Stuck fermentation?

[Gutpunch]

Hey all!

I haven't been here very long, but this forum has been a wealth of information. If this is addressed in other threads (and it probably is), please forgive me. I've searched, but haven't really found quite the answer I'm looking for among the heaping piles. I hate to be such a noob, and I put off posting this as long as I could, but I'm out of ideas.

I've brewed several batches, but I'm still very new to homebrewing, and I'm tearing my hair out over this. I can't get anything to finish under 1.020. This is extract with some steeped grains, 5 gallon batches with usually a 3.5-4 gallon boil. Check out the OG / FG of my last five batches, including the yeast I used:

1.062 / 1.020 (2 vials WLP530)
1.080 / 1.024 (2 vials WLP530 to make 1 l starter)
1.076 / 1.028 (2 packs US-05, hydrated before pitching + 1 pack after week in primary)
1.076 / 1.024 (2 packs Nottingham, hydrated before pitching)
1.072 / 1.025 (washed Nottingham from previous, made 1 l starter)

My biggest problem is, with my level of inexperience, I just don't know how to troubleshoot this. First I thought maybe it was the yeast, but I've tried a few kinds with similar results. I've added Fermax to the boil. I thought maybe I was underpitching, so I made starters but they didn't get me where I wanted to go. I pitched an extra pack of yeast in the middle of a particularly stuck primary (see the 1.076 / 1.028 above) but it did nothing. I thought maybe temperature, and although I don't have any kind of sophisticated temp control, I'm in Los Angeles and winter has been MIA, so it hasn't been lower than maybe 63F in the house, and usually more like 68F. I've left batches in primary from anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks. Always rack to secondary, but fermentation is negligible or nonexistent after that.

So, how do I troubleshoot this? What factors do I look at? Temperature? Aeration? Yeast? pH? Something else? Some of you might want more information from me, but I'm not even exactly sure what's relevant vs. irrelevant. Nothing I'm trying is working, so any suggestions would be tremendously appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[A4J]

start here: the 1.020 curse

 

[prrriiide]

What styles are the beers that you listed?

Remember...FG is a function of alcohol content. Unless you are going for a fairly high ABV, you might not attenuate much lower than you already are:

1.062 / 1.020 = 5.44% ABV
1.080 / 1.024 = 7.31% ABV
1.076 / 1.028 = 6.24% ABV
1.076 / 1.024 = 6.78% ABV
1.072 / 1.025 = 6.11% ABV

In the state where I live, only the first one could be sold in the grocery store. All of the others would have to be sold in a liquor store.

So if you're wanting to get much lower, you're looking at some fairly high ABV beers. Say you want 1.015 for all of them:

1.062 / 1.015 = 6.11% ABV
1.080 / 1.015 = 8.51%ABV
1.076 / 1.015 = 7.98% ABV
1.072 / 1.015 = 7.44% ABV

What is the projected FG on them? Are they kits or are they extract recipes you made using a software like BeerSmith? Or are they AG?

Bottom line is, the higher you get with your OG, the more difficult it is to get low with your FG. As long as it tastes good and has the desired effect, I wouldn't worry too much unless you're going for a competition style.

 

[KevinW]

You have to take the yeasts attenuation into account.

If you used dry Nottingham which has an average attenuation of about 75% and you actually got 75% attenuation your 1.076 OG would be somewhere around 1.018 or so.

Each yeast strain has it's own attenuation so if your "big" beers are not finishing low enough for what you want then you can either reduce the gravity or use a higher attenuating yeast or replace some of the malt with a simpler sugar (but run the risk of off flavors)!

If you re-use yeast then it is also very possible the yeast will lose a good portion of their attenuation abilities as well!

Just saying!

 

[DannyD]

and remeber specialty grain like crystal has a limit an attenuation,
that is some hectic OG. man!! batch sparge one more time and you will have a nice 1050 / 48 then see the differance

 

[DannyD]

oops

 

[BobC]

what styles are the beers that you listed?

Remember...fg is a function of alcohol content. Unless you are going for a fairly high abv, you might not attenuate much lower than you already are:

1.062 / 1.020 = 5.44% abv
1.080 / 1.024 = 7.31% abv
1.076 / 1.028 = 6.24% abv
1.076 / 1.024 = 6.78% abv
1.072 / 1.025 = 6.11% abv

in the state where i live, only the first one could be sold in the grocery store. All of the others would have to be sold in a liquor store.

So if you're wanting to get much lower, you're looking at some fairly high abv beers. Say you want 1.015 for all of them:

1.062 / 1.015 = 6.11% abv
1.080 / 1.015 = 8.51%abv
1.076 / 1.015 = 7.98% abv
1.072 / 1.015 = 7.44% abv

what is the projected fg on them? Are they kits or are they extract recipes you made using a software like beersmith? Or are they ag?

Bottom line is, the higher you get with your og, the more difficult it is to get low with your fg. As long as it tastes good and has the desired effect, i wouldn't worry too much unless you're going for a competition style.

+1