hydrometer problems

[red]

just let one of my lagers ferment then sit and clear for a week then cold crashed for a couple of days. bout to bottle and thought "**** hydrometer readings". turns out its sitting at 1.020. so i thought it hadnt finished fermenting when i cold crashed it so i added a half bag of yeast to kick it off again. and while i was at it i checked my amber ale that had been clearing for about 2 and a half weeks after visible fermentation stopped.... that to is sittting at exactly the same reading of 1.020. what the heck is going on here? the lager didnt taiste that great, a little premature, the ale on the other hand was pure gold. is my hydrometer broken?

and no i havnt been taking og readings.... and yes i know i should but i keep getting excited and forgetting

im still learning the ropes

 

[archiefl98]

Are you brewing using extracts?

The 1.020 Curse

Condensed Version

It seems to happen with extract. Here are some steps to try and get it down lower:

1. Warm up the fermenter to 70F-75F
2. Swirl up the yeast from the bottom
3. Add amylase enzyme
4. Rack this batch onto a yeast cake from a batch that fully attenuated

 

[ILuvIPA]

Not enough details. Was it a kit? If so, what was the target FG? Any possibility you added extra fermentables? (sugar, honey, DME?) What temp ferment/what yeast? Are you doing 2 stage and if so, how long was it on the yeast before you racked to secondary? Are you adjusting your FG reading for temp? Finally, if you post your recipe someone can run it through a software & tell you what OG/FG should have been.

 

[red]

cheers mate

yes using extracts

is this a common problem?

do i need to do all of these or just pick one and give it a go?
i can sit it on a heat pad no worries but on both batches there is a big thick trub that i would rather not stir it up too much.

also as i said the amber ale is the bomb. even for warm flat beer it taists better than almost anything i have ever tried. will these steps adjust flavour at all?

does it do any harm to prime and bottle anyways? the alcohol content will just be lower yeah? or will it just be a denser beer?

thanks again

 

[ILuvIPA]

No harm to prime/bottle as long as it's completely fermented out. Only way to know that is take grav readings & make sure no change for at least 3 days. (Remember, you just pitched 1/2 packet of yeast in there. . .use the hydrometer & adjust the readings for temp to ensure no activity. You don't want bottle grenades!)

How long since you first pitched?

 

[red]

No harm to prime/bottle as long as it's completely fermented out. Only way to know that is take grav readings & make sure no change for at least 3 days. (Remember, you just pitched 1/2 packet of yeast in there. . .use the hydrometer & adjust the readings for temp to ensure no activity. You don't want bottle grenades!)

How long since you first pitched?

first pitched in the amber about 3 weeks ago and the pale about 1 and half weeks ago. done 4 brews so far and with the temps i get here only take 3-5 days max to stop showing visible signs.

kits used
pale ale: i can (1.7kg) coopers pale ale
and beleive it or not the package of sugars/malt does not have what is in them and what amounts just say "1kg Annerly Home brew ....maybe wont shop there again.

amber ale: I used a can (1.7kg) of Morgans amber ale,
1KG of liquid malt,
Recipe called for safale yeast but I used the one in the kit.
Fuggles hops soked for 10 min

both of these extract kits suggest to NOT boil mash, but instead to simply mix into hot water.

by the way, my first brew hit spot on estimated fg but that one was a boiled mash(even though it was recommended not to) so maybe that might be where my problem is.

not to sure to be honest.

but as ive already said that amber recipe is gold. would realy recommend it to others. if it taistes taht good now surely it will only get better, will keep posted after bottling and conditioning

 

[febbrewro]

I had the same experience with my first 2 batches of extract. They were both kits from a LHBS. I steeped specialty grains in both, and did a 2.5 gallon boil for these beers... pretty much following the directions exactly. Both of these beers pooped out in the area 1.020 after sitting 3 weeks in the fermenter. I bottled the batches and they all taste fine.

My third brew, I made an extract version of a blonde ale all grain recipe a friend gave me. I purchased the DME, specialty grains, and yeast from a different LHBS. I did a full 5 gallon boil this time, upon reading advice on these boards that full boils on extract brews can produce better beer. My OG was around 1.045. Took another reading after 10 days of fermentation, 1.010!!!

I'm not sure if it was the full boil vs topping off a partial boil, different ingredients from a different store (perhaps fresher?), or if I just had bad luck my first two batches (or good luck on the 3rd). Perhaps the experts can chime in

 

[red]

ok now i have real problems

the batch that i repitched about half bag of yeast started to bubble ever so slowly again so i left it for a few days. took reading, and it has actually increased from 1.020 to 1.050. this is realy frustrating

should i just throw it all out and start again?

 

[songstre]

red, I don't see how this is possible. Unless you are taking measurements at extremely different temperatures.

 

[red]

me either to be honest. yes temps were slightly dif

first was done at about 71 now its sitting at 81

 

[febbrewro]

You must be misreading your hydrometer, or it's faulty. Either way, the beer is brewed and there is little you can do at this point, so don't obsess over gravity readings. Just let it finish fermenting out, bottle it up, and enjoy

As so many people on these boards recommend, RDWHAHB!