Primary not fermenting

[brewtx]

Hey y'all. Firstly happy thanksgiving! May you enjoy endless amounts of turkey and football (go texans). So I brewed a hefewiezen a few days ago but I having trouble getting it to ferment. I used a white labs 300 hefe yeast. I may have put it in a little to hot because I realized after I brewed that the thermometer I was using was off. So I pitched the yeast when it was around 75-80 degrees. It started fermenting after 12 hours in the primary very vigorously for about a day and then just stopped cold. What is wrong? Why is it not fermenting anymore? I am pretty new to brewing so I am wondering if I am missing something simple. I opened the fermenter and gave it a good stir and tasted it and it was still very sweet, still no fermenting after that. What should I do? Thanks y'all.


Trevor

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

samething with my hefewiezen.......but will just let it set for 2 more weeks. just checked my primary...it's bubbling away,,,,temp is around 62....

 

[helibrewer]

Why do you think it stopped fermenting? You can only tell by using hydrometer readings, do NOT go by airlock activity.

 

[Revvy]

You need to follow the information in THIS POST, explicitly.

 

[Romulan42]

I assume that the "vigerous" activity you seen within 12 hours was (and will be) its fermentation!

I would suggest not to open or stir it up anymore (not going to help)
although visable activity has subsided ~ them yeasties are still alive and well... doing their jobs~
some beers will show sign for a few days ~ some will actually stop (like yours did) before you even have the chance to notice it!

as papazian would say "RELAX, dont worry... have a homebrew"

it will turn out alright ~

I know the feeling, where you think something is not right... but sure enough it always(normally) turns out okay!

 

[kh54s10]

At that temperature, which is too warm, what you saw was the active part of the fermentation. When the temperature is warm the yeast are very happy and chew through the sugars very fast. But, this can also lead to creating Fusel
alcohols which can give a harsh flavor. The degree depends on hot warm it got.

Leave the beer alone for a couple more weeks then take a gravity reading, then take another 2 days later and if they are the same you can bottle.

Your beer should be OK, but for future brews try to control the fermentation temperatures. Look up the optimum range for your yeast and shoot toward the low end.

 

[brewtx]

Yeah I think I got a bit anxious when it stopped bubbling. I looked to much into the blowoff and didn't take enough gravity readings. I think everything was going okay and I mixed up the primary when it was not needed. Well now I know for next time. I'll also use a thermometer that is calibrated correctly. Thanks y'all. Hopefully it turns out drinkable.

 

[kh54s10]

You should only need to take 3 gravity readings.

1) Original Gravity
2) check for final gravity
3)3 days later- confirmation of final gravity.

The only other readings you would need is if there is a problem or you did step 2 too early and step 3 did not equal step 2.

I don't even do that. I take the Original gravity reading, ferment for 3 weeks, take a final gravity reading and if it is where I expected that is it!

 

[Revvy]

Why do you think it stopped fermenting? You can only tell by using hydrometer readings, do NOT go by airlock activity.

That's what he went by, that's what 99.9% of the new brewers who come on here thinking they have problems go by. The ascribe more meaning to airlocks than we know they deserve.