krausen no fermentation

[badgoat]

hello
this is my first post. I recently brewed a batch of beer and pitched with an old vile of wlp 001. I made a starter using a stir plate. my mash got up to 160 for about 5 minutes then got it down to 152 for an hour and a half. After 3 days the fermentaion was licking. I even had to change off to a blow off tube. I took a reading after 10'day and it only read at 1.040. the initial gravity was 1.050. wh. can anyone give'em some advice?

 

[badgoat]

btw there is still a krausen

 

[PhelanKA7]

This might sound obvious but are you sure the hydrometer isn't hitting the bottom of your cylinder I've done that before except with trub.

 

[TopherM]

There is still high krausen, i.e., it hasn't fallen? The krausen means that there is definitely fermentation, and once it's fallen, you are a good 80-85% of the way to FG. I would agree that there is likely something wrong with your hydrometer or gravity reading process.

 

[unionrdr]

^^This,&/or the high mash temp gave you more unfermentables,giving higher FG readings. i'd make sure I had enough liquid in the test cylinder 1st though.

 

[badgoat]

thanks for the replies. it must be the high mash because I used a refractometer and a hydrometer to test gravity...

 

[PhelanKA7]

5 minutes at 160 isn't long enough to denature alpha amylase. Something else is amiss. A refractometer shouldn't be used to read anything with alcohol. Even if you are using a conversion tool or equation. Did you taste your hydrometer sample? Does it taste really, really sweet or does it taste like flat beer? If your gravity readings are indeed accurate then a sample should basically taste like bitter sugar water... wort.

Personally I would give it 3 weeks in your fermmentor and bottle/keg as usual.

 

[RainyDay]

Odd that it hasnt dropped much, but I agree that if the krausen hasnt receded, its not done fermenting.

 

[badgoat]

thanks for the replies! it keeps me positive towards the batch. I'll let it go for a couple of weeks and see where it's at from there.

 

[LoloMT7]

what temp is it? If it got really cold that could have slowed the yeasties down. I would make sure it is 65 - 68 degrees (even though i know wlp001 will work ok colder) and give it another couple of weeks.

 

[jbguzzi]

I use a refractometer all the time for fermented wort, the correction gets you well close enough. Beersmith software corrects it for you. But to each their own. I agree though to just forget about it and come back in a couple of weeks. Time cures most ales!