Is my fermentation done???

[fbones24]

First time brewer here and I am currently brewing a recipe kit from homebrewers outpost. It is currently in primary for 2 full weeks. I took my second hydrometer reading today and I am at 1.022. My OG was 1.052.

The recipe kit came with instructions but did not give target gravities. My question is, did my fermentation get stuck or do these numbers look correct? Should I stir up the yeast and heat it up a little bit?

 

[weetodd]

By my calculations, that's 57% attenuation which is a little low for a SG of that size. What type of beer is it? Maybe a pale ale of some sort?

Here are a few things to consider:

Lots of things impact your fermentation...What temperature the beer is at and has it changed recently? What kind of yeast are you using, how much did you pitch and what is the average attenuation that the manufacturer states? You can compare that to your 57%. I'd say you should expect in the 70% - 80% range.

Most fermentations are done in the two week range, but it depends on some of the factors above. Also, have you taken readings along the way? Have they bottomed out at 1.022?

Sorry for lots of questions...but these are all things that would need to be understood to try and figure out. With that being said, my guess is that you may have gotten stuck, most fermentations with a 1.052 SG under "normal" fermentation conditions would finish in 2 weeks. But, some could take longer depending. So, it wouldn't hurt to rouse the yeast or move it to a little warmer space to see if it might kick up again and see if you could get a few more gravity points off of it. Give it another week, take readings along the way and see if you are getting any movement.

That being said 1.022 isn't too far off so you'll probably still have a fine beer.

 

[waldoar15]

Quite a few extract beers die at 1.020.

 

[Yooper]

That's pretty high for it to be finished. What was the recipe? Sometimes a recipe uses less fermentable ingredients, resulting in a higher FG but it's not really normal for it to be that high unless it's a beer like a sweet stout.

 

[HomerJR]

What waldoar15 said.

What temp is the brew sitting at? Try rocking it gently, warming it up a little, give it some more time.

That being said, perhaps this is the impetus to going All Grain? Watch a few YouTube videos, it really is not that difficult. I have yet to have an attenuation problem with an AG brew.

 

[fbones24]

The beer was a Porter recipe. Steeped specialty grains and I think 7lbs lme. It has been sitting at 65 degrees consistently since fermentation started 2 weeks ago. I was using Safale 04 yeast that came with the recipe kit. Fermentation started within 24 hours and the airlock was bubbling for 3 - 4 days. This was the first time i took a hydrometer reading since I closed the lid as per some advice on this site.

I am going to try to rock it gently and take it out of the cooler to heat it up to 70 degrees. I will hope for the best.

Should I go to my lhbs and pitch more yeast???

I was not expecting anything special out of this recipe kit for my first brew. Just wanted to get the process down. We shall see what happens.

 

[Yooper]

The beer was a Porter recipe. Steeped specialty grains and I think 7lbs lme. It has been sitting at 65 degrees consistently since fermentation started 2 weeks ago. I was using Safale 04 yeast that came with the recipe kit. Fermentation started within 24 hours and the airlock was bubbling for 3 - 4 days. This was the first time i took a hydrometer reading since I closed the lid as per some advice on this site.

I am going to try to rock it gently and take it out of the cooler to heat it up to 70 degrees. I will hope for the best.

Should I go to my lhbs and pitch more yeast???

I was not expecting anything special out of this recipe kit for my first brew. Just wanted to get the process down. We shall see what happens.

No need for more yeast. Depending on the grains used and the make up of the LME (dark? light?), it may just be done. If in another few days, the SG hasn't moved, it'll be ok to bottle.

 

[TipsyDragon]

we need more info. what was the recipe and what yeast did you use? wait a few days and take another reading if its the same then its possible you are stuck. if not then you are still fermenting.

 

[fbones24]

I don't know the exact recipe. I believe it was one pound of "specialty grains" as it was labeled and 7 lbs of dark LME. It wasn't really labeled well and the instructions did not give target gravities. I just swooshed the bucket around a little bit and I'm moving it to a warmer location. I will check again in a few days and see where it's at. Thanks for all the suggestions.