again, and the sample I tasted last night tasted good; which says a lot for beer that isn't carbed yet.

I still would really like to figure out why fermentation didn't make it past 1.020 though. I had plenty of yeast. Maybe it's a lack of aeration?

 

[Crumb93]

Why wouldn't you check your SG when going to 2°? AG or extract?
It's always good to know where you are re fermentation.

I find that it's better to just leave the beer alone unless there's a specific reason to disturb it. You increase your chances for infection, not to mention oxidation. There was honestly no reason for me to think that the fermentation had stalled; no red flags at all. So I just threw the hops in.

However, I will be taking a gravity reading before dry hopping in the future. I consider this a delicious lesson learned.

 

[Crumb93]

This is what's slightly bubbling on the surface. It looks like hop material to me.

 

[Calypso]

I took a good look at the beer last night. I think what I'm seeing is nucleation sites created by dry-hopping. The gravity hadn't budged in two days, and quite honestly it's been two weeks since the beer was pitched. I think it's simply done.

I added another oz of hops, and I'm going to bottle tomorrow. I definitely have aroma again, and the sample I tasted last night tasted good; which says a lot for beer that isn't carbed yet.

I still would really like to figure out why fermentation didn't make it past 1.020 though. I had plenty of yeast. Maybe it's a lack of aeration?

With an OG of 1.077 and FG of 1.020, that's an attenuation of 73%, which is at the low end for this yeast, but not ridiculous. So it very well might just be done.

 

[chickypad]

With an OG of 1.077 and FG of 1.020, that's an attenuation of 73%, which is at the low end for this yeast, but not ridiculous. So it very well might just be done.

Thinking that to. You also mashed on the higher end for the style and had 13oz of dark grains. I would check the calibration on your mash thermometer though in case you're mashing even higher than you think.

 

[Crumb93]

Thinking that to. You also mashed on the higher end for the style and had 13oz of dark grains. I would check the calibration on your mash thermometer though in case you're mashing even higher than you think.

I also just found some threads online, and it sounds like other people are finishing around 1.020 too. I'm using a thermapen, so I'm fairly confident it's good.

 

[govner1]

Looks like the typical "pond scum" layer I get when I dry hop.
Just kegged my Grapefruit Wheat IPA that I had dry hopped w/ 2 oz of Mosaic. A few days before I planned to keg I gave it a very gentle shake & almost all of the hop material settled to the bottom.

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

Meh... who takes a reading before dry hopping?

Is this an extract recipe? 1.020 is a notorious FG for full extract brews if I remember right.

I could be wrong though.

yup you are wrong.......I just bottled a Whitehouse Honey Ale today,,,,,,
FG was 1.015

 

[Psylocide]

yup you are wrong.......I just bottled a Whitehouse Honey Ale today,,,,,,
FG was 1.015

Yeah. Not saying that they never finish lower... but a simple google search on the issue turns up enough hits that I wouldn't say I'm way out in left field.

 

[Hello]

Yeah. Not saying that they never finish lower... but a simple google search on the issue turns up enough hits that I wouldn't say I'm way out in left field.

You're not off on that. It's not really a definite but it definitely happens quite a bit. As for not taking a simple gravity reading before you dry hop, I do each and every time. I think it is good practice for sure.

OP, it could just be done. Also, even a thermapen can skip a beat. Check calibration using an ice bath. On their site they show you how to make a correct ice bath.