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Stuck Fermentation ?


Red devil 44

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Hey guys, I have a Black Rock Export Pilsener that seems stuck, here are the readings

OG 1048

current gravity 1030 for the last 2-3 days

15 mm of Foam on top of brew

 

1.5kg Light Dry Malt

Been down 10 days

Sitting in a fermenting fridge at 21 degrees

US-05 Yeast

I am thinking it’s done but never had a reading that high after 10 days using a fermenting fridge ?

Any help would be appreciated 

Cheers Red Devil 

 

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Definitely sounds too high.

This is the expected OG and FG for your recipe according to IanH spreadsheet, which is generally pretty spot on (as you can see by your OG).

image.png.a06c3fdc565e320d97936a92160c63f3.png

I would be getting a sanitized spoon and giving it a bit of a stir. 21C should be fine for US-05, it works even below 18C so I don't think raising the temp will help you.

The only other thing is it may have been a bad batch of yeast. You could try pitching another pack.

Definitely don't bottle/keg it. Its certainly not done.

Mitch.

Edited by MitchellScott
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4 minutes ago, Red devil 44 said:

Cheers Mitch, gave it a stir this morning, I have another US-05 yeast, so will pitch that

Sounds like your yeast may have been subject to some bad conditions or maybe even very old, hindering the cell count.

Pitch the other pack and I'm sure it will be fine :).

Let us know how you go!

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What are you using to measure the SG? I only ask because refractometer readings get skewed by alcohol content, I've seen a few posts over the years from guys using refractometers and getting stupid high FG readings because they haven't corrected it for ABV. If not that then sounds like the yeast have given up.

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  • 1 month later...

Hey Red Devil. Hope your brew turned out alright.

I have a batch on at the moment and after 8 days my SG is reading at 1.010 but I want it to reach 1.004-6. I've done some searching on the forum but can't find a related thread addressing this. What do people recommend to get the FG down a bit more?

 

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10 minutes ago, GolGolPistola said:

Hey Red Devil. Hope your brew turned out alright.

I have a batch on at the moment and after 8 days my SG is reading at 1.010 but I want it to reach 1.004-6. I've done some searching on the forum but can't find a related thread addressing this. What do people recommend to get the FG down a bit more?

 

At 1.010 it is very likely finished fermenting but if you do want to encourage it to attenuate further then adding a packet of alpha-amylase should do it.  I used them once on a starch-hazed beer that stopped at 1.013.  After adding enzymes it cleared it up and got it down to around 1.006.

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11 hours ago, GolGolPistola said:

Thanks BlackSands. So just throw in a 4g sachet straight into the FV?

Just remember that adding enzymes will dry out the beer. So if your style isn't meant to be dry that you may be better off not adding enzymes.

What is the beer/recipe? This will help us tell if it is really done or if it may have stalled, although as Blacksands said, 1.010 is within the range that many beers will finish at.

Mitch.

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Hi Mitchellscoot.

Thx for offering to have a look. It's a simple brew and I would the ABV to finish a bit higher.

  • 1 Coopers Aus Pale Ale Cam
  • #2 Brew Enhancer
  • Cascade Hops 24g on 20min boil, 12g for final 5 mins and dry hopped 24g in tea bags on day 6 (SG 1.017)
  • US05 Yeast 1 satchet
  • Temp has been held between 18-22C

image.thumb.png.f39164cc8f0f2e9183e523c26b217d85.png

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Recipe looks great.

It really is up to you. Adding enzymes will probably get it down to around 1.004-1.006 but it could take it down even further. This sort of brew I would usually not at enzymes as I don't want it to be a particular dry beer.

If you got the FG down to 1.006 your ABV will only increase by about 0.3-0.4% so not a hell of a lot really.

Mitch.

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The other way to do it, and a better way than using enzymes IMO, would be to use more fermentables in the recipe. Instead of be2, use 1kg dry malt and 300g dextrose. The FG might not change but because it's starting from a higher OG, the ABV will be higher. Too late for this batch obviously but for future batches it would be worth considering.

And you won't get a dry beer devoid of any malt character. 

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13 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

The other way to do it, and a better way than using enzymes IMO, would be to use more fermentables in the recipe. Instead of be2, use 1kg dry malt and 300g dextrose. The FG might not change but because it's starting from a higher OG, the ABV will be higher. Too late for this batch obviously but for future batches it would be worth considering.

And you won't get a dry beer devoid of any malt character. 

Agreed with what Otto said^^.

This ones done. Enjoy it how it is, and next time make a few little changes to get a higher OG which will in turn result in a higher ABV.

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On 11/21/2019 at 11:03 AM, karlos_1984 said:

I had a beer that recently got stuck on 1032 for over a week. Tried everything. Last resort, threw in some liquid form enzyme and it finished up at 1002. Haven't tasted it yet, still bottle conditioning.

I've used powdered enzymes once to rescue a starchy brew as mentioned.  They certainly work but the risk is of course is excessive attenuation resulting in an overly dry and perhaps thin-ish beer.  Having said that though, mine finished at 1.006 and to be honest it seemed perfectly fine.   Will be interesting to know how yours turns out.

Edited by BlackSands
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Hmm... reading up on it, the enzymes are also a way to reduce carbs in the beer. Something my overweight body suggests could be a good thing and I was planning to look into.

How bad is a 'thin' beer and is there a fix for it that doesn't boost the carb content?

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5 hours ago, BlackSands said:

I've used powdered enzymes once to rescue a starchy brew as mentioned.  They certainly work but the risk is of course is excessive attenuation resulting in an overly dry and perhaps thin-ish beer.  Having said that though, mine finished at 1.006 and to be honest it seemed perfectly fine.   Will be interesting to know how yours turns out.

I tried one last night after work. It's still too young. The first couple of sips were ok and the hops were up front, but as I got further into it, the alcohol taste got more over powering and the beer was not enjoyable. I ended up tipping the rest of the stubby out. I'm hoping it's just a bit green as it's only been in the bottle a week and it'll mellow out and be more tasty over time. I misread the calendar and didn't realise it's only been bottled a week ago.

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3 hours ago, karlos_1984 said:

I tried one last night after work. It's still too young. The first couple of sips were ok and the hops were up front, but as I got further into it, the alcohol taste got more over powering and the beer was not enjoyable. I ended up tipping the rest of the stubby out. I'm hoping it's just a bit green as it's only been in the bottle a week and it'll mellow out and be more tasty over time. I misread the calendar and didn't realise it's only been bottled a week ago.

Yeah. some brews can be a bit nasty when they're real young.  🤢

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