yet another fermentation stall thread (braggot)

[WyldWillie]

I am trying to brew a hopped braggot. 5 gallon recipe.

I started by boiling 2.5 gallons of spring water into which I added:

1 lb. of Bavarian Wheat Dry Malt Extract.

7 lbs. of Pilsen Light liquid Malt Extract.

I boiled for 60 minutes.

At 47 minutes I added 1 oz. of Ahtanum hops.

At 53 minutes I added 1 oz. of Willamette hops.

During the boil I poured 5 lbs. of Orange Blossom Honey into the bottom of my primary fermentation bucket...then I poured my wort over the honey through a strainer to catch the hops.

It took a while to cool, but I got the temperature down to about 75-80 deg. F before I pitched my yeast (Lalvin D47). Added more spring water to help it cool and top it off to the 5.5 gallon mark.

I sealed the bucket and added vodka to my airlock as per a recommendation from a friend.

I saw great fermentation for 3 days and then it petered out...the original gravity was 1.080. I tested it yesterday and it was down to 1.042 (sitting at roughly 6% alcohol). The temperature is right around 68 deg. F and is steady.

I want this to finish out. It tasted way too syrupy sweet still, but had a good flavor nonetheless. I plan to add leaf hops to the secondary (1oz. of UK East Kent Golding).

What can you guys recommend?

 

[Urkelbot]

If it's only been 4 or 5 days more time. If not and it's been a couple weeks and it was me I would make a starter of a good hardy ale yeast like us-05 or the champagne yeast ec1118. I'd probably add a little nutrients as well.

 

[WyldWillie]

Thanks for your reply.

I was thinking along those lines myself, but I'm still wading through the rest of the information here on the Forum. The last thing I want to do is screw this up and dump it because I got impatient.

I brewed this last Monday, and the fermentation stopped showing signs last Thursday. It has been a week and a day since it was first brewed and is sitting around 6%.

I can taste some fusels in it, and it tastes "hot" so I believe there is sufficient alcohol in it to keep it for a time. I have an airlock on it now and stirred it after I took the second gravity reading.

I might go to Lancaster Homebrew today if the roads are alright...I'm playing hookey!

Thanks

 

[WyldWillie]

UPDATE:

I added 2.5 teaspoons of yeast nutrient booster and pitched more yeast (WLP720)...I repositioned it in front of a heater because the temp dipped down to around 65 deg. F

Fingers crossed!

 

[WyldWillie]

I added that stuff Tuesday...it is Thursday evening and still not sign of any fermentation.

Help anyone?

 

[Tikkuls]

Did you happen to use a yeast starter? I know most of the dry wine and champagne yeasts dont usually require them but if you are fighting a stuck fermentation it may be the way to go.

One problem may be that all of the available dissolved oxygen has been consumed by the yeast and no new additions of yeast can propogate because of this.

A sufficient yeast starter could remedy this if it is the problem (you only need oxygen for yeast to multiply, not to convert sugars to alcohol). Its hard to add too many yeast, so the bigger the better if you go that route. 2 liters is a pretty standard size starter for high gravity must/wort these days.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[WyldWillie]

Thanks for your reply.

I moved my fermenter closer to the heater last night and this morning it was bubbling out the airlock about once a minute.

The colored heat band I have stuck to the side of my fermentation bucket indicated that it was warmer than it could read (above 78 deg. F)...so I moved it a few feet away before I left for work.

Today when I got home it the bubbles were coming more frequently. I'd say about once every 20 seconds or so

The temp is right around 74-76 deg. F according to the not so reliable color thingy.

Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[loveofrose]

I hate to be the one to break bad news, but it's not likely this one is going to work out. D47 at high temperature (>70 F) is a fusel machine. As in a decades-to-age-out fusel machine. Add a stalled, stressed ferment and you have double trouble. I hope I am wrong for your sake, but don't put your expectations too high and make a new batch.


Better brewing through science!

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html

 

[WyldWillie]

I could taste the fusels when I first re-measured the gravity.

I hope that the addition of different yeast (WLP 720) will make the difference here.

It is bubbling along quite nicely now about every 5 seconds at 72 deg. F.


loveofrose, thanks for the heads up about the fusel issue, I believe you may be correct about that just from my own tasting. However, when I did taste it, it was sitting around 6%. I can only hope that things will change with the new yeast addition and time.

Would it matter that 8 out of the 13 pounds of sugars were derived from malts, or is this just a yeast issue?

Thanks

 

[WyldWillie]

I read your blog, very informative thanks for linking it.

I have been really obsessing over mead lately...so I went on Amazon and bought some books.



My must is now slowing down to bubbles in the airlock about once a minute or so. I should probably rack it to secondary in a couple days.

 

[WyldWillie]

Update:

I transferred to a secondary 5 gallon glass carboy today. The measured gravity was 1.014 which is still a bit highish??? But I like the sweetness level of it.

There was definitely a much more pronounced alcohol warming sensation, but it didn't express itself on the tastebuds that much...it was still a little fusely but not as much as before.

The hops I added at the end of my original boil were very hard to detect, but I did taste some maltiness, which is expected of this style. Also a hint of banana in the nose along with a slightly citrus honey aroma. Smells sweeter than it tastes.

I dry hopped 2 oz. of UK East Kent Golding hops into the secondary...fingers crossed that the flavor smooths out and blends well with some more time, but I'm feeling pretty confident at the moment

 

[WyldWillie]

Update for anyone that cares...LOL

Almost 7 months later after bottling.

What I did one week before I bottled...

Added Dried bitter orange zest and slightly cracked coriander.

Soaked a medium toasted French oak spiral in Glenmorangie scotch and tossed it in.

After a week (wish I would have let it in for at least 2-3) I bottled it and it tasted interesting, but not great.

Now it is 7 months later and I love it! Completely awesome blended flavors and slightly carbonated from conditioning in the bottle.

Cheers!