two weeks, FG at 1.028 - is it stuck?

[shimpiphany]

after 2 weeks in the primary, the FG is holding at 1.028. this seems WAY too high for a brown ale - did it not completely ferment?

my house is usually around 65-68 degrees where the primary is kept.

here's the recipe:

Malt Extract:
Pale 6 lbs.
Grain Bill:
British Chocolate Malt 4 oz
Crystal 60 4 oz
Crystal 10 4 oz
Special Roast 4 oz
Hopping Schedule:
#1 Challenger (8.0%) 0.8 oz 60 min
#2 Fuggles (4.0%) 0.5 oz 15 min
Starting Gravity:
1.045
Fermentation Temp:
65-75 degrees F
Yeast:
Wyeast 1098 British Ale

 

[wonderbread23]

Yeah, that's way too high a FG for this beer (less than 40% attenuation). 1.012 is where I'd be shooting. I suppose if you mashed really high, it could potentially be finished, especially considering the English yeasts tend to be low attenuators (although 80% is pretty achievable with good practices). I'd swirl the fermentor a bit and see if you can get the sucker cooking again. If it fermented below 65, the yeast probably floc'd out prematurely.

 

[mr_bell]

I've never had a stuck fermentation, but I'd say that's likely it.

 

[brewagentjay]

Yeah looks like you need to either try warming it up a bit or re-pitching

 

[shimpiphany]

so i stirred it up tonight and stuck it next to the fridge. it is supposed to be 84 tomorrow, so i will set it out on the porch and see if that gooses the yeasties. is that too much?

 

[MikeSzwaya]

Your yeast dropped out, probably from lack of nutrients or aeration at the beginning.

The temperature sounds fine, as long as there wasn't a cold snap where the fermenter got below 65 for an extended period of time. Active, healthy yeast will generate a little heat on their own and should be able to withstand a little cold.

If the yeast did poop out, swirling it won't do much except release CO2 and make you think it's active again.

At this point, you could try heating it up and see if that does anything. It's possible but not very likely.

Otherwise, it's time to send in reinforcements. Make a 1 liter starter and pitch 2 - 11g packets of dry yeast. Aerate aggressively - stir plate or shaking frequently. You must wait until it is active before adding to the fermenter.

Yes, this is a lot of yeast but you can no longer count on them reproducing in the fermenter. The beer is already stripped of oxygen and possibly nutrients so what you add will not grow anymore. You need to add enough to finish the job right away.

Don't try to just dump yeast in there. You'd just be adding more yeast to the ones that dropped out on the bottom.

Don't worry about the beer either. At this point, you're entering salvage mode. As long as you don't aerate it or contaminate it, it should turn out ok.

 

[shimpiphany]

i stirred it last night and put it next to the fridge, where it is warmer.

since then it's had a bubble thru the airlock about every 3 minutes or so for about the last 12 hours. is that just the released CO2 from me stirring it?

right now its out on the porch in the sun (in an opaque brew bucket). should be 85 today.

 

[SC_Ryan]

Don't get it too warm

 

[bknifefight]

1.045 - 1.028 is like 2.23% ABV. I think youre stuck!

 

[shimpiphany]

Don't get it too warm

what is too warm?

 

[uechikid]

Like what has been said above, make a starter, wait until it's going strong and re-pitch. I did this with a barley wine and was able to save it.

 

[MikeSzwaya]

i stirred it last night and put it next to the fridge, where it is warmer.

since then it's had a bubble thru the airlock about every 3 minutes or so for about the last 12 hours. is that just the released CO2 from me stirring it?

right now its out on the porch in the sun (in an opaque brew bucket). should be 85 today.

Odds are that this is just CO2 getting released from the beer as it warms (CO2 is less soluble in warmer temperatures). It does this by itself.

Responding to posts below - at this point, you pretty much have an undrinkable beer. It's near impossible to ruin it any more, regardless of what temp. you raise it to. Don't take it any higher than 85. I'd rather have an overly fruity, estery beer at 1.015 than a cloying, sweet one at 1.028.

Give the starter a try. And be patient. This one may take a while to finish. Stick this one in the basement and move on to your next brew.

Good luck.

 

[Frodo]

what is too warm?

84F is too warm. Shouldn't come up above around 70F for most yeast.

 

[MikeSzwaya]

84F is too warm. Shouldn't come up above around 70F for most yeast.

Ideally, yes. But we're in salvage mode here. A lot of the normal rules go out the window.

 

[JLem]

Ideally, yes. But we're in salvage mode here. A lot of the normal rules go out the window.

True, but warming up your beer to 85 is pretty drastic when other options have yet to be tried. I'd attempt pitching a new starter first before ramping the temp up that high.

 

[shimpiphany]

i stuck it out on the porch, and now i'm getting airlock activity about every 10 seconds or so. just from feeling the sides of the bucket, i don't think it got up to 80. we'll see.

i'll let it go for a few days more and then get a gravity on it.

 

[BrewDocND]

This is exciting. A live beer drama. Keep us posted and best of luck

 

[shimpiphany]

still chugging along. activity every 5-6 seconds now, like clockwork.

 

[shimpiphany]

airlock activity is down to almost nothing, and gravity is at 1.022. i'll check again in a few days.

 

[shimpiphany]

its now at 1.020.

 

[shimpiphany]

it froze again a few weeks ago.

i just bottled a pub ale, took some of the stuck beer and made a slurry with the pub ale yeast cake, and then pitched it into the stuck brown ale.

we'll see what happens.