Trouble fermenting beers this season

[xenomaniac]

Alright I'm having a little trouble with my fermentation. First time I've come across this. The season has changed, as I'm sure all of y'all have noticed, and the last 3 brews I've made, have stopped fermenting 10 points away from final gravity. Never had this problem in the past. I thought it might have something to do with my fermenting fridges that I have in my laundry room which is located outside on the balcony (I live in an apartment). This last brew I made 2 weeks ago I put it inside my closet and I keep my apartment at about 68 - 70 degrees Fahrenheit and when I go to work I push it down to 60 - 62. I also use a BrewVint Yeast fuel to cut down the fermentation in half (most brews are done within 1 - 1 1/2 weeks).

I contacted my local home brew store and told them my situation. They told me to lift the brew off the floor in my closet and put it on a counter. After that, give it a good stir. They told me I could either add more yeast or not worry about it. I decided to add more yeast just to play safe. I plan on doing more brews soon and I'm thinking about continuing doing them inside because of the cold weather. Does anyone have any suggestions on brewing in the house to make sure the wort ferments properly?

BTW I've been using dry yeast instead of liquid yeast as of late to save some money. I have a feeling that it might play a part in this.

 

[flars]

Post the recipe for one of the beers that finished high and describe your brew process.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

Alright I'm having a little trouble with my fermentation. First time I've come across this. The season has changed, as I'm sure all of y'all have noticed, and the last 3 brews I've made, have stopped fermenting 10 points away from final gravity. Never had this problem in the past. I thought it might have something to do with my fermenting fridges that I have in my laundry room which is located outside on the balcony (I live in an apartment). This last brew I made 2 weeks ago I put it inside my closet and I keep my apartment at about 68 - 70 degrees Fahrenheit and when I go to work I push it down to 60 - 62. I also use a BrewVint Yeast fuel to cut down the fermentation in half (most brews are done within 1 - 1 1/2 weeks).

I contacted my local home brew store and told them my situation. They told me to lift the brew off the floor in my closet and put it on a counter. After that, give it a good stir. They told me I could either add more yeast or not worry about it. I decided to add more yeast just to play safe. I plan on doing more brews soon and I'm thinking about continuing doing them inside because of the cold weather. Does anyone have any suggestions on brewing in the house to make sure the wort ferments properly?

BTW I've been using dry yeast instead of liquid yeast as of late to save some money. I have a feeling that it might play a part in this.

I would think that lowering the temp would slow down the yeast. I use dry yeast, Brewvint Yeast Fuel and keep it at a steady temp. My ferments are usually done in 1-1/2 weeks. If you want you can rehydrate the yeast before pitching, that will help for a quicker ferment. Another alternative is to make a yeast starter.

 

[xenomaniac]

I believe a yeast starter might be the problem. Recipe below.

Vanilla Cream Porter (Mini Mash)

Malt brewed at 155 for 45 mins.

Drain, pour 1 quart 170 dedgrees Fahrenheit over grains.

add 5 Lb Amber extract and 1 lb Lactose bring to boil

1 oz Northern Brewer for 60 min

Reduce temp to 70 Degrees with chiller.

place in fermenter, add water to equal 5 1/3 gallon.

add Muntons Premium Gold yeast

store in dark place.

 

[HB_in_Subic]

I haven't done a Mini Mash but do use Muntons Premium Gold for quite a few of my brews (75% of them). I think the variable you are trying to figure out is the temperature during fermentation. I think you need to wrap your fermenter in a blanket or a warmer of some sort if you are going to let your apartment cool down when you are not there.

 

[eadavis80]

A pretty easy and inexpensive way to maintain a little warmer fermentation temp in the cold temps is to buy a big storage tub at Lowe's or something, fill it with some water and then put in a $10 aquarium heater. They have thermostats in them and will keep the water (and thus your wort) at X degrees. The floor of my basement is about 59 degrees now, but my wort is at 68 degrees 24/7. You can also look for a fermenter belt you can strap around a bucket or a carboy. They are between $20-$40 on various websites. The cheapest would be putting the carboy on the counter and putting a blanket or two around it. That should get your 62 degrees wort to around 64-65, which should be fine for most ale yeasts.

 

[flars]

Are you using a hydrometer or refractometer for SG? Refractometer readings need to be corrected when alcohol is in the sample.

If you are using a hydrometer:
Was the Muntons yeast a 6 gram pack or 11 grams? Using only 6 grams,dry instead of rehydrating, and the temperature fluctuations could have stressed the yeast and caused it to drop out early.

I could not find your recipe on the web. Were the grains for mashing to convert starches to sugars, or were they grains for steeping to extract color and flavor?
If the grains were for mashing, the mash time was short which would result in very low efficiency.

If these were steeping grains, your OG may not be 10 points off, the lactose is unfermentable. This would raise the OG over what an ale would finish at without a pound of lactose.
What was your OG and FG?