slow fermentation or...

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Clint

Clint

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...stuck? My John Bull ipa has been going for two weeks,all blow off tube bubbling stopped last night so I took a fg today. ..1020. Close inspection reveals the odd tiny bubble breaking surface so it's still active. Do I have anything to worry about? I gave it a gentle stir...should I put a heater under it? Temp on the fv hovering between 16/18 which is my kitchen temp.

Cheers

Clint
 
Clint said:
...stuck? My John Bull ipa has been going for two weeks,all blow off tube bubbling stopped last night so I took a fg today. ..1020. Close inspection reveals the odd tiny bubble breaking surface so it's still active. Do I have anything to worry about? I gave it a gentle stir...should I put a heater under it? Temp on the fv hovering between 16/18 which is my kitchen temp.

Cheers

Clint
Click to expand...

could be a little warmer perhaps. at theose temps it's going to take longer to finish.
 
Little low temp. 20 would be better. The more constant the better.
 
What was the OG? If it's a big beer, IPA kind of states that, then might be under pitched. Anything above 1.060 should be double pitched or make a large starter.
 
If you Google this kit you'll find plenty of people with stuck brews / high FG. Just seems like it's one of those kits.

But I'd agree on the temperature comments, 16C is too low and has been the cause of stuck brews in the past here. I always aim for 19/20. A water bath is one of the best ways to up the temp a bit in a cold house and is what I use here, never do a brew without it except in mid-summer
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=66407
 
Cheers..inkbird temp steady at 20 +/- 1 with the odd pin head bubble rising but no fv lid pressure or bubbling as previously.

Clint

I'll check the fg tomorrow. ...what should be my next move if no change?
 
Clint said:
Cheers..inkbird temp steady at 20 +/- 1 with the odd pin head bubble rising but no fv lid pressure or bubbling as previously.

Clint

I'll check the fg tomorrow. ...what should be my next move if no change?
Click to expand...

I doubt you need to fret, Clint, as at 20C it is going to ferment out. Nothing will prevent that now at a steady temperature. Leave it alone for a week or so, it won't come to any real harm.
 
Just be sure to condition a little longer. Yeast doesn't like fluctuations in temp. They produce extra bi products. But those will clean up as long as you give it time. Say an extra week or so.
 
Absolutely no change...still 1020..

Cheers

Clint

20170306_144423.jpg
 
Some numbers. ..
Kit 1.85 kg
Coopers malt 1.5 kg
Dme 500g
Og 1048
Fg 2020
Abv 3.68 attenuation 57%
Calculator suggests og 1054 fg 1014 abv 5.6
I've upped the temp to 22 and roused the trub, also boiled 200g brewing sugar. ....should I?

Cheers

Clint

Update...well it's off again. ...
 
Last edited:
How many liters? 200 seems high. I use 5 grams per liter but depends on the sugar. If it's table sugar, you could use 6 grams per liter. Table sugar is sucrose. It is linked to glucose but a tad different. Yeast will still use it but... dextrose is more liked and clean for the yeast.
Since it's all malt extract, I can't blame the mash. However, the extract manufacture usually produces a balance of both fermentables so usually they finish a nice 1.014 or so. Like I said, raise it up but extend another week. You'll want the yeast to clean up. Then cold crash it for a week. Before you cold crash, you could rack to a secondary fermentor. This will get the dead yeast away from the live. Sometimes at higher temps, the yeast will chomp on the dead matter.
Don't add the bottling sugar until you bottle.
 
It looks well and truly stuck to me so you now have a choice.

1. If you still think of it as a "wort" then "beat it as if it owes you money" to stir up the yeast and introduce a bit of oxygen into the brew. This may also introduce some infections as well but the chances can be minimised by the use of a sanitised paddle and a sanitised cover over the FV whilst you're doing it.

2. If you think it is now a "beer" (and will suffer from being oxidised) then make up a yeast starter and add it, along with some yeast nutrient, to the FV.

Either way, I strongly recommend that you don't bottle or keg it just yet!

I am now down to the last couple of litres in my Wilco Keg. It contains a Woodfordes Wherry that had an FG of 1.014 but which I am pretty sure was "stuck".

I transferred it from the FV (with 90g of sugar) on the 17th January, the bottom of the keg bulged out like a Kelly Doll after about a week, the first few litres were 99% froth and only today have I had to add a bit of air (via the bike pump) in order to pull a pint!
 
Just checking the the fg on this as all pressure and bubbling has stopped...it's 1018 at best....so even after another week it's not much further than before! It doesn't taste over sweet either,in fact it tastes good.What would have the 200g of extra dextrose have given me in terms of og....0.2 ish?
If so my og was 1050 giving 4.2% and 63% attenuation. .or so. Wonder if it will drop any more or that's it?

Cheers

Clint
 
Last edited:
Hmmm! A real conundrum this!

Nearly four weeks in and at 1.018 it's right on the cusp of being "stuck again" rather than finished.

I'm loathe to recommend bottling at such a high SG because if it becomes "unstuck" it could get really messy! :lol:

Personally, I would choose one of the following:

1. Chuck in another packet of yeast and see what happens.

OR

2. Transfer it to a PB with a pressure relief valve, carbonate it with only 50g of sugar and keep it at +/-20 degrees to carbonate. If it is finished then it will still carbonate over the next few weeks and if it is "stuck" and comes "unstuck" the excess CO2 will vent off.

OR

3. Rack it into a second FV, add 25g of Hops, fit an air-lock, keep it at +/-20 degrees and see what happens. The addition of the hops should trigger some fermentation and activity in the air-lock. If it doesn't then back to square one! :doh:

Hope this helps. :thumb:
 

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