Failed Brew

[Hopperty]

or at least semi failed

Firstly, this was my 12th brew and I pretty much done what I hav done with all the others, FV temp was set at 20-21c for the duration.

This was a kit can, and the first time I have used a St Peters Stout.

For reason that I don't understand, and the butt of my question; Fermentation died at 1021 why ?

I did bottle it and after a month in the bottle I tried some last weekend, 1039 to 1021 I calc makes it a very week 2.4%, the thing is though, it is absolutely gorges, may be the nicest I have done so far.

I'm not into strong beer, but 2.4% is a bit on the weak side. I would like to do another batch but this time get it to ferment down to 1008 or something. Would that alter the flavour much ?

 

[Clint]

Less sweet maybe.

 

[GerritT]

or at least semi failed

Firstly, this was my 12th brew and I pretty much done what I hav done with all the others, FV temp was set at 20-21c for the duration.

This was a kit can, and the first time I have used a St Peters Stout.

For reason that I don't understand, and the butt of my question; Fermentation died at 1021 why ?

I did bottle it and after a month in the bottle I tried some last weekend, 1039 to 1021 I calc makes it a very week 2.4%, the thing is though, it is absolutely gorges, may be the nicest I have done so far.

I'm not into strong beer, but 2.4% is a bit on the weak side. I would like to do another batch but this time get it to ferment down to 1008 or something. Would that alter the flavour much ?

**** happens, this can happen to all of us. Everyone's nightmare: having something going wrong during brewing and it turns up to be the best beer ever..

 

[An Ankoù]

I did bottle it and after a month in the bottle I tried some last weekend, 1039 to 1021 I calc makes it a very week 2.4%, the thing is though, it is absolutely gorges, may be the nicest I have done so far.

Something's not quite right here. If you bottled it at 1021 and it carbed up, why aren't the bottles overcarbed- even bursting? You say it tasted gorgeous, but wasn't it cloyingly sweet?
What did you measure the OG and FG with?

 

[terrym]

You probably had a stuck fermentation which means the yeast goes dormant before it should, resulting in a high SG.
Yours is a Muntons produced kit, which at one time were notorious for stuck fermentations, particularly the Wherry at about 1.020, due to the miserly 6g packet of yeast they supplied. Wherry now comes with 2 x 6g yeast packets but other kits may still have one packet. That may be the reason for the early finish.
For your info (next time?) these are a few ideas for restarting stuck fermentations.
Simple strategies for dealing with stuck fermentations
As others have said you now need to be especially carefully about the original unfinished fermentation restarting which on top of the priming sugar will give overpressure. You wont know this until you open your bottles if they are glass, but if you use PET the bottles will go rock hard. Come back for further advice if you get a few overly fizzy bottles.

 

[Sandimas]

Sage advice from others, as Terrym says it sounds like a classic "stuck brew" typical of Munton kits with a miserly small yeast packet. There's a chance it could wake up at some point and produce foaming bottles or even exploding bottles. Keep trying them regularly.

Can you remember the size of the yeast packet with the kit? Chances are it's the smaller 6g one. Next time, buy a full-size 11/12g packet of yeast, Gervin Ale yeast will do - that should avoid a stuck ferment if you keep it at 18C or above.

 

[Zephyr259]

Unless he's tested FG with a refractometer?

 

[Cwrw666]

The thing with stuck fermentations - you add sugar and it'll ferment the sugar, but still not ferment below 1020 or thereabouts. So bottles can be primed ok.
I've only ever had stuck fermentations with 2 can kits, never with 1 can kits and never with AG. I can only imagine it's something to do with the malt extract. Too many unfermentable sugars perhaps? Sometimes you can kickstart it by adding amylase which breaks down complex sugars to simple ones.

 

[foxy]

Something's not quite right here. If you bottled it at 1021 and it carbed up, why aren't the bottles overcarbed- even bursting? You say it tasted gorgeous, but wasn't it cloyingly sweet?
What did you measure the OG and FG with?

I have mentioned this before that there seems to be so many stuck ferments on this forum, that I wonder whether the samples are being degassed, especially stouts which do seem to hold co2 in suspension.