WTF is wrong????

[beeraggie]

The other week I brewed a dark ale. I steeped 4lbs of specialty grains (a mix of choc malt, carapils, and light munich) and used 5lbs of DME. Steeped for 45 mins @165 F, boiled for 60 mins, hopped at 60, 20,10,and knockout. Cooled and pitched Belgium Ale yeast. IG of 1.050. Fermentation started in 6.5 hrs and was very strong for 3 days, and then stopped. I left it in the primary for 8 days and transfered to secondary. When I x-fered the gravity was only a 1.033. It has been in the secondary now for 5 days and the gravity is only a 1.031. Is this all I am going to get? Should I try to re-pitch more yeast?

Any advise or feedback is welcome.

 

[TheJadedDog]

Couple of things may be going on here. 1) 4lbs seems like a lot of steeping grains to me, you also steeped them for longer than the typical 15 to 20 minutes, so you may have a lot of unfermentable sugar in there. 2) you may have racked to secondary a little early; racking effectively slows down fermentation since you rack the beer off the yeast cake. I don't usually go to secondary until fermentation is complete, but that's just me.

I don't really know enough about Belgian yeast strains to tell you much more or to suggest whether or not re-pitching is a good idea.

 

[david_42]

I would re-pitch.

 

[beeraggie]

Well, after trying many different things, I am at a loss. I stirred up all the settled yeast at the bottom by hitting it with some aeration. This did not due a D*mn thing. Next I boiled up about 3 cups of water and DME and added it. I had a bubble every 2 mins or so for about 9 hrs, then nothing. After seeing this I have concluded that the yeast must be ok, I just have that many unfermentable sugars. SO??? to bottle and hope for the best, or should I discard?

Any thoughts are welcome

 

[cweston]

Fermentation temperature? Belgian strains are picky about temp--they tend to get stuck if they go below 65 F.

 

[beeraggie]

It stayed between 68 to 72 the whole time.

 

[Willsellout]

Steeping at 165? That's pretty high, the higher the temp the more unfermentables, the lower them temp the more fermentables. You probably got a bunch of unfermentables out of your grains when you steeped them, this is going to be a thick beer

You can try to repitch but I've yet to have a successful reversal of a stuck fermentation.

Dan

 

[user 574]

The two times I used WL's belgium ale yeast it took mine 6 weeks to finish. You getting krausen buildup?

 

[beeraggie]

The two times I used WL's belgium ale yeast it took mine 6 weeks to finish. You getting krausen buildup?

I had krausen the first 2-3 days and then it went away. The gravity has not moved in 8 days.

 

[Dude]

Beano time!

 

[grnich]

4 pounds of steeped grains? Wouldn't this create a huge amount of unfermentables without mashing? Sounds like that would cause the high FG. Careful with the Beano. I used 4 tablets in a brew and it fermented for weeks. Kept fermenting in the bottles too. Good thing I use plastic bottles and not glass or it would sound like WWII in my basement.

 

[user 574]

I had krausen the first 2-3 days and then it went away. The gravity has not moved in 8 days.

Hmmm. Mine took forever to drop. I even racked it after 2 weeks and it just came back in the secondary.

 

[beeraggie]

Well, I am going to try the beano. Don't have nothing to lose.
Thanks for everyones help!!!

 

[BarleyWater]

Beano time!

Exactly what I was thinking. Good luck.

 

[Dude]

Well, I am going to try the beano. Don't have nothing to lose.
Thanks for everyones help!!!

Did you search on what it does?

 

[beeraggie]

Well last night I put in 2 tabs of beano and went to bed. This morning there was some pressure under the ailock. When I got home from work, well, it was just beautiful. Thick foam on top, bubbles coming out of the airlock.

Thank yall so much for the help!!!

 

[DeathBrewer]

what is this "beano" you speak of?

 

[beeraggie]

Its Beano. It is sold in every grocery store or drug store. It is for when you have gas. Its a little embarrising to purchase. I told the cute gal checking me out that is was for the beer; honest!!!

 

[BierMuncher]

Whoa...

Before you go throwing beano in there, give this thread a read.

"How I cured My Stuck Fermentation...no not Beano"

I had the exact same issue with a belgian Wit.

My problem was essentially "Beached Yeast".

Stirring the bottom did little good because the yeast was stuck up in the krausen residue.

 

[DeathBrewer]

"How I cured My Stuck Fermentation...no not Beano"

Great Read