This look ok?

[wheazy_joe]

Hi folks, started a Coopers Lager partial mash (1kg of lager malt mashed at 67C for 30mins, added handful of Saaz and boiled for 20mins, plus 1kg of BE1) last Friday so had six full days in FV. 11.5g pack of Safale 05 pitched dry at 20C.

SG has gone from 1.048 to 1.032 in six days, from experience with Safale 05, I would have expected it to go much lower by now.

Has a thick krausen which is still sitting on top, again I would have expected this to drop before now.

I've had a few brews sticking lately (3 out of last 4 I think, usually at the dreaded 1.020 and not moved from there) and wonder if I'm doing something wrong.



Hope this one doesn't get stuck, am fed up with overly sweet, weak beer!

 

[CreweBrewer]

Looks like it's still doing the business. What temperature is it fermenting at?

 

[wheazy_joe]

Looks like it's still doing the business. What temperature is it fermenting at?

Brewing at 18-20C. Pretty sure S-05 is fine down to 12C so shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Covrich]

that looks like a us05 krausen which can sometimes hang around for ages.. 6 days I would have thought it would drop lower than 16 points by now..

Got to ask the question , are you aerating enough?, I posted a whole thread on this the other day.. it can be often an after thought, don't just pour from height give it a good beating too, without proper aerating your yeast will actually be weaker and less healthy.

Us05 is very reliable yeast so I would just leave it, I did a pseudo pilsner with this yeast at 17 (as I wanted it to be a lager like)

you could try gently stirring it to see if it rouses activity a but I wouldn't introduce oxygen now

 

[wheazy_joe]

that looks like a us05 krausen which can sometimes hang around for ages.. 6 days I would have thought it would drop lower than 16 points by now..

Got to ask the question , are you aerating enough?, I posted a whole thread on this the other day.. it can be often an after thought, don't just pour from height give it a good beating too, without proper aerating your yeast will actually be weaker and less healthy.

Us05 is very reliable yeast so I would just leave it, I did a pseudo pilsner with this yeast at 17 (as I wanted it to be a lager like)

you could try gently stirring it to see if it rouses activity a but I wouldn't introduce oxygen now

I spend quite a long time getting air into my brew, like this if doing a kit:

- good two-three minutes mixing and splashing about the contents of the kit can, couple litres of boiling water and the BE.
- fill up with to desired level by introducing water from a height.
- beat hell out the lot (again) for a good 5 minutes with the mixing spoon (yon plastic one with the holes in it, that comes with the coopers starter kit).

I'm pretty sure I'm getting enough oxygen into my beer but something is defo going wrong. I had a good year of brewing with no problems but now seem to be having issues with every brew, regardless of which FV I'm brewing in.

 

[MyQul]

Have you calibrated your thermometer in ice water and boiling water? If your accidently mashing too high this may be why your getting higher than than expected FG's

 

[wheazy_joe]

Have you calibrated your thermometer in ice water and boiling water? If your accidently mashing too high this may be why your getting higher than than expected FG's

It's mostly kits I do so not generally a mash involved. But yeah, have checked thermo in iced and boiling water and all OK. Even straight up kits with no tinkering are sticking, really annoying.

 

[MyQul]

It's mostly kits I do so not generally a mash involved. But yeah, have checked thermo in iced and boiling water and all OK. Even straight up kits with no tinkering are sticking, really annoying.

Thats really weird.

1. Aerate the wort. Which you've said your doing
2. Pitch enough yeast. Swap out the kit yeast for a bought yeast and make sure you re-hydrate it.
3. Ferment at not less than about 19C

 

[baggybill]

Have you checked the dates on your tins & yeast packs?

 

[Covrich]

DO you have a long lag time?

are you putting anything else in your water like campden tablets?

Are you rehydrating if so how excatly do you do it..

