Hey Everyone,
I really need some help figuring this out. I've brewed about 10 batches of beer so far -- all have been very drinkable. But, i'm having a serious issue i need help diagnosing
Every single fermentation so far has gotten stuck half way -- by halfway i mean that if i start at 1.08, i always get stuck at 1.04 -- when i want to be at approx 1.02 - 1.025
I use a BRIX refractometer, but i have tested it against a hydrometer and all seems accurate.
Here is troubleshooting things i've tried, and hopefully someone can pick something up that i'm missing, or not doing to tell me why my yeast never hit my desired FG and almost always just go halfway.
Little background info - i've tried many different styles of beers, styles of yeast, and abv's. Typically i was doing all aeration via shake method, but see below.
After 2 batches of expected 5.2% abv beers falling short... i started troubleshooting why i was coming up short. Each number below represents small changes to each additional batch of beer to try and find the problem
*****Note, with each subsequent batch, i continued to implement the new troubleshooting methods but trying to find one more thing to do "better" with every batch after. So, for example, on batch 3...i also did the details in batch 1 and batch 2. With batch 4, i also did batch 3, batch 2 and batch 1.
batch 1.realized digital temp gauge end was not in jar of water in fermenting fridge -- placed into full water jar to ensure temp was more accurate to reading - reading water temperature, not ambient air temperature
batch 2. stopped transferring to a secondary fermenter - was thinking i was transferring too soon and the yeast werent given a chance to hit the FG
batch 3. Made a yeast starter to try and boost yeast cells -- thought i may have not been using enough yeast. seemed to have little - to - no effect
batch 4 - tried starting fermentation at 65 and raising by 1 degree per day until 70 degrees reached, then slowly dropped to 68 degrees for 6 week fermentation - --- i read that you should start your fermentation at a lower temp and slowly raise to the desired temp to allow your yeast to fully work. no positive result
5. Increased Aeration time via shake method-- we shook for 10 full minutes - little effect
6. Tried lowering abv in attempted beer to 5% and implemented all methods above. was wondering if we were shooting too high and making too difficult of a beer with high abv%'s. -- no positive result
7. Purchased oxygen tank - Oxygen aerated beer for approx 3 minutes using a 4% abv beer. -- still no positive result
So -- after about 11 batches now, every single fermentation has fallen short to half way of whatever the OG is. I know typically yeast has a fermentation rate of approx 75% -- i know this varies from 70-80% depending on yeast strain.
But, using a BRIX scale, if i start at 40, my goal would be to hit approx 10 on BRIX -- instead i'll hit about 22
If I start at 22, my goal would be to hit about 6, and i'll hit about 10-12
With my last beer that was only 4% - i started at 16, and was hoping to hit approx 4 on the BRIX, but it was on 9.5.
****This is really frustrating so I'm hoping someone can help. I shouldnt have to do a second yeast addition or booster for every batch should i? Does anyone else have any problem like this?
Process -- i feel like my process is pretty standard, but maybe i'm missing a very key step? Maybe its best to just start towards the end of the process
--
After sparging and adding hops:
-I then will put an emersion chiller in at the end of boil. I will reduce temperature to approx 80 degrees.
-At this time i aerate
-I add the yeast
-I put a stopper in the carboy with a bubble lock
-and i put in the fermenting fridge and set to 65*
-over the next 5 days i will raise the temp 1*
---if anyone sees anything wrong, please let me know. I'm making good beers, but i want to hit my numbers as well. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
I really need some help figuring this out. I've brewed about 10 batches of beer so far -- all have been very drinkable. But, i'm having a serious issue i need help diagnosing
Every single fermentation so far has gotten stuck half way -- by halfway i mean that if i start at 1.08, i always get stuck at 1.04 -- when i want to be at approx 1.02 - 1.025
I use a BRIX refractometer, but i have tested it against a hydrometer and all seems accurate.
Here is troubleshooting things i've tried, and hopefully someone can pick something up that i'm missing, or not doing to tell me why my yeast never hit my desired FG and almost always just go halfway.
Little background info - i've tried many different styles of beers, styles of yeast, and abv's. Typically i was doing all aeration via shake method, but see below.
After 2 batches of expected 5.2% abv beers falling short... i started troubleshooting why i was coming up short. Each number below represents small changes to each additional batch of beer to try and find the problem
*****Note, with each subsequent batch, i continued to implement the new troubleshooting methods but trying to find one more thing to do "better" with every batch after. So, for example, on batch 3...i also did the details in batch 1 and batch 2. With batch 4, i also did batch 3, batch 2 and batch 1.
batch 1.realized digital temp gauge end was not in jar of water in fermenting fridge -- placed into full water jar to ensure temp was more accurate to reading - reading water temperature, not ambient air temperature
batch 2. stopped transferring to a secondary fermenter - was thinking i was transferring too soon and the yeast werent given a chance to hit the FG
batch 3. Made a yeast starter to try and boost yeast cells -- thought i may have not been using enough yeast. seemed to have little - to - no effect
batch 4 - tried starting fermentation at 65 and raising by 1 degree per day until 70 degrees reached, then slowly dropped to 68 degrees for 6 week fermentation - --- i read that you should start your fermentation at a lower temp and slowly raise to the desired temp to allow your yeast to fully work. no positive result
5. Increased Aeration time via shake method-- we shook for 10 full minutes - little effect
6. Tried lowering abv in attempted beer to 5% and implemented all methods above. was wondering if we were shooting too high and making too difficult of a beer with high abv%'s. -- no positive result
7. Purchased oxygen tank - Oxygen aerated beer for approx 3 minutes using a 4% abv beer. -- still no positive result
So -- after about 11 batches now, every single fermentation has fallen short to half way of whatever the OG is. I know typically yeast has a fermentation rate of approx 75% -- i know this varies from 70-80% depending on yeast strain.
But, using a BRIX scale, if i start at 40, my goal would be to hit approx 10 on BRIX -- instead i'll hit about 22
If I start at 22, my goal would be to hit about 6, and i'll hit about 10-12
With my last beer that was only 4% - i started at 16, and was hoping to hit approx 4 on the BRIX, but it was on 9.5.
****This is really frustrating so I'm hoping someone can help. I shouldnt have to do a second yeast addition or booster for every batch should i? Does anyone else have any problem like this?
Process -- i feel like my process is pretty standard, but maybe i'm missing a very key step? Maybe its best to just start towards the end of the process
--
After sparging and adding hops:
-I then will put an emersion chiller in at the end of boil. I will reduce temperature to approx 80 degrees.
-At this time i aerate
-I add the yeast
-I put a stopper in the carboy with a bubble lock
-and i put in the fermenting fridge and set to 65*
-over the next 5 days i will raise the temp 1*
---if anyone sees anything wrong, please let me know. I'm making good beers, but i want to hit my numbers as well. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.
