Now, 4 days later, the SG ist still at 1.035 - no change over 4 days at 75F. I think the yeast is busted... is there anything I could do to wake it up, or will I have to pitch my US-05? If I do so, should I chill it down again, or is the flavor profile set, regardless of repitching or no? I plan on ordering another couple of items from the online shop so I could also order more yeast.
Nottingham slowed down, far from FG
- Thread starter JayEff
- Start date
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Brew day: 5/20, OG 1.060
5/26: 1.038
5/28: 1.038
5/31: 1.035
6/03: 1.035
6/07: 1.034
6/10: 1.034
Is it fair enough to start worrying now? :/ In words, that's 4 points of gravity in almost 2 weeks.
Do you still recommend that I just let it sit? Because I will if you do - and I'll order another fermenter and brew another beer while I wait for this one
I will also order some yeast nutrient and use that on every brew from now on, hoping that will prevent this, and raise the temperature much sooner than this time... But I still really want to save this batch. Certainly I can't package now with that much sugar left to go. I could raise the ABV to a decent level with dextrose, but I'd expect bottle bombs because of all the sugar that's still left... any advice?
5/26: 1.038
5/28: 1.038
5/31: 1.035
6/03: 1.035
6/07: 1.034
6/10: 1.034
Is it fair enough to start worrying now? :/ In words, that's 4 points of gravity in almost 2 weeks.
Do you still recommend that I just let it sit? Because I will if you do - and I'll order another fermenter and brew another beer while I wait for this one
I will also order some yeast nutrient and use that on every brew from now on, hoping that will prevent this, and raise the temperature much sooner than this time... But I still really want to save this batch. Certainly I can't package now with that much sugar left to go. I could raise the ABV to a decent level with dextrose, but I'd expect bottle bombs because of all the sugar that's still left... any advice?
JF,
I feel for your stall... it is unexpected and not good.
Please make sure your FG is an accurate reading from a known good calibrated hydrometer or other measuring device.
If it is what you say it is... taste it... if it is still sweet and delicious and not sour and gross... then let us agree at this time that your recipe and the style you are aiming at are in grave jeopardy and let us now shoot for beer... anything beyond drinkable beer will be a bonus... if you are good with this... then:
- go buy 1 or 2 packets of US-05 (I would pitch 2 with no hesitation)
- direct pitch this 1 or 2 packets in the beer by sprinkling gently on top of your partially fermented wort
- seal the fermenter, install the airlock, store at 65-75 degree F
- wait 2 weeks - if it is not close to your finishing gravity then decide if you will keg, bottle condition or pitch - I keg, so bottle bomb risk is a memory - if it is close to your hoped for FG - bottle it up
Anyways - I wish you luck - I have been a hobby extract brewer on and off (more off) for 30 years and more than 100+ batches - I have never had a stall... so with decent technique and luck this almost never happens - if it happened to you, throw it away with the pride of the experience and brew on - you will consistently brew awesome drinkable full bodied beer of any alcohol strength at a fraction of the cost of what you buy commercially (counting ingredients only, not your time) so if this batch is a loss, no worries, by having this hobby/obsession you will have a lifetime supply of as much excellent beer as you want...
Good luck and good brew!!!
BTW - RDWHAHB - http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=RDWHAHB
I feel for your stall... it is unexpected and not good.
Please make sure your FG is an accurate reading from a known good calibrated hydrometer or other measuring device.
If it is what you say it is... taste it... if it is still sweet and delicious and not sour and gross... then let us agree at this time that your recipe and the style you are aiming at are in grave jeopardy and let us now shoot for beer... anything beyond drinkable beer will be a bonus... if you are good with this... then:
- go buy 1 or 2 packets of US-05 (I would pitch 2 with no hesitation)
- direct pitch this 1 or 2 packets in the beer by sprinkling gently on top of your partially fermented wort
- seal the fermenter, install the airlock, store at 65-75 degree F
- wait 2 weeks - if it is not close to your finishing gravity then decide if you will keg, bottle condition or pitch - I keg, so bottle bomb risk is a memory - if it is close to your hoped for FG - bottle it up
Anyways - I wish you luck - I have been a hobby extract brewer on and off (more off) for 30 years and more than 100+ batches - I have never had a stall... so with decent technique and luck this almost never happens - if it happened to you, throw it away with the pride of the experience and brew on - you will consistently brew awesome drinkable full bodied beer of any alcohol strength at a fraction of the cost of what you buy commercially (counting ingredients only, not your time) so if this batch is a loss, no worries, by having this hobby/obsession you will have a lifetime supply of as much excellent beer as you want...
Good luck and good brew!!!
BTW - RDWHAHB - http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=RDWHAHB
Heh, sure isn't good, no.
I just accidentally smashed my hydrometer when I made a sugar wash to take the gravity of. But in pure water it definitely showed 1.000 so I assume my readings were correct. Gonna be ordering a new one, and while I'm at it, some more yeast.
I've been tasting my gravity measuring samples and I always liked them, they tasted like beer, not sweet though. Never noticed an off-smell in the airlock or the samples, so I think I'm still save from infection.
I will do what you say - why do you say to sprinkle it on the beer directly, not rehydrate? And why US-05, not nottingham, which I started with?
Thanks for the good luck, and thanks for the response!
