Stout did not ferment near enough.

[Olusteebus]

I started an oatmeal stout around the 21st of October. I stirred it good the day after I pitched the yeast. I may have stirred it the next day. IT was fermenting very well and since I was leaving town, I put the bucket top on with a airlock. I was gone longer than I anticipated and did not get back until yesterday, the 16th of November. So, it was in primary about 27 days or so. I checked the sg today and it was only 1.03. IT started out at 1.048 or so. It will have a very low alcohol content at this point.

It smells good, I have not tasted it. I suspect that after about the 18the day, the temp got notably lower in my cellar, perhaps in the 50's. I was hoping that the temp would hold long enough so the ferment would continue but it must not have.

I presume it is too late to add yeast and try a restart . Right now the wort is around 50 degrees. I could heat the wort up to the 70's.

What do you suggest I do at this point.

 

[flars]

Are you checking SG with a hydrometer or refractometer?

 

[jdauria]

Bring it up to warmer part of the house, use a sanitized spoon or something that will reach to the bottom of the bucket and gently rouse the yeast. The warmer temps may help reviving them. If still no gravity change after a few days, the pitch a pack of dry yeast and try to keep the carboy in high 60's.

How old was the yeast you used, because even if temps dropped during the several weeks you were gone, most if not all of the fermentation should have happened in the first 3-4 days?

 

[Olusteebus]

Thanks for the help guys. I am using a hydrometer.

I had acquired the yeast from my LBSH the week before. He sells lots of yeast.


I will try heating it up to the high sixties and repitching yeast.

 

[Olusteebus]

I checked my hydrometer in water. It is ok. I moved it inside my house but unfortunately it was in a cooler spot ( I did not know this) than it should be and it only warmed up to 60 degrees F. However, the SG went from 1.030 to 1.020. I placed in a warmer spot.

I will wait another day or so and if it has not gone any lower, I may repitch yeast.

 

[Olusteebus]

In a warmer place it dropped to 1.020 in a day, then about 1.018 the next day. At what point do you think it will stop and I should bottle.

 

[eadavis80]

Feel free to bottle once your hydrometer reads the same a few days apart - that's when fermentation is done. However, leaving it in there a few days after that consecutive reading day is a good idea as the yeast can clean up after themselves. Glad your gravity lowered to a decent number. I am having a similar issue with a milk stout, however that has lactose which is non-fermentable. That being said, I still thought my gravity would be a little lower than it is. I added some more yeast - we'll see if it makes any difference. Might just end up being a real modest ABV chocolate stout - which is not the end of the world.