Stuck fermentation? Should I care?

[jtupper]

SO I'm making the Chocolate raspberry cream stout. I shot for an OG of 1.06 and ended up with a 1.068. My estimated FG (us-05) was supposed to be 1.017 based on the 1.068 giving 6.8% ABV. After 10 days at 58° I'm stuck at 1.035. That leaves me at a 4.4%. Therefore should I continue to wait or go ahead and pitch my raspberry and go to secondary? Is it worth the other 2% that wasn't in my recipe anyway to risk flavor.

BTW this thing already taste superb. Possibly my best beer to date and were no even carbed yet!

Any thoughts would be helpful

 

[mccumath]

jtupper,

58 degrees? You might want to re-suspend the yeast by gently swirling your fermentation vessel, and then warming up the temp just a bit (65ish degrees?). This should help get your gravity down a little further, and keep your yeast happy.

Someone with more experience, please jump in. I just had a similar question, and from the research I did, seems the above listed helps most people with their "stuck" fermentation.

Just a thought,
Ryan M.

 

[osagedr]

How much yeast did you pitch? What pitching method did you use?

 

[jtupper]

Yeah it's in a fern chamber outside in a un insulated garage. I may just bring it back in the house for a couple days to get it goin again. But if it sticks I will just leave it. As I said it taste great and it's at ~5%

 

[jtupper]

I used one pack of safale us-05 and just sprinkled up on top. I don't usually rehydrated as I normally have good results with that pack. I'm gonna say I just got it cold to quick. I'm gonna put a hair dryer in the chamber and switch over to heat. It's starting to get cold. The problem is one day 60 the next 30 the next 50. I cant win

 

[Calder]

50% attenuation is too low. You risk bottle bombs.

Based on the limited information you have provided, I would guess the yeast has gone to sleep due to the temperature being too cold for it. The initial active fermentation was kept going by the heat generated by the fermentation itself, but as fermentation slowed, the temp came down and the yeast dropped out of suspension.

Bring the temperature up to mid to upper 60s, and it should re-start. If it doesn't, you can try to re-suspend the yeast by gently swirling or stirring.

 

[jtupper]

Will do. FWIW this will be kegged so no bombing unless the produce something like 200psi and I think my reg would go first!

But yeah I get what you mean. I will bring it inside and see if it starts again.

 

[eastoak]

at 1035 there is no way it's done. it may taste good now but it will not taste the same cold at 1035, too sweet i would think.

 

[jtupper]

Well it is a sweet stout with raspberry so I would think sweetness is expected and since it's already being tasted at 50° so how worse could it get. I put it in the house where ambient is 68-70° so we will see what happens. I really don't want to repitch.

 

[osagedr]

I used one pack of safale us-05 and just sprinkled up on top. I don't usually rehydrated as I normally have good results with that pack.

I think when you get into those bigger beers you have to be more careful. A couple of packs rehydrated probably would have chugged right through, but when you go (a) one pack only (b) sprinkled not rehydrated (c) big 1068 beer, and (d) ferm temp of 58 it's not hard to believe you got stuck.

At least the beer is still gonna be good!

 

[jtupper]

Well I did a porter last winter that was around 1.058 and used that same yeast. I got around 74° F and ended up with fusels. I guess because of that I tried to play it safe. I was shooting for 60° and my chamber (being outside) never got there.

I really need these Midwestern temperatures to decide on fall or winter cause this back and forth sh!t is killing my brewing.

Thanks to all for the help and keep the thoughts coming. I'm sure this will be a great beer I'd just rather bot have to repitch. What are the downsides of repitching?

 

[jtupper]

So I checked again to day and were still at 1.035.

Went a head and racked to 5oz of raspberry Puree that I had boiled and cooled. I went ahead and hit it with another pack of US-05 so we will see what happens. Man I really wanted this one on tap by the 7th for the swmbo bday. Oh well looks like you can't rush good beer!

 

[jtupper]

So I checked gravity today and it's 1.034. I had added the raspberry last week but not taking a gravity reading after I did so. My question is this. It appears there has been activity in the fermenter. Therefore has the yeast been working but we are still at 1.035 because of the added sugars of the raspberry? FWIW it has been 5 days since I pitched raspberry and additional yeast.

 

[OldWorld]

Give it a swirl and let her rip...Adding the fruit will add more gravity...so who knows where it was at.

I'd give it three weeks...Even if you hit 1.015 it's gonna be scrumptious.

 

[jtupper]

Man! Another three weeks! This beer better be good. I coulda done something huge in this time.

I think I'm gonna start making it again. I'll probably have 10G done at the same time!

 

[jtupper]

My refrac had been in the garage so it was prolly around 40°. Will this throw my readings off if I calibrated it at 72°?