I under pitched...what's my options

[THEDIETZ]

I just checked my APA. My O.g was 1.061....a week later i'm at 1.041...

This is one of my first attempts at using washed yeast.. I made a starter and everything looked good...but the only thing I can't think of is I under pitched.

At this point can I goto the brew store tomorrow to buy a vial of white labs yeast....will it ferment it out or are things screwed up at this point...

My mash temps were good...I tested my thermometers and they are calibrated properly...my wort was aerated....I have made good beer for 3 years until trying to reuse yeast....so that's why I think this is my problem....

Please help...thanks

 

[lumpher]

gently swirl it around, and let it try to restart. if that doesn't work, put it in a warmer place. that makes the yeast more aggressive. repitching is always an option. we've all had stuck fermentations

 

[Calder]

What yeast, and what temperature is the wort at?

 

[THEDIETZ]

Yeast is wlp001 California ale yeast...temp is 68-70 degrees in my basement...

If the safest thing is buying fresh yeast I will do it tomorrow....I just don't want to run to the store and buy it if I won't get good results from it.

This is making me think against reusing yeast all together

 

[THEDIETZ]

Also...will pitching fresh yeast a week later have flavor effects on the beer?

 

[Clementine]

if you pitch without aerating then you probably wont have a good clean fermentation. I find it really hard to see that the yeast crapped out so soon. How large a starter did you make and how much slurry did you pitch into the starter? Unless is was less than a table spoon of slurry into a 500ml starter you should have got alot further along in the fermentation.

Your not using a refractometer without allowing for alcohol adjustment are you?

Clem

 

[THEDIETZ]

I made a 1600 ml starter with much more than a tablespoon of slurry. Not sure why it crapped out....but....I made 10 gallons if a hefe the same day.....used the same procedure....with the hefe I used 2 vials of white labs and it fermented out perfectly already

 

[THEDIETZ]

Also...using a hydrometer...not a refractometer

 

[THEDIETZ]

So a week later should my wort still be aerated enough to ferment out with new yeast?

 

[THEDIETZ]

Help...please..anyone have success pitching new yeast a week layer into a stuck fermentation?

 

[cshamilton]

If you want to repitch you could go with a packet of US-05 rehydrated.

You could just try rocking it a few times a day for a week and seeing if it comes down first.

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[THEDIETZ]

My shop only carries white labs yeast

 

[cshamilton]

My shop only carries white labs yeast

They don't have dry yeast? That seems unusual - I would ask them to be sure. If not you could pitch a vial but I'd try rocking it for a few days and try to save the $7 for a vial.

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[THEDIETZ]

I apologize...they do have dry yeast...I was assuming US-05 was something else....

Can I ask why you suggest that yeast? I am asking to educate myself...not to question your judgment...thanks for the help

 

[MrManifesto]

05 has a very clean flavor profile, it's not going to conflict with anything else your old yeast tried to do, flavor wise. it also is has good attenuation.

 

[THEDIETZ]

Beautiful...10 gallons so I assume 2 packs....thanks for the advise and explanation

 

[Clementine]

Typically I would say don't aerate a stuck brew because there is not enough of the fermentation process to go to consume the O2 you put in there, however in your case you are at 1.040s so there is still plenty of sugar in there to eat that will get out that O2.

Now, what is being suggested above works for some stuck brews and I'm not saying it won't work. However both my stuck brews it had no effect (but I did not aerate as my was at 1020), if this fails let us know there are other things you can do. You have already heard temp increases, swirling fermenter. The best bet is to pitch onto a cake of yeast from a brew that worked. The reason that this is the best method is you don't have to use O2 as there is already enough yeast in the cake to ferment your brew (as it just finished doing just that). While you are buying yeast get a spare packet of US05 and take a sample enough for a couple of hydro reading of your brew, mix half the packet with it in a jar and shake like crazy. Keep shaking like a starter (or put it on a stir plate) for a couple of days. Take a reading... if it drops then you brew is fermentable otherwise you have another problem. I had a brew stick on me and tried everything after trying this test if proved that there was no more fermentable sugar left in the brew. This test is called a forced fermentation test, basically you are giving the yeast optium chances at eating the sugar in the wort so you have a end point for your brew.

Clem

 

[ChillWill]

Buy two packs of us-05, rehydrate and pitch. Don't oxygenate, dried yeast doesn't need it.

If that doesn't work... you don't have any fermentable sugar in there.

^That's the lazy way by the way, you could do the testing clem suggested if you've got time or patience. But try rousing the yeast first. Are you sure the temp didn't drop early on and put the yeast to sleep?

 

[JimTheHick]

Buy two packs of us-05, rehydrate and pitch. Don't oxygenate, dried yeast doesn't need it.

If that doesn't work... you don't have any fermentable sugar in there.

^That's the lazy way by the way, you could do the testing clem suggested if you've got time or patience. But try rousing the yeast first. Are you sure the temp didn't drop early on and put the yeast to sleep?

