Is my fermentation stuck?

[RandyAB]

So I put my first batch in the fermenter last week (9 days ago)....2 cans of Australian Bitters malt extract into a carboy with a blowoff hose. OG was 1.050. Temp in basement is over 20 Celsius. It bubbled furiously for 2 days and then slowed down considerably at which time I took another gravity reading of 1.020. (Day5) There still is some intermittent bubbling (every several minutes) with small bubbles on the surface however the SG is still about 1.020 on Day 8. The beer tastes pretty reasonable but a little flat obviously.

Is there a problem here with stuck fermentation? I'm a bit surprised that the SG didn't drop further from mid week considering that there still is a bit of bubbling happening. I'm not sure what kind of yeast came in the kit but it worked initially so it did at least part of its job.

Randy

 

[UrbanBrew]

Hey Randy, Randy here,
You might want to read my last thread. I had the same problem.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/will-yeast-wake-up-208627/

Good luck
:fro:

 

[RandyAB]

Thanks for the link Randy. Sounds like my situation exactly. The beer doesn't seem all that sweet to me so maybe it is done fermenting. I was going to let it sit another week or so before bottling to be sure.

BTW what alcohol content would it have now? I'm calculating 3.15% which is lower than I was expecting. Is the calc correct?

 

[Dunerunner]

If fermenting in a bucket fermenter, swirl the bucket gently to try to swirl the yeast. other than that, leave it alone, try to get the fermenter temperature up to 68 degrees and see what happens.

If you don't get anything, rack to a carboy or another bucket fermenter and condition. If you have a CO2 source, flood the fermenter free space with CO2 before attaching the air lock.

I have had under attenuated brews slowly become great beers in the keg after a month or two. I have also re-pitched yeast, but that becomes tricky because of the alcohol already produced in the wort.

Good Luck, Let us know what you did and how it turned out.

ABV? http://www.rooftopbrew.net/abv.php........... 4%

 

[RandyAB]

Thanks Duderunner for the input and the link. My fermentation was in the carboy, not a bucket. The beer seems to taste good so I'm not going to sweat it. I'll wait another week or so and bottle and see how it turns out.

 

[UrbanBrew]

I also read a thread where the brewer put his fermenter on the dryer. I did that a few days ago and it does give it a little agitation when the dryer is running. I have seen a few bubble pop from the airlock during this time. Just figured it was worth a try.
:fro: