Stuck fermentation

[ace1719]

I'm having a bit of trouble with a batch of cider I'm fermenting, and I was wondering if anyone had any advice. I've got about 5 different batches going right now; four are going great, but one is stuck! Here are the specs;

Pitch date: Jan 6
OG: 1.080
FG: hopefully 1.005 or so.
Yeast: Nottingham Ale

When I first pitched the yeast, it went mad, bubbling out of the airlock, however when I checked it last week, it was at 1.037 and when I checked it again on Monday, it hadn't moved. I stirred it up to try and get it going again, but over the week, you could very clearly see the sediment settling in gradients. Not a good sign. When I checked it on Wednesday, it had gone up to 1.044. The only reason I could think of for this is because of the dissolved CO2 I beat out of it when I stirred it. Today, it was still at 1.044. Does anyone have any advice? I'm sure some of you do, so I'll proceed to the next question, what is your advice? Thanks for your help!

I'd just like to add two things. On Wednesday, I repitched some starter that I had (I've got 150L of cider left to go...). The second thing is that my apartment might be a little cold (about 14oC), however I do have a heater blowing on the carboys. The others are doing fine and this carboy in particular was certainly warmer than 14oC. Over the recent warm spell we had, I noticed the other carboys pick up a bit.

 

[hilts]

What did you add to get an OG og 1.080?

 

[HopSong]

Wow, 14*C is colddddd. That's 57*F. I think I'd be wanting to look at about 17-18*C.

Your last sentence tells the story.

 

[ace1719]

I concentrated the juice by freezing and thawing to get it to 1.080. I did not add any sugar source.

 

[ace1719]

Wow, 14*C is colddddd. That's 57*F. I think I'd be wanting to look at about 17-18*C.

Your last sentence tells the story.

That particular batch was right beside the heater. It was clearly warmer than other batches that were much cooler. Nottingham ale yeast should be able to do 57oF anyway.

 

[ace1719]

I pitched another pack of yeast last night, and I've seen no additional activity. I checked the temperature of the cider this morning, and it was a balmy 24oC, well within the acceptable range for the yeast. Any thoughts?

 

[sirscof]

I pitched another pack of yeast last night, and I've seen no additional activity. I checked the temperature of the cider this morning, and it was a balmy 24oC, well within the acceptable range for the yeast. Any thoughts?

Move it to a warmer room and let it warm up for a day or two, then return it the normal fermenting area. If that doesn't work, add some distilled water.

 

[ace1719]

How will distilled water help?