Another stuck Wherry - what can I do??

Hi all,

Bought a Woodefords Wherry kit while it's on offer at Wilkos but I seem to have fallen victim to the stuck fermentation problem that so many others have posted about.

I started the brew last Sunday (21 September) - brewed short to 21ltrs with a 40gms goldings hop tea and 250g light dme. It all seemed to start well and the bubbler airlock was chugging like a train the following day. Couldn't get the FV any lower than 20c and airlock continued to bubble at quite a pace for the next three days... then all was ominously quiet.

I thought it might have just been a super quick fermentation given the temp and frenetic airlock activity, but I opened the FV for the first time yesterday (7 days after starting), dry hopped with 20gms of goldings pellets in a muslin bag and took a sample. My hydrometer reading was 1.024 which suggests it's not quite completed fermentation. I gave it a very gentle stir to rouse the yeast and added 1 tsp of yeast nutrient. Within the hour I had a glug from the airlock and thought all was well, but by this morning all activity seems to have stopped again.

I'll give it a bit longer then take another sample (I wasn't planning on bottling until this weekend which gives it 14 days in the FV), but now I'm concerned that it may be stuck again.

What are my options if the SG doesn't improve? Should I pitch new yeast, leave it in the FV for longer, or bottle it at the current reading? (My hydrometer has dire warnings about exploding bottles if a SG of 1014 is not reached!)

Any help would be much appreciated (the sample tasted great btw!)

Hi, I had similar problems last week,I called Muntons and their tech guy promised me some enzyme through the post,never arrived and a few ignored texts and e-mails later I took some advice from A few guys on this site,I stirred it every day for 4 days in a row (gently) added a little Tomato purée and a few raisins :pray:,it went from 1020-1012 and is now bottled,poor show from Muntons and this is such a common problem they should be looking at their yeast :-x
Never had this problem in around 60 kits brewed until now,hope this helps a little :thumb:

Thanks pms67.

I was obviously a little over optimistic to think it could solved with a single stirring! I'd rather not have to keep opening the FV just in case of contamination (and the hassle of sterilising my spoon!) but doesn't sound like there's an alternative.

Agree with you about the poor response from Muntons. It's really odd that this kit is infamous for stuck fermentation when they make so many kits for other brands. I didn't have any trouble with the cheap own brand Wilko Golden Ale I brewed before this and I think that's another Muntons kit. The wherry sample tasted very promising but next time I brew it, I will invest in some different yeast and throw the kit stuff in the bin.

Cheers Mat

Good luck mate,unless it's an exceptional beer I won't be brewing it again,not when Festival and Young's American range are so,so good.
Guess it's all personal preference and part of the learning process.
Cheers

Well, I've opened the FV twice, stirred up the yeast, added yeast nutrient and a handful of blanched raisins. Each time I've been rewarded with a few hours of air lock activity but at the last hydrometer reading it was still a disappointing 1.020 (with no improvement between the last two readings).

So given the lack of progress I'm thinking of bottling it this weekend when it will have been in the FV for 3 weeks. Do you think halving the priming sugar (to only 1/4 of tsp) will make it safe to use glass bottles as this is all I have?

Cheers Mat

H0PM0NSTER said:

Do you think halving the priming sugar (to only 1/4 of tsp) will make it safe to use glass bottles as this is all I have?

Cheers Mat

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No. If you've got a stuck ferment adding less priming sugar won't make it unstuck. You'll just have a sweet, flat beer.

I had the same problem, started it before I went on holiday, came home to find it deathly quiet. Hydrometer reading said 1.020. I brewed short too so I boiled a kettle and waited for it to cool down overnight and in the morning added it to the FV from a height oxygenating it. Gave it a little stir with a sanitised plastic spoon and off it went again.

5 weeks after starting it was down to 1.014 and I bottled it at the weekend, it had better be good! :wha:

Noah said:

No. If you've got a stuck ferment adding less priming sugar won't make it unstuck. You'll just have a sweet, flat beer.

I had the same problem, started it before I went on holiday, came home to find it deathly quiet. Hydrometer reading said 1.020. I brewed short too so I boiled a kettle and waited for it to cool down overnight and in the morning added it to the FV from a height oxygenating it. Gave it a little stir with a sanitised plastic spoon and off it went again.

5 weeks after starting it was down to 1.014 and I bottled it at the weekend, it had better be good! :wha:

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What a hassle for a kit :wha:
I had a similar experience,Muntons have since sent me a new kit but they should have a
Look at their yeast,shocking :electric:
Maybe we should start a petition and send it to them :shock:

Nice to hear that Muntons came good and sent you a new kit pms67.
I'm determined not to give up on this one but it is taking up valuable FV time - I'm eager to get a chocolate stout brewing for Christmas.

Thanks for the tip Noah, perhaps adding some additional water is the next thing to try, but I have also read warnings about oxygenating beer because it can create off-tastes. Who knows - maybe I will have to concede defeat and enjoy it flat!

I'd be tempted to go into Wilkos, get a pack of their Gervin ale yeast, re-hydrate it and chuck that in.

