Should I pitch more yeast

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hazzie_fozz

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Hi all,

I'm having a frustrating time with a stuck - or at least very slow - brew.

I'm brewing a wheat beer from a custom Geterbrewed kit.

During the first 2 days this fermented at such a rate that I had to construct a blow off tube.

The airlock carried on bubbling for a few days, but then quietened down. Then our boiler broke down :doh: - bad enough that we've had no heating or hot water but I'm worried it's spoilt my brew! The FV was sat at around 16c for a few days, but it didn't get much colder than that.

On day 9 I took a hydro reading - 1022 which was a lot higher than expected. I gently tilted the FV back and forth and got an aquarium heater to keep it at 22c.

I did see a little airlock activity the day after that but took a reading today (Day 11) and it's still at 1022.

I have a sachet of Wilko Gervin yeast, do you think I should try pitching that?

Any help or advice is much appreciated

Cheers

Hazzie Fozzie
 
PS - I forgot to mention that the sample jar tastes fine - wheaty, a little sharp but nothing that screams infection or diacetyl (sp?)
 
Personally I wouldn't add any more yeast, I have in the past but it didn't work.

I recently did a Wilko 2 can wheat beer which went off like a rocket but was slow to come down. I put it on on the 30th August and bottled on the 20th Sept and it was still above the targeted FG of 1014. It managed to come down slowly to 1017.

I would be tempted to leave it longer, I have bottled at 1022 before but it is squeaky bum time and I did leave them in a cool garage just in case they blew. Carbonation was ok even at a tempt lower than room temp.
 
Thanks Dafbach. I have read many "stuck fermentation" posts on here (this is the second brew that's stuck) and actually I don't recall anyone saying that they've had great results from repitching yeast.
 
Thanks Dafbach. I have read many "stuck fermentation" posts on here (this is the second brew that's stuck) and actually I don't recall anyone saying that they've had great results from repitching yeast.

There are enzymes which you can buy from a local home brew shop which can help with a stuck brew...
 
You could try a sugar solution mixed with cooled boiled water, or 1tsp of yeast nutrient gently stirred in to waken the yeast.
 
Yeast nutrient like the one you linked to and a gentle stir every few days with a sterlised spoon has always been enough for me to get beyond the infamous 'stuck at 1020' barrier.
 
please do tell - this is the first I have heard of these :grin:

I don't actually know a lot about them. I once had a stuck brew when I made St Peters Honey Porter. I went to my lhbs and after explaining the situation, they provided a packet of enzymes. In hindsight I should have asked more about it.

It did the trick, worked very quickly.
 
What was your OG?
Normally high OG =high FG, and low OG =low FG since the yeast attenuates to about the same %. So if you started out really high it may be the normal finish for the yeast.
That said your current SG does look a bit high.
You might struggle to get a yeast to wake up at SG 1.022 because there may not be enough fermentable sugars to encourage it. So you could consider adding some more fermentables to raise the gravity and then repitch.
Although I have not used them myself, I understand using an enzyme will give you a really low gravity which is fine for some wines but not perhaps suitable for beer which needs some sweetness.
 
Just wondering why people always say give it a gentle stir, I'd have thought you want to give it a good stir to get the yeast back in suspension? And adding a sugar solution is a good move, the yeast is struggling so needs every chance it can get, as is getting the temp up to the high end.

There is no sure-fire way of fixing a stuck brew but this will give it the best chance.
 
What was your OG?
Normally high OG =high FG, and low OG =low FG since the yeast attenuates to about the same %. So if you started out really high it may be the normal finish for the yeast.
That said your current SG does look a bit high.
You might struggle to get a yeast to wake up at SG 1.022 because there may not be enough fermentable sugars to encourage it. So you could consider adding some more fermentables to raise the gravity and then repitch.
Although I have not used them myself, I understand using an enzyme will give you a really low gravity which is fine for some wines but not perhaps suitable for beer which needs some sweetness.

The OG was 1050 so ABV would be 3.7% if bottled now according to the calculator but yes, 1022 is very high. It was a two can kit so I think 2 x 1.5kg tins of wheat malt extract for the fermentables.

If I make a sugar solution for repitching the yeast, would it be a good idea to use brewing sugar? I also have some wheat spraymalt extract.
 
The OG was 1050 so ABV would be 3.7% if bottled now according to the calculator but yes, 1022 is very high. It was a two can kit so I think 2 x 1.5kg tins of wheat malt extract for the fermentables.
You have currently got an attenuation of 56% which is low by any standards.
If gently rousing and raising the fermenting temperature to say 23*C doesn't work, and you don't want to go down the enzyme route, you could try dissolving a tin of Golden Syrup or 500g of another fermentable in some hot water, bring it to the boil then cool to about 20*C and then gently stir into your brew, and then repitch with another yeast, possibly pre-hydrated.
Alternatively you could just leave it for a while longer and if its truly finished go ahead and bottle it.
Unfortunately there's no single guaranteed solution for you, with the possible exception of the enzyme route which does have its drawbacks.
 
Just wondering why people always say give it a gentle stir, I'd have thought you want to give it a good stir to get the yeast back in suspension?

I'm guessing it's to avoid getting oxygen into the wort/beer at this stage, which could lead to problems.
 
You could try a sugar solution mixed with cooled boiled water, or 1tsp of yeast nutrient gently stirred in to waken the yeast.

I wasreading that this gives off flavours - and that some other users just use water to re-hydrate the yeast
 
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