High gravity reading

[Topcook49]

Hi
I'm making a a traditional bitter. The original gravity was 1043. It's been in the primary for ten days as was a slow fermentation. Fermentation temp kept between 17.5c and 19c. I've put it into the secondary and checked the gravity. It has only dropped to 1030. Usually at this stage have it down to 1012 or thereabouts. The beer taste nice but sweet. No nasty after tastes.
Any advice to rectify this please
Cheers Andy

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Sprinkle in a packet of S-04 or Nottingham (my choice for problem ferments) and do not at this juncture aerate or agitate, allowing for the yeast to slowly re-hydrate and then disperse all by themselves. Then let it sit at your fermentation temperature for another 7-10 days, and then check the SG again. Check with a hydrometer, as refractometers are thrown way off by the presence of alcohol and require rather complex compensation for this.

 

[kh54s10]

Confirming that you are using a hydrometer for the FG reading. Or correcting the reading of a refractometer for the presence of alcohol??

If it has been measured with a hydrometer the first step I would take would be to raise the temperature to about 20c and see if your fermentation restarts. After a couple of days and no further drop in FG, I would add some fresh yeast.

This really should have been done before you transferred to secondary. Take the gravity reading before you transfer, if low you can gently rouse the yeast cake to get the yeast in suspension. Often that is all it takes to get the fermentation going again.

 

[Tall_Yotie]

Going to repeat what is above. Do not transfer to a secondary until you have measured SG. You are only supposed to transfer once fermentation is complete. If you leave yeast behind then you are hurting the fermentation. Also, rousing the yeast can help, if that doesn't do it after a couple days then add more yeast.

In general, you should never transfer to a secondary. It doesn't add anything to the beer (no added clarity, no help in flavor), and only adds the potential of oxidation. It is a method left over from many many years ago that people still seem to hold on to, but should really be ignored.

 

[ElJefeBrews]

2 things.... What was your mash temp and are you sure your thermometer is properly calibrated? I had this problem happen several times in a row because my thermometer had gone outta wack. Got a new thermometer and everything went back to normal. Unfortunately at that point there's not much you can do short of making a sour out of it

 

[Tall_Yotie]

2 things.... What was your mash temp and are you sure your thermometer is properly calibrated? I had this problem happen several times in a row because my thermometer had gone outta wack. Got a new thermometer and everything went back to normal. Unfortunately at that point there's not much you can do short of making a sour out of it

Mash temp wouldn't make it convert that little. And making a sour out of it won't fix it.



But I would say in agreement with kh54s10 about bringing up your temperature. May have chilled out your yeast. Warm up a hint, rouse, if in a couple days you see no movement then re-pitch.

 

[ElJefeBrews]

Mash temp wouldn't make it convert that little.

Well actually mashing too hot will denature the enzymes and most of the sugars won't be broken down into fermentable sugars. That'll leave a lot of unfermentables in the beer.

 

[Tall_Yotie]

Well actually mashing too hot will denature the enzymes and most of the sugars won't be broken down into fermentable sugars. That'll leave a lot of unfermentables in the beer.

Fair, but that would be a significant temperature difference from desired. That would be significantly out of the standard mash range to only get 33% attenuation.