Stuck fermentation

[LambChop4Prez]

So I have have an imperial stout that has been going for about 4 weeks. My OG was super high at about 1.104 and when I racked it the reading was about 1.040. Its been in secondary for about 2 weeks and hasn't gone down at all. 1.040 seems way too high for it. I was considering pitching some champagne yeast to finish it off. Does this sound like a good idea? I can post the recipe later today when I have a real keyboard in front of me. The yeast I used was wyeast London ale.

 

[wonderbread23]

It really depends on your recipe and process. That is about 61% attenuation, which while low, would not be unheard of with that particular yeast (depending on recipe). Things like mash temperature, all-grain vs. extract, wort sugar composition, amount of crystal malt, starter size, oxygenation techniques, etc. all have enormous impacts on the attenuation you'll experience.

 

[bknifefight]

More info is really needed to determine what should be done next. First of all, you shouldn't have transferred it to secondary when it wasn't done fermenting.

 

[LambChop4Prez]

Yeah I took my gravity reading after transferring that was my bad. It was an extract recipe that had about 10 lbs of extract and 1 lb of brown sugar. For specialty grains I had some crystal 60 I think and some dark malts for color. I can't remember how big my started was but it needed a blowoff for about a week and was bubbling strong for about a week and a half.

 

[bknifefight]

What kind of extract? Was it light or dark?

 

[LambChop4Prez]

It was 5 lbs dark and 5 lbs amber dry malt extract.

 

[bknifefight]

The dark and amber do have unfermentables in them that will give you a higher FG but not 1.040. I think you have a stuck fermentation. Did you make a starter for your yeast, and if so, how big was it?

 

[LambChop4Prez]

I didn't write down the volume of my starter. I am pretty sure tho that it was about a liter. The initial fermentation took off very quickly for some time. Yeast was going through the blowoff for a few days even. I was thinking of getting some champagne yeast because it can handle the high alcohol that's in there right now.

 

[bknifefight]

Yeah, for a beer that big you need a much bigger starter. Give the champagne yeast a try and see if it will lower it much.