Fermentation worries

[xoddsx]

I'm brewing a session IPA, my first ever brew. It's been a week since brew day and the fermentation started around day 2/3 and was seemingly quite vigorous (maybe) at about 60 bubbles a minute for about 3 days and then began slowing down to what is now almost a complete stop.

Gravity was 1.051 after the boil and now is 1.026

Question is what to do now, recipe called for two weeks in primary, two in secondary and two more in bottle. Any tips on what to do would be greatly useful? Is this a stall?

Some more info if it helps:
It's in a stainless steel fermenter with a tap
Temperature in the room has been around 22 C (height of 23.5 C)
I tasted some and it tastes ok, at least no real bad tastes

 

[Leon103]

Do nothing. Leave it at least another week and check the gravity again. Check the gravity over a few days. Once it's constant for 3 days you can bottle

 

[MyQul]

What Leon said, 'leave it alone'. I find that in the first few days the gravity drops dramatically but it can take a week or so to drop the last few points

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

I have just used Whitelabs WLP002 which is the highest flocculation type of yeast they have and will try to fall asleep so I roused the yeast 3 times and stopped at around 70 hour mark.
Also steady Eddie temps will stop any the the older members and middle aged yeasts falling asleep.... leaving just the young ones rave,n in the wort....

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

Get to use different yeasts and you will be more confident.

 

[xoddsx]

Thanks, I'll sit tight and try to keep the temp as steady as I can.

 

[xoddsx]

Hey, I've just measured again and it hasn't changed from 1.026

Is it still best to wait it out, or three days without change indicative of no further change?

Temp has been very steady.

 

[keat64]

I've had fermentation appear to finish in about 4 days, added dry hop and it all kick starts again for another week.
It won't hurt to leave it a while longer.

However (and some will frown on what I'm about to suggest).
Sterilise a glass and see if you can obtain a small sample.
If it tastes sweet and you can feel bubbles on your tongue, it's still fermenting.
Inspect the glass, to see if there are any bubbles.

You want to be aiming for an FG of about 1.010 in my opinion. (or there abouts)

 

[xoddsx]

Thanks, I didn't realise that was a problem so I have been tasted it when I took the readings on Sunday and today.

I have a tap on my fermenter (it's a Mangroves Jack SS fermenter) so getting a sample has been simple at least.

It does have some bubbles and tastes a little sweet, less hoppy than it did on Sunday. I was just hoping to see a drop today from Sunday and there's been no change at all so panicked a little.

 

[keat64]

Some will suggest that opening the lid is not a good idea, and risks contamination.
I do, always have and never had an issue, but that's not to say that one day I won't though.

If you have a tap, then all the better.

Now would be a good opportunity to dry hop if you have a few spare.
But you have to lift the lid

 

[xoddsx]

Hey,

Unfortunately I completely mucked up that batch. I was a little disappointed but had another go.

This time ended up with a OG of 1.047 and again the SG is sat at 1.024.
Compared to 1.051 and 1.026 previously.

This felt relatively similar so got me wondering, anyway after a bit of research it seems the refractometer reading for the SG has to be adjusted because of the effect of the alcohol present. I used this calculator https://www.petedrinks.com/abv-calculator-refractometer-hydrometer/ and with my values comes out with an adjusted SG of 1.012 and an ABV of 4.66%

Which is about right, so I'm hoping that all makes sense and my beer will be ok.

Next step for my maiden brew (I'm trying to forget the failed attempt) is to dry hop for four days in the primary. I intend to add the hops in tea strainers so that I'm ok without filtering when moving to the bottling bucket.

Rack to a bottling bucket and then bottle and condition for two weeks.