Missed Gravity

[kmall002]

Making an IPA I have made before. Hit my OG (1.068), aerated, pitched yeast with a starter and it was rumbling for about a day, then the action seemed to stop. After several days I checked the gravity and it was at 1.030. Since that time I have tried all the tricks I have read - swirling to rouse yeast, raising temperature, I even pitched another packet of yeast...Nothing. I even degassed the samples (at least I think I did) to make sure it wasn't an equipment issue. We are now at day 10 and it is holding solid at 1.030. I have tried it a few times and while it is a little bitter, I don't taste anything noxious or overpowering. I am certain I made a mistake somewhere and given this is the first time over many brews that this has happened, I may not figure out exactly where I went wrong. My question is, what should I do with this 5 gallon batch? I would have normally added the dry hops by now but I am not sure I want to waste them. I haven't had this happen before so I was wondering if this one is worth trying to finish out or not. If we were talking only a small difference, I wouldn't even be here. But FG should be around 1.012 on this one so its a big miss. I only have 3 fermenters so if this one is a dumper, I'd like to use the fermenter for something else. Thanks again. These are all great learning experiences.

 

[VikeMan]

Did you by any chance recently switch from a hydrometer to a refractometer?

 

[kmall002]

No. I am using a hydrometer for this.

 

[VikeMan]

It sounds like the beer tastes okay. If so, I'd suggest riding it out. Give it a few more days to see if the gravity moves.

 

[Jag75]

Dang , maybe your hydrometer took a crap . Have you checked it in distilled water to make sure its reading right?

 

[VikeMan]

Dang , maybe your hydrometer took a crap . Have you checked it in distilled water to make sure its reading right?

The only way a hydrometer could go from calibrated to not calibrated would be for that slip of paper with the scales on it to have moved.

 

[kmall002]

Yeah I thought of that too. Unfortunately spot on.

 

[kmall002]

Thanks for the input. I'll let it ride for a few more days and see if it moves.

 

[Deadalus]

When did you pitch the second packet of yeast?

Do you have any yeast nutrient? I've had that help but it was under different circumstances. If you had a neutral yeast (different strain) you could also try that.

 

[kmall002]

I pitched the second packet of yeast on Saturday I believe. I actually did use WLP001 instead of the Wyeast 1056 (which was what I originally pitched) because it was all I had. I do have some yeast nutrient if anyone thinks that's worth a go.

 

[kmall002]

And just so you are aware, there is a misprint above. I am actually on day 10

 

[kmall002]

When did you pitch the second packet of yeast?

Do you have any yeast nutrient? I've had that help but it was under different circumstances. If you had a neutral yeast (different strain) you could also try that.

So as an update, the SG came down to what looks like 1.020 on the hydrometer and has been holding steady. My spigot is in the bottom of the fermenter and most of what I am pulling out now for samples is a fair bit of slurry. I think its probably time to call this one done and cold crash it to see if I can get a lot of this to fall out. It doesn't taste bad to me, but will see when kegged and carbonated.

On a side note, a week after I brewed this IPA, I took a stab at the juicy bits NEIPA. I followed the recipe to the letter and it started at close to the same gravity as the IPA - 1.067. We are now on day 11 and its been holding at 1.025. It smells fantastic even before the dry hops. Dry hop additions were supposed to start at around 1.020-1.022. I feel as though we are in the same situation as the prior beer, indicating I now have a pattern. I am going to write up what my process is and see if you all can help me identify where I might have gone wrong. I have a couple theories. But for now, I really don't want to pitch a whole additional yeast packet in this one. The temperature has been slowly raised over days to 73 and it hasn't seemed to help. I have also been swirling. You think some yeast nutrient is worth trying at this point? If so, what is the procedure? Just chuck it in or mix with boiling water then cool? The yeast is London Ale III and I used a starter, as always.

Thanks. Hoping to get this one straightened out before the next brew.

 

[rburrelli]

This could be water and pH related. Do you know what your pH readings were for your mash?

 

[kmall002]

This could be water and pH related. Do you know what your pH readings were for your mash?

I have to adjust every time but not by a ton. After 10-15 I check and it’s often around 5.6. I adjust with lactic acid to 5.2-5.3. My fear is I haven’t been accounting for the sparge water as my base is around 7.6.

 

[VikeMan]

Edited: wrong thread