Not hitting FG? Stuck? Infection?

[dmadelung]

I have brewed my first beer which was the Autumn Amber Ale extract kit from midwest supplies. I brewed it 10 days ago. The FG is supposed to be 1.010-1.012. The fermentation did not seem very active as the airlock stopped bubbling within 48 hours. Also it has quite a bit of stuff on the top of the beer. Can I get some reassurance that the beer looks ok?

It was fermenting at 65*. I gave the bucket a few rocks and am going to try to warm it up a few degrees to get some more action.

 

[freisste]

What did the gravity get to? 65f might be just a bit cool. What kind of recipe was it? What kind of yeast?

No worries about lack of airlock activity after two days. Means nothing. Odds are everything is fine. Relax.

 

[BPal75]

Looks ok to me, just hop crud floating on the surface. What is your current SG? 7 days might not be long enough, give it time. Extract kits are notorious for finishing high, around 1018 to 1020. I brewed the Midwest autumn amber back in April and mine finished at 1020, fermented at 72. Still a really good beer.

 

[dmadelung]

Current SG is around 1.019-1.020 and it was muntons dried yeast. I did have the yeast in warm water for an hour before it was pitched. I really mis-timed my chilling.

 

[snaps10]

Google "the curse if 1.020". It is quite common for extract beers to end at 1.020. I had some when I first started. I believe there was a thread somewhere explaining why, but can't find it.

 

[ajf]

The Munton's standard yeast is renowned for not being able to attenuate well with all malt recipes (which yours is). If the gravity stays stable for the next 3 days, it should be OK to bottle.

-a.

 

[scoundrel]

It looks fine and 65 degrees is perfect for most ales. It reduces esters and fusel alcohol. I'm sure it will taste great. Just give it time. Resist the urge to rack it. Give it an extra week. All of my beers go at least 3 weeks and are nice and clear in most cases.

 

[scoundrel]

Oh, and the extra week may also drop the gravity a few more points.