stalled US-05

[odie]

brewed a Sierra Pale Ale clone last week. OG 1.051 and pitched yeast Tuesday night. In a ferm chamber at 68'. Sunday it's only reading about 1.040??? It's got krausen on top and some bubbles on the surface...

I thought US-05 worked a lot faster...but honestly I often forget about my fermenters for a good couple weeks before I usually check them. But I was kinda expecting close to terminal gravity by now.

thoughts? other than just sit on it...lol

 

[tracer bullet]

Appearances say it's working. And yeah for me it is about like other yeast, majority of the fermenting is done after a couple days. I'd ask - what did you measure gravity with? And are you sure you got a representative sample, and not say unfermented wort caught in a valve?

 

[odie]

ye olde glass hydrometer...I doubt there was much unfermented wort caught in the spigot.

It was an opened pack of US-05. It's possible it was as little as 1/2 a pack/pitch...but still, after 5 days the yeasts should have multiplied significantly...well maybe not...they will do what they will...

 

[tracer bullet]

Tough one. Agree you should see more by now. I guess if it's still actively fermenting that's a good sign, go ahead and ride it out. Or grab another pack to throw on top if it's not too much work. Good luck.

 

[jdauria]

1/2 a pack of already opened yeast? Was it a 5 gallon batch? If so, that's a pretty large underpitch.

 

[dmtaylor]

I'd like to see the recipe, including ingredients, mash temperature and time, pH measurement if available, and how many gallons.

 

[odie]

well just guessing at the remains in the packet. I thought I only used a little bit as a "booster" on another beer that had a delayed start from an older yeast harvest. I just sprinkled what I thought was a small portion in. It was my last pack of US-05. I didn't realize it was partially used until it was time to pitch.

The only ale yeast I have left right now is Muntons Gold...not exactly the strain I want for an APA.

5 gal batch so yep, guess I'm a bit under in the pitch. But since it's off and running I'm hesitant to try to stroke it with some more yeast.

As I recall 8# 2-row and 12oz crystal. 7 gal water. Mash 150' for about 8-9 hours (I got a set up that mashes, recirc and heats while I'm at work).

FWIW I've use a single US-05 on my RIS and have no trouble hitting 14%. It's a strong yeast IMO.

 

[dmtaylor]

Your recipe all looks fine, and the long mash should have ensured good fermentability. So it must have just been weak yeast and a significant underpitch, causing a lag in getting started. It will probably be okay now that it's had more time. Give it a couple more days, then take a gravity reading and please report back where it is. Probably just a delay due to unhappy underpitched yeast.

 

[Birrofilo]

It could have been a thermal stress which significantly delayed the activity of the yeast, you might have pitched your yeast too cold or too warm.
Did you notice a substantial bubbling on day one?
The fermentation might have begun late and might be progressing steadily.

Also, check the temperatures: is the temperature sensor "sticking" to the fermenter? I find that it can fall on the ground (it might in that case cause overheating of the wort) or, in your case, it might be influenced by ambient temperature (the wort is colder than it should be): isolate it with some bubble wrap secured with some mask tape.

 

[odie]

I pitched on the warm side. 80ish I think. Perhaps too warm. I figured it would get the yeast woke up faster and they would be rolling by the time the ferm chamber dropped it all to 68' The sensor is duck taped to the bucket. Mini frige with an inkbird.

 

[tracer bullet]

LOL well I think you solved it. Higher temp + pitch rate off = slow start.

 

[odie]

well I just hope the yeast colony grows enough to finish the job. Hoping it ramps up shortly.

 

[odie]

ok guys...I brought my notes to work today...

brewed 2 Mar, OG 1.051, pitched an opened pack of US-05.

I can't find in my notes where I used part of that pack. I think I might have opened and used the pack on another batch of "something" that I might have suspected had a "no-start" from some other yeast IDK. But it was a partial pack of unknown quantity and age. Maybe a year old but kept in the fridge.

last night is measured at 1.034 so it's still moving down.

I just got a brick on US-05 in. I'm torn between opening the brick and tossing in a teaspoon of fresh 05 or just let it ride out as-is.

I'm not hurting for a fresh keg right now. I have a couple still waiting on a tap to open up. And at this point it's become more of an experiment and kinda like to see if the under pitch can still git-r-done

 

[Rob2010SS]

Personally, I'd let it ride as is. It's fermenting, there's no oxygen left in the beer, any yeast you pitch now are really going to struggle and by the time they get moving, you'll have such a small amount of sugar left, what's the point?

 

[IslandLizard]

brewed 2 Mar, OG 1.051, pitched an opened pack of US-05.

last night [March 31] is measured at 1.034 so it's still moving down.

Measured with a hydrometer, right? Not a refractometer...
That's not much attenuation after 29 days... not looking very promising.

Since you've got a brick of US-05, I'd make a starter with 12-15 grams of that and when at high krausen, pitch it into that batch. There's nothing to lose doing that, everything to gain.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Measured with a hydrometer, right? Not a refractometer...
That's not much attenuation after 29 days... not looking very promising.

Since you've got a brick of US-05, I'd make a starter with 12-15 grams of that and when at high krausen, pitch it into that batch. There's nothing to lose doing that, everything to gain.

Not sure what he's fermenting in, I was worried about the oxygen ingress but if the yeast are still going, maybe that's not a big deal.

 

[IslandLizard]

Not sure what he's fermenting in, I was worried about the oxygen ingress but if the yeast are still going, maybe that's not a big deal.

That's a good point!
So he needs to limit air/O2 ingress. Maybe adding the actively fermenting yeast through the airlock hole, or stream CO2 in while adding. Then purge a few times for good measure.

 

[odie]

it's just a bucket with a lid. I'm hesitant to open the lid since there should be all co2 inside. I have no way to add yeast without removing the lid and loose the co2.

I agree it's "not promising" but it is still "moving"...and unexposed...

 

[Rob2010SS]

it's just a bucket with a lid. I'm hesitant to open the lid since there should be all co2 inside. I have no way to add yeast without removing the lid and loose the co2.

I agree it's "not promising" but it is still "moving"...and unexposed...

I stick with my original opinion - it's not worth opening at this point. I don't think you'd get a whole lot of benefit from it.

 

[odie]

well if nothing else...I will end up with a low ABV pale ale that I can "power drink"

 

[odie]

Checked this Sat, 3 Apr....it's down to 1.020...still goin...

 

[odie]

Tues, 6 Apr sitting at 1.010 I think it's gonna finish in a couple days. Very slow start but apparently accelerating now.