Adding fruit to a stuck fermentation

[Schmutzie]

Hi all,

After a 12 -13 year hiatus, I brewed my first all grain batch - got back into brew earlier this year with a couple of extract batches before I dug out all my old all grain equipment.

I brewed an American Wheat, here is the recipe...

4lb pale malt
4lb wheat malt
4oz flaked wheat
.5oz cascade 60 min
.5oz cascade 20 min
.5oz cascade 5 min
4 tsp Fermax yeast nutient
1 Whirlfloc tablet 15 min
White Labs American Hefeweizen (WLP320)

Strike water (2.75 gallons) was 165 degrees - after dough in temp was down to about 150 - 152 degrees.

Batch sparged with 5.1 gallons (two spurges of 2.5+ gallons) @ 170 degrees.

All water was Poland Springs.

Forgot to take pre-boil gravity (any measure of efficiency will have to wait until my next batch tomorrow morning)

Post Boil O.G. 1.044 (exactly where it should have been)

Known mistakes made during this mash/boil:

1) I used a grilling thermometer for the mash temps (questionable accuracy at low temperature - i.e. below 300) so, I could have mashed quite a bit hotter than planned.

2) Cleaned my 12+ year old I.C. during the boil and discovered a slit in the bottom of one of the copper coils... had to cool using an ice bath (took much longer than it should have 40+ minutes)

3) No yeast starter

Here is my problem, two weeks in the primary I am only down to 1.020 (I was expecting closer to 1.010).

I am planning on adding 7 lbs of frozen blueberries to this batch (I'll thaw and crush them first then dump into the primary). I assume that this might 'kick start' fermentation activity a little bit - is this assumption correct?

Any thoughts on adding another vial of yeast when I add the blueberries? (I have an extra Pacific Ale vial in the fridge)...

As to my known mistakes... I've not got a proper brewing dial thermometer, I've got a SS I.C., and I will be doing yeast starters on all my batches from now on.

Thanks for any advice you can offer up (and thanks for all the advice/knowledge already on the forum),


-Schmutzie

 

[helibrewer]

What is your fermentation temp?

The blueberries will indeed restart a bit of a fermentation, I would do that in a secondary though instead of the primary....you don't want all that blueberry mixed into the trub, you want the berry flavoring.

You could also try gently rousing the yeast with a santized spoon or racking cane.

EDIT: Hold off on the berries until your fermentation is straightened out.

 

[Schmutzie]

Thanks for the quick reply Helibrewer...

left out fermentation temp sorry about that... ambient temp pretty stable at about 65 degrees.

-Schmutzie

 

[helibrewer]

Thanks for the quick reply Helibrewer...

left out fermentation temp sorry about that... ambient temp pretty stable at about 65 degrees.

-Schmutzie

That temp should work...if your mash temp was higher you might just be done...the 4# of pale male are about the only thing contributing conversion enzymes in that recipe...if the mash temp was too high you would net get very good conversion.

But you might end up with a nice full-bodied hefe, low in alcohol that you can drink all day !!!

If rousing the yeast doesn't change anything, go ahead with the fruit, at least that will add a bit more fermentable sugar....I put 6# of cherry puree in my Black Forest stout and it went on for 2 more weeks in secondary. Try to keep your temps up around 68 during the fruit period.

 

[SD-SLIM]

Hi all,

After a 12 -13 year hiatus, I brewed my first all grain batch - got back into brew earlier this year with a couple of extract batches before I dug out all my old all grain equipment.

I brewed an American Wheat, here is the recipe...

4lb pale malt
4lb wheat malt
4oz flaked wheat
.5oz cascade 60 min
.5oz cascade 20 min
.5oz cascade 5 min
4 tsp Fermax yeast nutient
1 Whirlfloc tablet 15 min
White Labs American Hefeweizen (WLP320)

Strike water (2.75 gallons) was 165 degrees - after dough in temp was down to about 150 - 152 degrees.

Batch sparged with 5.1 gallons (two spurges of 2.5+ gallons) @ 170 degrees.

All water was Poland Springs.

Forgot to take pre-boil gravity (any measure of efficiency will have to wait until my next batch tomorrow morning)

Post Boil O.G. 1.044 (exactly where it should have been)

Known mistakes made during this mash/boil:

1) I used a grilling thermometer for the mash temps (questionable accuracy at low temperature - i.e. below 300) so, I could have mashed quite a bit hotter than planned.

2) Cleaned my 12+ year old I.C. during the boil and discovered a slit in the bottom of one of the copper coils... had to cool using an ice bath (took much longer than it should have 40+ minutes)

3) No yeast starter

Here is my problem, two weeks in the primary I am only down to 1.020 (I was expecting closer to 1.010).

I am planning on adding 7 lbs of frozen blueberries to this batch (I'll thaw and crush them first then dump into the primary). I assume that this might 'kick start' fermentation activity a little bit - is this assumption correct?

Any thoughts on adding another vial of yeast when I add the blueberries? (I have an extra Pacific Ale vial in the fridge)...

As to my known mistakes... I've not got a proper brewing dial thermometer, I've got a SS I.C., and I will be doing yeast starters on all my batches from now on.

Thanks for any advice you can offer up (and thanks for all the advice/knowledge already on the forum),

-Schmutzie

With 8.25lbs of grain I think your spot on with where your beer should be...adding the blueberries will add more fermentable sugars that will increase your ABV, I would recommend tossing them in to a blender and making a puree out of them....as for racking, I normally ferment my wort for a week, add my fruit to the primary for a week and then rack to a secondary to condition and clear up...I don't rack on the fruit to a secondary because you are decreasing the number of yeast cells that may have went dormant due to the lack of fermentable sugars....summary, your beer will be fine after you add your blueberries! Welcome Back to brewing!