possible stuck fermentation

[techrunner]

well, its been about 4 weeks and my cream stout kit from midwest is still sitting at about 1.038, i wonder if now would be a good time to repitch. i did this with my first attempt at washing yeast, but i did a starter and it seemed like it was fine. it tastes too sweet still, but not terrible. i could see it being alright with carbonation even as it sits now. but i do not want to risk bombs, cause that'd be the end of brewing at my house as long as i'm still married. think i shoul ddo another starter and repitch?

 

[Yooper]

Yes, or else brew another beer and then rack this stout onto the yeast cake after the new brew finishes. I'm not sure you'll be able to get this beer to go any lower otherwise.

What was the recipe? I'm assuming there is quite a bit of lactose, but I wonder what else might be causing it to be stuck.

 

[techrunner]

heres the ingredients list.

6 lb. Dark liquid malt extract
8 oz. Lactose
8 oz. Black Malt
8 oz. Caramel 80L specialty grain
1 oz. German Northern Brewer bittering hops
SG: 1.044-1.048
FG: 1.012-1.016

i was at 1.050 for a SG, so a little high but not much. brewmometer said pretty steady 63 for the last two weeks or so, but i'm not sure where else in the house i can really move it to. might just need to get one of those heating mats i guess.

 

[TipsyDragon]

the brew should stay around 68F for the fermentation. if you get a fermwrap you will need to get a ETC temp-controller.

 

[Yooper]

What yeast strain did you use? You may consider bringing the fermenter up to the mid to high 60s and giving it a gently rocking to see if you can get it going again.

 

[techrunner]

its a white labs irish ale yeast, i ant to say 1056 but not sure about that. like i said it was washed, but the starter seemed fine. actually i think i ended up a little high on the oatmeal stout it was washed from too, like maybe 1.020 after a month. do you think taking the reading off the bottom would matter much? i just used the racking port to fill the hydrometer, but there wasnt any trub in the bottom of the tube after i let it settle a while. its at 63, has been for about two weeks every time i walk past it. i have been giving it a little swirl too the last two or three days, so ill check the gravity again tomorrow or sunday and see if it gats going again.

 

[TipsyDragon]

well my advice is to swirl and warm it up some. 63 is to low.

 

[BrewNinja1]

I just looked up the temps for that yeast and this is what it says:

Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 65-68°F

So yeah, it does need to be warmed up somehow.

 

[techrunner]

yep so did i. no i have to figure out where to put it. think setting in on a heating blanket turned way down would work?

 

[Yooper]

yep so did i. no i have to figure out where to put it. think setting in on a heating blanket turned way down would work?

Well, I don't know. I think it might be better to just gently wrap the blanket (turned on low) around it, rather than setting the fermenter on the blanket. You don't want hot spots, you want the whole fermenter to warm up about 5 degrees.

Do you have one warm that might be slightly warmer? Maybe your bathroom, or a small place that you can add a space heater to, just to get the temperature up a few degrees?

 

[Toga]

How about purchasing a brewbelt from your LBHS? My house is cold in the winter 60 degrees or less in the closet I am using to ferment in and I am able to keep my fermenter at a steady 70 degrees with one. I would imagine there would be a little less fire risk with a brewbelt than an electric blanket. I'm a noob here so if I am off base give me a little wiggle room.

 

[TipsyDragon]

the problem with a electric blanket is they usually have a 3 hour turn off. so you may have to keep checking it. a brew belt is not recommended for a glass fermenter but if your using a bucket then it should be ok. also they are not to be used for more than 8 days straight and with a beer below a specific SG reading. i would recommend getting a ETC. they can be expensive but worth it.

i have also heard of people putting their fermenter in a trash can full of water and use a fish tank heater to monitor the heat of the water and keep it above the specified temp. at this point i would think it would work just fine for you.

 

[techrunner]

yeah, the blanket i have is kinda old and i dont think it has a shutoff timer. cant use the water and aquarium heater because i'm using a ported better bottle.

 

[Yooper]

yeah, the blanket i have is kinda old and i dont think it has a shutoff timer. cant use the water and aquarium heater because i'm using a ported better bottle.

I have done it with a BB, but the metal piece on the top of the spigot got rusty.