Muntons Smugglers Problem

[Rich85]

Hey all,

I'm having a problem with a Muntons Smugglers kit I started on the 12th. The first 2-3 days in the FV were normal with plenty of bubbling and froth forming but after that it seems to have just stopped. I didn't worry too much and left it a week before testing with the hydrometer which gave a reading of 1.020 on the 19th. I checked it yesterday and today as well and it is reading exactly the same.
I have got the FV in the living room where it is warm all day and all night so I can't see the problem being with temperature. I have had a good look around the forum before posting this message to see if anyone had had a similar problem and it seems that these Muntons kits are known for the fermentation stopping before the final gravity is reached. I tried moving the FV from the corner it was in and put it nearer to the fireplace where it would be slightly warmer last night but still nothing has changed.

What would be the best way to get it back fermenting? The OG was 1.050 and it has given a consistent reading of 1.020 for the past 3 days with no froth on the top whatsoever. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers

 

[Kyral210]

well, if its in a warm room and nothing is happening, just prime and bottle it. its probably just a high FG and a sweet beer.

 

[Rich85]

Cheers for the response Kyral210. I gave it a gentle stir last night to see if I could rouse the yeast back into action but apart from a tiny bit of foam that formed, it doesnt seem to have done anything and the gravity is exactly the same. I think that maybe having the FV in the living room where its warm in the day but quite cool at night may have been the problem, my previous brews have been in a utility room which stays almost exactly the same temperature 24/7 and they turned out perfectly. I had ideas of adding more yeast and all other kinds of shenanigans when I posted having that usual newbie trait of being under informed and over enthusiastic but I shall do as you say and keg it tonight and see how it turns out. Cheers again for the help.

 

[Kyral210]

Just so you know, I had the same problem with Muntons Winter Warmer. I waited a whole month in the primary fermenter, tried everything. I tried shaking it every day, adding more yeast, raising the temperature, very little helped. In the end it did get down to 1.014, but it was hard getting there. I even aerated it, which I since learnt it a big no no.

A little ray of hope though, although the beer is not top rate, it goes mark up very favourable to commercial brews such as Pedigree (my favourite) after 14 weeks in the bottle maturing. Unfortunately the long maturing period was really necessary for that brew. Next year I am doing a no-kit extract brew and giving it 6 months to mature. DAM! That only gives me 6 months to plan it!

 

[Rich85]

I kegged it last night at 1.020 so there is no going back now, hopefully it wont be vile :sick: . I'm sure I'll drink it anyway though :lol: . I was thinking of bottling a few to try later next year and maybe give a couple away but with the problems I had with the fermentation and high gravity I'm too worried about them turning into bottle bombs.

On the bright side I've got a St Peters IPA kit and a Milestone Black Pearl Stout kit sitting in the kitchen waiting to be started and now my FV is empty I can get another one going. Decisions decisions... :grin:

 

[philip5660]

yet another muntons kit stuck at 1020! i had this with my santa's winter warmer - email muntons and complain. They sent me an enzyme to finish the fermentation and a new kit

 

[Kyral210]

On the bright side I've got a St Peters IPA kit and a Milestone Black Pearl Stout kit sitting in the kitchen waiting to be started and now my FV is empty I can get another one going

Make sure you aerate the wort well before you add the yeast, that should make a difference and help bring the FG down.

 

[Rich85]

Just an update, I emailed Muntons at Philip's suggestion before Christmas. I got an email last week with an apology and asking for the batch numbers off the tins (which I didn't have unfortunately) and my address details and phone number to send me a replacement kit out. I got a phonecall from them to arrange delivery and the new kit was delivered the next day. Very good of them considering they had no proof that the kit had failed or even proof that I had bought one in the first place.

I was telling the lady in my LHBS about what had happened and that I had cut my losses and kegged the Smugglers and started a St Peters IPA. She suggested that when I was ready to keg the St Peters IPA, to transfer the Smugglers from the keg it was in into my other keg to get rid of any dead yeast and **** that had sunk to the bottom, then sterilise and put the IPA into the 1st keg that had the Smugglers in originally and to add some of the yeast gloop left in the FV from the St Peters into the keg with the Smugglers. Its been in there for nearly a fortnight now so I gave it a try last night and found that it definitely tasted far less sweet and a lot more like beer which was a nice surprise. I reckon at least another 4 weeks and it will hopefully be really nice.