I ave a Amarillo pale ale in the fermenter now. Used WLP001 cal yeast and fermented at 70F. The original gravity was 1.060. I have stirred up the yeast cake and it has gone down a point or two but not much. I brewed on 7/13 and was planning on transferring into the secondary tomorrow, but maybe not since the gravity is so high. I am hoping to get it down to 1.015 or so. Has anyone else had this problem with WLP001?
Stuck at 1.035!!!
- Thread starter jeremy586
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Give it time, dude. And make sure your hydrometer is reading accurately.
I pitched one vile in a .5L 1.040 starter on a stir plate. My refractomerter is calibrated right. I'll guess I will give it another week. If its still sitting dead with no bubbles then I will add yeast nutrient and another vile I guess.
Thanks guys,
Thanks guys,
chickypad
lupulin shift victim
If you are using a refractometer and not a hydrometer, have you corrected for the alcohol in the fermenting wort?
chickypad said:
+1 to this! Also, extract or AG? If AG what temp did you mash at?
All in all I agree with the rest, 6 days is a little quick to judge but these other two items may be underlying concerns.
wood0966
Member
Yeah I had a high gravity ipa and I had a 2 week primary and 1 week secondary. And the second week in primary was when it dropped to a good SG. Also what temperature are you fermenting at? Also did you aerate the wort before letting it ferment?
Remember to correct for the fermented wort!
Remember to correct for the fermented wort!
Like other's have said, you have to correct for the presence of alcohol when using a refractometer. You're doubtfully stuck at 1.035.
jeremy586 we can see you have spent a couple of extra bucks on equipment and it shows you are trying to do it right from the start. When things do not go as you expect you get frustrated especially when you spend to do it right. I have been there myself. I've used a refractometer on clear water and was fustrated when I had different readings. Mine was from lack of calibration, and when I was taught the proper way to calibrate I also was told residue can build up on the unit and can change the reading. You are trying to get a reading on beer. Beer has a wide range of color and turbidity. If you calibrated it at the start you had an accurate reading. After that you are dealing with color and turbidity change thus affecting the refraction of light in a different manor. I may be totally wrong on this. If there is not a special refractometer for beer then I would get a hydrometer for later readings. If there is then get a hydrometer for back up.
From what I've gathered , read and as a beginner most say you can make beer in a month. For the good authors they say good beer takes more than a month, but great beer can take longer. You've spent the money and are looking do it right and the best? If so give it time.
From what I've gathered , read and as a beginner most say you can make beer in a month. For the good authors they say good beer takes more than a month, but great beer can take longer. You've spent the money and are looking do it right and the best? If so give it time.
So I have checked my attenuation with a hydrometer today as well as looked over my original calculations with my refractometer. Across the board the beer comes out to be 1.030 SG. I have tasted the hydrometer sample and it taste great! However it does taste like a 3.5-4% beer and not a 6.1% like it should be. If I was not as patient as I am I would probably just go ahead and keg it. I have listed my recipe below if anyone sees any mistakes or reasons why the WLP001 did not attenuate out fully. I sanitized the end of my plastic mash paddle and stirred the yeast back into suspension really really well. Hopefully this will help and will check it again a week from now and if not i'm just going to go ahead and keg it.
Made a .5Liter 1.040OG started with one vile of WLP001
10lbs US 2-row
1/2lbs Crystal 60L
1/2lbs Carapils
1/2lbs Vienna
.5oz columbus @ 60min
1oz Amarillo @ 20min
1oz amarillo @ flame out
OG= 1.064
Mashed at 153F
Batch sparged
Cooled wort to 75F then pitched entire starter on 7/13/12
Made a .5Liter 1.040OG started with one vile of WLP001
10lbs US 2-row
1/2lbs Crystal 60L
1/2lbs Carapils
1/2lbs Vienna
.5oz columbus @ 60min
1oz Amarillo @ 20min
1oz amarillo @ flame out
OG= 1.064
Mashed at 153F
Batch sparged
Cooled wort to 75F then pitched entire starter on 7/13/12
That recipe, with that mash temp, should have no issues.
Did you calibrate your hydrometer? The reason I ask is that if your OG was 1.064, and the current refract reading is converting to 1.035, that wouldn't "equal" 1.030. Something is wonky. What is the current refract reading? That would help.
If the reading is correct, the beer wouldn't taste that good, it would be very sweet and cloying.
It was 1.035 two weeks ago and is now 1.030. My hydrometer and refractometer are calibrated with distilled water (@70F just like the sample) and I am taking into account the presence of alcohol and how that will change things. Currently both instruments are reading it to be 1.030.
What's the current refract reading?
Well, I get 1.025 with my set up, if it was my refractometer and my calculator.
But what about the hydrometer reading? It doesn't seem to "match up" then with my calculator.
Is it still also 1.030, with a calibrated hydrometer?
Well, the FG from a calculator is just a % of the original OG and mash temp and other factors change that totally, so I wouldn't consider the actual goal at 1.014.
BUT, with a mash temp of 152, and that grain bill, you should for sure be under 1.020. And with WLP001, I'd probably get to 1.010 on my system with a mash temp of 153.
There are a couple of things that puzzle me, though. First, a 1.030 beer should be sweet. I mean, very sweet like dessert sweet. The fact that it isn't makes me think something is faulty.
The second thing is why it could possibly be stuck. Unless your mash thermometer is off by 6 degrees, it should go much lower (like 1.010-1.012) with that grainbill. Something just doesn't add up. That's why I keep asking about hydrometer readings- refractometer readings are just not accurate (even with conversion tables) once alcohol is in the mix. But the hydrometer should be very accurate.
So I'm at a loss.
Both thoughts are good points i didn't think of before. With the late additions of the Amarillo there is a huge hop flavor. It is a little sweet but its not too much. You might be right that my thermometer is off when measuring my mash temps.
I have been fermenting with a johnston controller in a kegerator @ 70F for the most part. For what I have read on the white labs website the ideal range for WLP001 is 68-73degrees. So i highly doubt that the fermentation conditions are a problem.
I have been fermenting with a johnston controller in a kegerator @ 70F for the most part. For what I have read on the white labs website the ideal range for WLP001 is 68-73degrees. So i highly doubt that the fermentation conditions are a problem.
