Minimal gravity change after two weeks in primary.

[Jaredaw]

So I'm brewing an amber ale (by recipe) and have hit a wall.

Saturday, August 1st I drove two hours to LA to get the beer kit. The Wyeast smack pack sat in the trunk for the 2 hours back (probably about 90-100 degrees), and then got moved to my fridge when I got home.
Sunday August 2nd, I went forward with the brew, followed instructions on kit to the letter. Unfortunately, they didn't mention activating the smack pack 3 hours or more prior, so it only got one hour to swell before pitching, and I did not use a starter (because I hadn't heard of them yet.) I also didn't aerate because I had never heard of it, although the siphoning process seemed to be a lot of aerating. I then proceeded to not take a gravity reading because I didn't have a beer thief or test jar (and I also forgot about it - that's what I get for following directions to the letter).
It has now been in the primary (at 65 degrees) for two weeks, and gravity has only gone down 7 points from the OG listed in the recipe, although there is quite the cake at the bottom.

I have a few questions.
Do you think the yeast is done for?
What do you think did it?
And do I repitch?

Sorry if I missed anything, it's my first brew. I'm clueless as to where I went wrong. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Gavin C]

What was the listed OG and what's the gravity now. Did you use a hydrometer to measure it or a refractometer?

Sounds like your yeast got a bit of a rough time of it so it would not be surprising if most of them had kicked the bucket before you pitched them.

 

[Jaredaw]

The listed gravity was 1.045 and the gravity I took today was 1.038.
I used a hydrometer.

And that's kinda what I had figured. So would you recommend repitching? I'd hate to let 5 gallons of beer go to waste. And is a starter advised for smack packs going into a lowish gravity beer?

 

[Gavin C]

sounds like the yeast were done for alright.

You could rep itch with s-05. A $4 gamble. See if fermentation kicks off. Worth trying.

On the starter question.

I use starters every time I use a liquid yeast. Sized based on the estimated yeast viability and beer (OG, type and batch size)

 

[Jaredaw]

Is there anywhere outside of the internet and lhbs that might have safale? No shops here in Bakersfield, CA anymore. Chances are I'll be ordering it. I'll be sure to post results. Thanks for the help, and I'm definitely doing starters from now on.

 

[schokie]

Perhaps you can restart the fermentation with what you have. Try sanitizing a spoon or mash paddle and *gently* stir the beer to rouse the yeast back into suspension. Also, try bumping up the temp a couple degrees if you can.

The hot trunk certainly wasn't good for the yeast, but I doubt just that would have killed them off. The yeast should be able to fully ferment the beer even without a starter. The starter ensures a healthy fermentation, which should improve the flavor. But you should still be able to make beer without one.

Of course, that's assuming this isn't a 1.120 OG monster and your yeast was 6 months old. For a 1.040-1.060 OG and <2 month old yeast you should have been ok.

 

[Jaredaw]

So I repitched with a package of US-05 and saw improvement within 48 hours. I fermented in primary for 2 weeks, and then secondary for 2 weeks, followed by bottle conditioning for 2 weeks. I appreciate all the assistance with my previous problem!

Now me and a friend popped a couple open and poured them and discovered that my amber ale was far from amber colored. Could that have been from the use of a different yeast? I'd say it turned out closer to a brown, almost like Newcastle's.

Then the smell and taste are even farther from an amber. Both are quite fruity. Not like from citrusy hops, but what I'm assuming is an excess of esters. Could the yeast have changed the taste and smell as well as the appearance, or could these have come from an oxidation or fermentation issue?

Thanks again and thanks in advance! All in all not, bad for a first batch!

 

[hucklb]

I think the fruity flavors are from the yeast but I don't think the yeast effects color.

 

[Gavin C]

On the color.

This is often asked in the forum.

lots of possible causes. Read more in this post.

On the flavor.

Fruitiness would indicate an excess of esters usually attributable to either an overly warm fermentation or stressed yeast (a very broad term with many causes) as a result of inadequate pitch rate.

Just my 2c.