To be fair, hop forward homebrewed extract beers are a lot more expensive for me than normal commercial beer here, but compared to foreign beers in a restaurant, still half the cost, and obviously more tasty
Got my new yeast today but after searching the forum a little for repitching, people say simply repitching almost never works, which makes sense to me because you're pitching into beer, not wort, there's alcohol present.
Instead I read it would be smarter to brew a beer and once that's done fermenting and transferred, rack this beer on the yeast cake of the finished beer.
A question regarding this: Does this require the use of a secondary? When a beer is finished, the yeast typically flocculates and goes dormant, but when racking to secondary, you do so just as the initial fermentation slows down, so the yeast cake that gets left behind would be fresher. Or can I let my beer finish to the point where I can bottle it, and then rack the stuck one onto the cake?
Truth be told I'd rather pitch two packages of US-05 as was suggested to get this done, but if it really rarely works, I'd be wasting money...
Instead I read it would be smarter to brew a beer and once that's done fermenting and transferred, rack this beer on the yeast cake of the finished beer.
A question regarding this: Does this require the use of a secondary? When a beer is finished, the yeast typically flocculates and goes dormant, but when racking to secondary, you do so just as the initial fermentation slows down, so the yeast cake that gets left behind would be fresher. Or can I let my beer finish to the point where I can bottle it, and then rack the stuck one onto the cake?
Truth be told I'd rather pitch two packages of US-05 as was suggested to get this done, but if it really rarely works, I'd be wasting money...
Sorry to hear you are having these troubles, and very surprised it is happening with Nottingham!! It is normally an uncaged beast.. I am of the opinion that repitching dry yeast straight into the "beer" that you have now is unlikely to help. I tried it as well in an extract RIS and it didn't help. Nottingham is a strong yeast strain, so if your yeast didnt get damaged coming to you or in your handling, I suspect the lack of nutrition in the extract is the likely culprit. Pitching dry yeast will likely not work. Hydrating and pitching will improve your chances, but it is still a hostile environment for yeast that is not acclimated to alcohol.. racking this stalled beer onto a yeast cake is your best option, IMO. The cell count will be high and the yeast will be tolerant of the alcohol already developed.
I would brew another batch, probably using Nottingham (or US-O5 which is very similiar), then when it is finished, rack the beer off of that yeast cake and bottle. Then rack your stalled "beer" onto the cake, agitating some (not aggressively like you normally would) to add oxygen for the yeast to get going again, and dont be afraid to add yeast energizer and yeast nutrient.. I definitely would. I use Nottingham often.. I ferment at 62/65/68, 5 or 7 days each, for a total of 15 or 21 days in primary.. I think this is your best shot to complete this beer.
If you are racking beer primary to secondary, you may wish to abandon that. I did it 2 times in the beginning, and gave up on it.. I really found no benefit in it. 60 batches later and Im still doing complete fermentations in primary.
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Nope, not doing a secondary, that's why I asked if it's necessary when reusing a yeast cake. I do have yeast nutrient. Why should I need to oxigenate the beer? I thought oxigen is only needed for reproduction, and since I'd already have a huge cell count I should be fine, right? I figured agitating would be mostly for getting yeast into suspension. Although naturally there would be oxigen present either way since I'd be racking into a fermenter that doesn't have a co2 blanket anymore...
I'll definitely be using yeast nutrient from now on. It's definitely cheap enough to be worth it. I will do just that, brewing my citra pale ale now and using its yeast cake. Was planning on us-05 for that. This is an unrelated question but, what would be the temperature schedule for that yeast? I have unfortunately very little control over my temps but would at least like to know what my goal is.
I'll definitely be using yeast nutrient from now on. It's definitely cheap enough to be worth it. I will do just that, brewing my citra pale ale now and using its yeast cake. Was planning on us-05 for that. This is an unrelated question but, what would be the temperature schedule for that yeast? I have unfortunately very little control over my temps but would at least like to know what my goal is.
The yeast will need to go through all phases of its cycle, however less so because the cell count will be very high. Hence, the need for oxygen. You might find this interesting, its from the fermentis site. Good recommendations for ferm temps.
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1498013469.635668.jpg
Thanks! Wow, my homebrewing online store is completely wrong on this one, it says: fermentation temperature: 12-25°C (53.6-77°F) ideally 15-22°C (59-71.6°F)
So since Safale recommends 18-28°C, I presume the right approach would be starting low, 18°C for 2-3 days, then moving to a warmer place, perhaps 22-24°C?
Say, when I rack my stuck beer onto a yeast cake, since it'll be going through all its phases, should I start with a low temperature?
The schedule I use for ales (except wheat beers) is 62/65/68, 7 days each for a total of 21 days.. for low gravity beers I use 5 days each (total of 15).. Ive had teat success with this.. for yours I would use 7.. in Celcius, Id use 16/18/20
Thank you for taking the trouble to convert to C for me! ...I really really wish I had a fermentation chamber but I'm not ready after 2 brews to make such an investment. I don't think I'll be able to buy a cheap one on ebay and collecting it from the seller, I'm not willing to drive for hours... I'll have to make do with my cool basement and other, warmer rooms. I know it should be my next investment for improved quality though and it's definitely on my mind, but first I need to properly assess if I'll stick with the hobby.
For now, I think this thread can rest again until I've brewed my next beer. Thank you all again for your help!
For now, I think this thread can rest again until I've brewed my next beer. Thank you all again for your help!
