good beer but not happy with fermentaton

[ChrisS]

On Sunday i brewed 5gal of the Ó Flannagáin Standard and it looks like it is going to be good great roasty coffee flavor.

This is the first time that I have done the primary fermentation in a carboy and got to see what is going on. The krausen had fallen to the bottom yesterday so I took a hydro reading and I am disappointed by the results and would like some advice as what I can do if anything.

My OG was 1.045 and today's reading was 1.019 (My target is .007 - .010) I know that the gravity may drop a point or two over the next few days but I don't see it getting down to the target range. The beer is at about 68 degrees so it is not stuck because of temperature but there are a few factors that I did that maybe has not helped the situation.

Airation was not the best. When I was using a pail I could whip a good bit of bubbles with a wisk, but with the carboy I tried to splash and shake as much as I could but I think the results were poor at best.

I used nottingham yeast and did not rehydrate. Seemed like a lot of people didn't so I thought I would give it a try.

Would lightly stirring the yeast do anything you think? It has only been a couple of days so I am just thinking about letting it go till the weekend and see where I am at then before trying anything, but I wanted to get another opinion.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Skunkyhops]

Im still really new to brewing but from what I have read if you brewed it just this last sunday you still have quite a while to let it ferment. In my expiriences The Gravity will continue to drop over the next week or more... You can continue taking readings and if stays the same for 3 days in a row its done fermenting. Hope this makes any sense at all and can be of help!

 

[enderwig]

I would wait at least 7 days from brew day to take an FG reading. I will probably continue to fall slightly each day for a few more days.

Edit: For aeration, I put a 3 inch strainer inside a funnel, and put the funnel in the mouth of the carboy. Then I use an auto siphon from the brew pot through the screen and funnel and it gets VERY aerated just while filling the carboy!

 

[DeathBrewer]

always leave it AT LEAST a week in the primary fermenter...i always leave mine for at least two weeks!

also, do NOT transfer until it is finished fermenting. there is no reason you should be unhappy with this batch...it's going to be fine and probably take the normal amount of time. that nottingham is a determined yeast, it WILL find all the sugars it can

 

[david_42]

Give the carboy a good swirl. Nottingham can do much better than that, even without good aeration.

 

[malkore]

Its only Wednesday. Primary fermentation is not done yet.

Krausen falling and a lack of airlock activity doesn't mean its done.

7 days is the bare minimum for primary...I don't care if the OG was only 1.025...it needs at least 7 days in primary.

patience Padawan....

 

[TexLaw]

Yes, patience. You'll be surprised what that yeast will do without making a spectacle.


TL

 

[ChrisS]

I am a bit thrown off by being able to see activity since it is not in the ale pail. Usually I'd wait till the airlock went quiet, add 5 days and then check or 12 days which ever came first, but in this case since I could see what I was brewing it had me wondering.

If it hasn't moved by Monday I might give the carboy a bit of a swirl to get things in suspension, but frankly I'm cool with it just sitting there for a week or two and then racking or bottling even if the gravity doesn't drop another point.

 

[drstearns]

Good Call everyone, thanks a bunch! Very informative.

 

[ChrisS]

So I took a gravity reading on Monday and it had not moved at all so I gave the carboy a bit of a swirl and didn't see much visible activity since then. I have not been watching it very closely thought as my computer crashed since then and work had me busy and now I have a cold and don't feel like dealing with it.. I don't have any bottles ready to transfer into so I am thinking about moving it to a secondary to get it off of of the yeast cake maybe by the end of the week (which would be three weeks on the cake, not long enough to do damage, but still I would like to move it.)

 

[Poindexter]

Chris, if you have the gear you could rack to another carboy and swirl some of the yeast cake into suspension as you are doing it. I had a Russian Imperial Stout stuck at 1.028 for literally weeks, but I loaded it in my car, took it for a drive (don't ask) and the ferment restarted without my having to repitch.

 

[ChrisS]

thats a funny solution.

I am going to rack it to a secondary probably on Wednesday, since that is the first day that the lhbs is open this week

 

[cronxitawney]

Chris, if you have the gear you could rack to another carboy and swirl some of the yeast cake into suspension as you are doing it. I had a Russian Imperial Stout stuck at 1.028 for literally weeks, but I loaded it in my car, took it for a drive (don't ask) and the ferment restarted without my having to repitch.

That is too funny. I am always joking with my wife, telling her I am going to go spend quality time with my beer while it ferments. I would love to see the look on her face if I told her that the beer and I were going to go for a nice quiet drive around town.

 

[ChrisS]

I transfered for the primary to the secondary and tried to kick up some yeast to get it back into suspension. Checked it today and all is quiet and the gravity is still where it is at. Now I have 2 choices here and want your advice on which one that I should try.

Since the gravity is at 1.018 and i was shooting for .007 - .010 and have a pack of nottingham, should I pitch that into the carboy? Is it possible that I would overshoot the FG and be under .007 if I would do this?

The other option I see is to do nothing and let it stay at .018 and when I have enough bottles bottle this batch and start on the next one.

thoughts, opinions?