As others have said, it's the yeast with the Wherry that's the problem. If you had added the yeast nutrient at the start of the brew, it would have reduced the chance of a stuck brew. Adding it whilst stuck would have had no effect, as the yeast is used up.

My golden rule - any kit made by Muntons (Woodfordes, St Peters etc) add a teaspoon or two of yeast nutrient at the start. Never had a stuck brew since I've been doing this.

darrellm said:

I'd be tempted to go into Wilkos, get a pack of their Gervin ale yeast, re-hydrate it and chuck that in.

As others have said, it's the yeast with the Wherry that's the problem. If you had added the yeast nutrient at the start of the brew, it would have reduced the chance of a stuck brew. Adding it whilst stuck would have had no effect, as the yeast is used up.

My golden rule - any kit made by Muntons (Woodfordes, St Peters etc) add a teaspoon or two of yeast nutrient at the start. Never had a stuck brew since I've been doing this.

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Good advice. I read about stuck fermentation with Wherry kits before I started mine and added yeast nutrient at the start thinking that would do it. I was wrong and like others, I'd not had a stuck ferment before.

darrellm said:

I'd be tempted to go into Wilkos, get a pack of their Gervin ale yeast, re-hydrate it and chuck that in.

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Thanks - this sounds like a good plan. When adding the rehydrated yeast, should I simply pour it into the FV or stir it in? I've also read other threads where people recommend adding a little more sugar (which sounds a little counter-productive) but the theory being that this can kick start the fermentation process. Do you think this is worth a try when I add the new yeast?

Cheers for all the advice so far guys - really appreciated. (Pesky ruddy Wherry!)

I've not hear of using sugar before, but it should help. Suggest making a sugar solution, say 100g in warm water to dissolve it, pour it in and stir. Then add the re-hydrated yeast, making sure there's not more that 5C difference between the yeast solution and the wort you're pouring it into, give it a little stir and wait.

H0PM0NSTER said:

Thanks - this sounds like a good plan. When adding the rehydrated yeast, should I simply pour it into the FV or stir it in? I've also read other threads where people recommend adding a little more sugar (which sounds a little counter-productive) but the theory being that this can kick start the fermentation process. Do you think this is worth a try when I add the new yeast?

Cheers for all the advice so far guys - really appreciated. (Pesky ruddy Wherry!)

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Slid advised this for me and it worked,think about feeding piranha fish with caffeine and also throwing in some raw steak.
Ps. I've had far too many brews for a Thursday
:party::party::party:

Right, it's done: rehydrated yeast added plus 100g of golden caster sugar. Now the waiting game begins (again)...

I was hoping to bottle this weekend but I think I may leave it alone for a bit longer to let it settle down. I've also got a batch of St Peters Ruby Red ale in the other FV which I thought might be done this weekend but it's day 11 and it's still glugging. Complete opposite to the Wherry!

Wherry update!
Not good news unfortunately. It's been almost a week since adding the new yeast so I took another hydrometer reading last night - a miserable 1.018. It didn't taste too good either it seems to have changed a lot since dry hopping - taking on a bit of an acrid, strong alcohol like taste. There's no cloudiness or signs of infection but I'm at loss to know what to do next. I can either try adding extra water and try oxygenating the wort or give up and bottle this with the risk it could finally start fermenting in the bottles.

Any suggestions guys?

Well firstly I am complete novice but had a wherry stuck at 1020 last weekend and this got the SG down.

I sterilised a stiry thing and added 4 spoons of yeast nutrient, mixed lighty for two minutes, upped the temperature to 22 from 20 and today it's dropped to 1010, so I think that cracked it. Going into the keg tomorrow so in four weeks well find out if it tastes ok.

ive had this before with these kits,what temerature are you brewing at ?
to get mine restarted i just stired it and raised the temp to around 24,i think the yeast they supply likes it a bit warmer than any others!

I'm drinking this now and it's as clear as a hermits diary :hat:
Don't know if I'd buy another due to crappy yeast unless I bought some enzyme which I've never used ?
Saying that,it's not too shabby at all although the sediment takes a long while to compact in the bottles.
Cheers

Thanks for the replies guys.
My FVs have been under the stairs which was originally chosen because it was the coolest place in the house, but with the turn in the weather this could have become too cool now - the sticky thermometer strip has been down to 16c some evenings.
I've moved them both upstairs now and added some more yeast nutrient to the Wherry and given another good stir. The temp upstairs is currently 21c so hopefully this will help, but I may invest in a brew belt or mat to try and raise the temp further. (Thought about the airing cupboard, but that's a sweltering 29c).

Glad to hear it's a good pint pms67, although it will have to be liquid gold to warrant the hassle it's caused! That said, I have actually got another two of these kits which I bought while the price was good and before I learnt what a pain they could be. Hopefully, I'll have perfected a successful brewing method by the third kit!

Hopmonster,why dont you buy an aquarium heater? it would be perfect under your stairs and just set it to 20 degrees.
I bought one from Amazon for £7.50 (25w) and it works a treat.
Cheers