"Stuck" Fermentation?

[Valkyrie-M1]

Okay so I guess this post is really two questions in one... #1. What exactly is "Stuck" Fermentation? #2. I'm wondering if my brew is "stuck"... I pitched my yeast about 2.5 you ago and I haven't seen any action in the airlock. The last 2 batches I made had lots of action in the airlock within 12 to 24 hours or so. I carefully cracked the lid on the fermenter and took a peek... there's LOT's of foam on the top so it appears that something has or is happening. Do I just need to chill out and give it more time or should I be worried?

 

[Yooper]

A "stuck" fermentation is when the specific gravity doesn't budge, and it should. Sometimes the beer will ferment down to, say, 1.030 and just stay there. It won't move, unless you add more yeast. That's when we say it's stuck.

It's very common for signs of fermentation to take 24 hours to begin, sometimes longer (especially if the yeast is underpitched) It's very rare to see fermentation happening in just a couple of hours.

If fermentation is already starting to occur in just a couple of hours, I'd double check the temperature of the beer. You definitely want to stay under 70 degrees. A warmer environment will encourage the yeast to work harder and faster, but that's not a good thing.

 

[osagedr]

A "stuck" fermentation is when the specific gravity doesn't budge, and it should. Sometimes the beer will ferment down to, say, 1.030 and just stay there. It won't move, unless you add more yeast. That's when we say it's stuck.

Sometimes it won't re-start even with more yeast. Then we say it's "really bloody stuck."

Seems to be more of a problem with extracts then AG.

 

[Valkyrie-M1]

So the temp is now set at 19 deg C (it was 17 which I'm learning may have been a little cold), i'm starting to think maybe I under pitched... My OG was 1063 and I used one packet of US05 rehydrated with wort/H20 and yeast nutrient. Does anyone think it would be okay to let it sit another 24 hrs to see what happens and then sprinkle another yeast pkt on top if I still don't see any airlock action? It's been a solid 55+ hours since I pitched. I haven't checked the grav yet to see where that is, but I plan to do that this evening.

 

[shafferpilot]

I think it's fine and the real problem is that you are using the airlock as a measure of yeast activity which is practically an 8th deadly sin. I think your bucket has a leaky gasket and the beer is doin just fine. Quit messin with it and take a gravity reading in a week if you insist on being a helicopter parent.

 

[Valkyrie-M1]

Ha ha ha!!! Thanks shaffer, that's probably what I needed to hear. I'll crack a beer, sit back, and relax. I won't mess with it again!

 

[Xaphoeous]

Yah, what shaffer said...don't rely on the airlock, it's just a valve to release excess CO2. Besides, when you opened the bucket, you let a lot of that out anyway!