Kits Keep Sticking

[PuggledPrune]

Hey folks,

I know this has been done but I'm a bit puzzled.... I'm still a newbie but i have done 8-10 brews of various turbo ciders, wow's, even a mead and they've all turned out fine. Fermented out as expected and tasted great. I have also done 2 kit brews, a betterbrew Czech pils and a Barons' Mexican Cerveza and they both stuck... The pilsner stuck at 1018 and the cerveza which is on just now seems to have stuck at 1020.... I don't get it...
anyone got any ideas?

 

[eggman]

Probably low fermenting temperature, are you heating it and what temp is it at?
:

 

[PuggledPrune]

Bit of a long long story, i got a aquarium type heater and put it in a water bath but it broke, however since then its been in my kitchen which averages at 20degrees, the wife wont turn the heating off so it never gets top cold even at night, if anything it gets a bit hot...

i really want a brewfridge so i can control the temp properly.

 

[eggman]

Room temperature is quite often different to the brew temp so I would take a reading just to make sure. If it is a bit low try wrapping it up in an old duvet/blanket and if the brew is on the floor put some newspapers underneath it to help keep the cold out
:

 

[PuggledPrune]

Will do, thanks mate. Its on the worktop. There are 2 1 gallon demijohns with tc in them right next to it but theyve fermented to dry... Still puzzles me.

 

[PuggledPrune]

Steralised my thermometer and took a reading. Its currently 18.5 degrees...

 

[eggman]

That should be fine but might be worth trying to warm it a degree or two either by wrapping it up or by turning the heating up a bit.
Have you read the How To for stuck fermentations?
:

 

[Sandimas]

Steralised my thermometer and took a reading. Its currently 18.5 degrees...

Personally I think that's your problem, and the temp is just a touch too low - I know others may disagree with me, but I tend to get stuck brews when around 18C, and find 20C much, much more reliable.

Another factor is that kit yeasts don't seem particularly good. I'm just doing a kit after a few extract brews using separate yeasts and the difference is quite noticable: the kit airlock is bubbling very slowly and seems to be struggling to ferment.

 

[Kinleycat]

Add a couple of teaspoons of yeast nutrient to the mix.
My kits used to stick at around 1012-1016, now I add YN and they all come down to 1006.
I use youngs nutrient for wine:

it's about £1.50-£2.00 for a small jar (100g I think) and it does about 10 kits. :thumb:

 

[PuggledPrune]

Thanks folks, I've wrapped a towel round it and moved it next to the radiator along with some nutrient. Fingers crossed.

 

[jonnymorris]

and moved it next to the radiator...

I'd be wary of heating it up too much.

 

[PuggledPrune]

and moved it next to the radiator...

I'd be wary of heating it up too much.

Haha, yeah. Cheers.

 

[PuggledPrune]

Well i ended up sticking a brew belt on, several days later its not budged.. Maybe its 1018... Either way its rubbish... Any tips? It tastes nice, should i just bottle it? Need to figure out what I'm doing wrong.

 

[eggman]

Have you tried stirring it to rouse the yeast? How long has in been in the fermenter now?
:

 

[PuggledPrune]

Yeah I've stirred it a couple of times. Being careful not to splash.
I started it on 7th April. Followed the instructions and transferred to secondary when it hit 1020 (after about a week) and its been sat in there since.

I was thinking about my processes, and I'm sure as i can be that sanitising is fine. Maybe pitching temp was a bit high 23deg, maybe I didn't aeriate the wort enough. Not sure if either would affect final gravity...

 

[Sandimas]

Since my posting last Sat, my kit brew has stuck too :shock:

I had an inkling before, but now I'm pretty much convinced that the majority of yeasts supplied with kits (except Coopers) are pretty poor. I still like to do the odd kit, but think I'll stock up with separate yeast sachets in the future - all my extract brews seem to go much stronger.

Regarding the stuck brew, I gave mine a stir and it started again, but then stopped again 2 days later. Gonna check it again today and probably just keg it now, I suspect it won't be a bad brew just not that strong.

 

[PuggledPrune]

Maybe you're right. The kit i used was heading for it's use by date so maybe the already rubbish yeast was even more rubbish...

 

[chojo]

I think mines stuck too i'm doing a john bull brown ale and as you said it was nearing it's expiry date so i got it cheap it's supposed to ferment to 1006 but after 2 weeks at 18-20 degrees it's still sat at 1014 and hasn't budged for 3 days so maybe next time i'll use decent yeast too and see what happens.

 

[captain wassname]

For what it costs it may be worth pitching another yeast.

Jim

 

[PuggledPrune]

For what it costs it may be worth pitching another yeast.

Jim

Aye,fair point. What yeast though? Seen ones online that describe themselves as high tolerance / restart type yeasts. ...or better going for a clean fermenting ale yeast?