Got to be a reason,or the yeast your using isn't in a good state ? :-s

 

[wheazy_joe]

To answer some points above:

1. Yeast and cans all with over a year date on them so no issue there.
2. No Camden tablets, our water here in Lanarkshire is brilliant!
3. Generally dry pitch my yeast, as that's what I've always done and never had issues until January this year when things have started to go wrong.
4. I store my yeast packs in the fridge, and remove them a good few hours before starting my brew to ensure the yeast is up to room temp (which equals pitching temp I.e. 20C).
5. Lag time varies. I'm using the coopers FV these days so bit harder to judge as no air lock etc.

 

[Brew_DD2]

Tested your hydrometer?

 

[MyQul]

You say your problems started in Jan. That's when it started to get cold after a mild December. What temps are you fermenting at?

 

[wheazy_joe]

Hydrometer has been tested yeah. In terms of temps, I brew in the spare room, and the Mrs has the heating on day and night regardless (grrrrrrr!!!) so it sits between 18-20C constant.

I'm pretty sure I'm doing everything right and just having some bad luck just now. My first ten or so brews went off with no problem at all, hitting target final gravity every time.

 

[Covrich]

THat answered my next question which would be could it be possible its having a surge in temp drop.. which you say no.

The fact you have a healthy looking krausen still suggests its going if maybe a little slow.. I would still hang on for a few days and then try and stor it even try and get some of the trub up

I have never heard of US05 sticking.. were all the others Safale US05?

 

[wheazy_joe]

THat answered my next question which would be could it be possible its having a surge in temp drop.. which you say no.

The fact you have a healthy looking krausen still suggests its going if maybe a little slow.. I would still hang on for a few days and then try and stor it even try and get some of the trub up

I have never heard of US05 sticking.. were all the others Safale US05?

Had a coopers Canadian blonde stick at 1.018 using a Gervin ale yeast, 11g pack and a coopers stout stick at 1.020, this time with kit yeast. Because of these issues I bought some 05 as from using it before I know it's pretty much bullet proof, or so I thought!

 

[LarryF]

Any chance you could notch the temp range up to 19-21c or even 22c to try and kick start it.

 

[JapanBrew]

I haven't done a ton of kits but I've noticed that some have different percentages of fermentable sugar and non fermentables. I guess they want some sweetness so the customer feels good. With that said, the ones I boiled for a bit of time, stuck. Ended sweet. Must be something happening when adding things.
The ones I did where I added the extract to the FV when the water was warm, doing no boil to the extract, turned out better.
The pic you're showing looks like the yeast is doing its job. I think you just have a lot of unfermentable sugar in there.

 

[wheazy_joe]

I haven't done a ton of kits but I've noticed that some have different percentages of fermentable sugar and non fermentables. I guess they want some sweetness so the customer feels good. With that said, the ones I boiled for a bit of time, stuck. Ended sweet. Must be something happening when adding things.
The ones I did where I added the extract to the FV when the water was warm, doing no boil to the extract, turned out better.
The pic you're showing looks like the yeast is doing its job. I think you just have a lot of unfermentable sugar in there.

Not really sure about that to be honest. I've done the Coopers Lager kit before with 1kg of BE1 which gave me a starting gravity of 1.040 and final gravity of 1.010. This time I mashed 1kg of lager malt and added the same 1kg of BE1 which gave me a starting gravity of 1.048. Absolute worst case would be the 0.008 from the grain was 100% unfermentable meaning I should still get to a final gravity of at least 1.018. That said I just don't buy it that everything from the grain is unfermentable. I didn't boil the kit can contents, just sat it in warm water for 15mins as usual and added it to the FV and topped up with boiling water as per instructions and as I always do. Where else would the unfermentable sugars be coming from?

Have checked the temp of the 'beer' in the FV and it is 19.5C which is well within the range for S-05 which can ferment down as low as 12C I think, so not sure raising temp would do much.

Anyway, think I will just leave it be for another few days then take a gravity reading, see how it is going.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to respond and give their advice.

 

[Covrich]

Yeah I would leave it

As far as we know this one is not actually "stuck" yet just a little sluggish.