Perhaps add some yeast nutrient as well boiled with a bit of sugar water to add at the same time you add yeast.

 

[ChillWill]

Perhaps add some yeast nutrient as well boiled with a bit of sugar water to add at the same time you add yeast.

That may work? If you're all grain you shouldn't need nutrient though as the malt provides all the nutrients the yeast need. The only problem you'll get is maybe zinc deficiency when you've been few quite a few generations.

 

[THEDIETZ]

I am all grain ....and i did add yeast nutrient into the last 15 min of my boil. Temp has not changed in my basement though. I live in PA and the furnace has turned on for the winter and i keep my basement set at 67-70...so maybe it will hit 65 at the lowest....but I don't think that is going to put my yeast to sleep.

I went to the store and found the dry yeast US-05. Now just trying to read online how to rehydrate this stuff...never used it before.

The dry yeast is also pretty cheap...so I want to know how many people use US-05 for their primary yeast compared to using liquid yeast and trying to wash and reuse it?

 

[WortMonger]

I used wlp001 for years and decided to try us-05. I liked it and thought it was just like the liquid wlp001. Very clean profile.

Hey, when you checked your gravity did you make sure no bubbles were holding your hydrometer up and giving you false readings?

 

[ChillWill]

001 and US-05 are pretty much the same thing, loads of people use 05, it's cheap, reliable and clean. Usually better viability and higher cell counts than vials as well. You also don't need to oxygenate with dried yeast if you pitch Mr malty figures.

 

[THEDIETZ]

wortmonger - just pulled another sample to be certain....no bubbles holding up the hydrometer...

i am getting the US-05 ready now...from what i read my process is

I have a glass measuring cup on the stove boiling water. I will then cool it in the same container down to about 80...put the yeast in and gently swirl for 15-45 minutes...sound about right?

so you use US-05 all the time now?

 

[eastoak]

wortmonger - just pulled another sample to be certain....no bubbles holding up the hydrometer...

i am getting the US-05 ready now...from what i read my process is

I have a glass measuring cup on the stove boiling water. I will then cool it in the same container down to about 80...put the yeast in and gently swirl for 15-45 minutes...sound about right?

so you use US-05 all the time now?

this might set off a war but you could just sprinkle the dry yeast on the wort and it would still work. i'll bet if you left your beer alone it would ferment out just fine without repitching yeast.

 

[THEDIETZ]

this might set off a war but you could just sprinkle the dry yeast on the wort and it would still work. i'll bet if you left your beer alone it would ferment out just fine without repitching yeast.

so you think a beer that had an O.G. of 1.061 one week ago and is currently at 1.041 is going to finish itself out? I have never had it go this slow so that is why i am worrying

 

[cshamilton]

so you think a beer that had an O.G. of 1.061 one week ago and is currently at 1.041 is going to finish itself out? I have never had it go this slow so that is why i am worrying

Rousing / repitching shouldn't hurt anything as long as your sanitary. You should already be finished or close to it at this point, so yes it is slow.

If you think your mash temps might have been off and the gravity doesn't drop within a week after more yeast - then you could try some amylase enzyme.

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[eastoak]

so you think a beer that had an O.G. of 1.061 one week ago and is currently at 1.041 is going to finish itself out? I have never had it go this slow so that is why i am worrying

yes. there have been many suggestions but i think you should just let it ride rather than mess with it.

 

[samc]

If it is @ 1.041 I'd vote for a rehydrated US-05 pitch. Leaving alone might eventually get it done but I think you would likely have a beer that you wouldn't like. I think your starter was underpowered. I recently did a starter with an old jar of WLP001 and the first 2L batch was very weak. I decanted and stepped it once and it blasted through my last brew. So what I'm saying is 1.6L washed yeast starter for 10 gallons is probably half of what I would have pitched.

 

[eastoak]

If it is @ 1.041 I'd vote for a rehydrated US-05 pitch. Leaving alone might eventually get it done but I think you would likely have a beer that you wouldn't like. I think your starter was underpowered. I recently did a starter with an old jar of WLP001 and the first 2L batch was very weak. I decanted and stepped it once and it blasted through my last brew. So what I'm saying is 1.6L washed yeast starter for 10 gallons is probably half of what I would have pitched.

i didn't catch that it was 10 gallons, if it is i would pitch some dry yeast.

 

[THEDIETZ]

I rehyrdrated some US-05 and pitched it about an hour ago. I rehydrated according to Palmers instructions. Hopefully this helps me out.

My mash temp was 153. I was scared that maybe my digital thermometer was off but i tested it beside another digital and a non digital probe....they were all within 1 degree of each other....so I should have a fermentable wort.

I also did 10 gal of a Hefe the same day....had an O.G. of 1.052 and it is down to 1.014 already...

so i really think this is a yeast issue...at least i am really hoping it is....i want this thing to turn out good..

 

[THEDIETZ]

the hefe i did not use washed yeast....2 vials of WLP 380