Stalled Fermentation

[Skipp107]

Hey all,

I'm still new at this hobby, and I'm looking for some help.

I brewed a Brown Ale on May 23rd. Everything seems like it was going fine on my brew day except for my pre boil gravity coming in to low so I did a 90 min boil instead of 60. Doing this got the wort to 1.055og. I fermented with WLP007 (2 vials) for 10 days at 67f. On day 10 I took a reading and see my gravity was at 1.030. so I let it go for a few more days and it had not changed. I called my LHBS and was told to rouse the yeast cake and raise the temp to 72f. Then 2 days later the gravity hasn't changed. SO I contacted the LHBS was told to repitch more yeast, its still at 1.030. Finally I was told to try some yeast energizer and here we are 72 hours later and I'm still at 1.030.

Gain Bill -
9.5lbs Marris Otter
1lbs Crystal 60
.25lbs Chocolate Malt
1.6oz Black Patent

Mash was to be 152f however it fell to 146f.

I shook the carboy for 2 min to aerate.

I calibrated the refractometer with distilled water prior to using it on the brew day.


Does anyone else have any solutions? Any thoughts on what did I do wrong? Should I just consider this batch a bust and dump it?

Thanks,
Steve
From Phoenix

 

[WDT]

Subscribed, I just had a very similar batch do this and i'm stuck at 1.020 from 1.054. I did a 1.5L Starter for mine. Roused the yeast, used the energizer and here I am at week 3 with no more movement on the hydrometer.

Same yeast and everything. My grain bill is like above but minus black patent.

 

[Yooper]

Hey all,

I'm still new at this hobby, and I'm looking for some help.

I brewed a Brown Ale on May 23rd. Everything seems like it was going fine on my brew day except for my pre boil gravity coming in to low so I did a 90 min boil instead of 60. Doing this got the wort to 1.055og. I fermented with WLP007 (2 vials) for 10 days at 67f. On day 10 I took a reading and see my gravity was at 1.030. so I let it go for a few more days and it had not changed. I called my LHBS and was told to rouse the yeast cake and raise the temp to 72f. Then 2 days later the gravity hasn't changed. SO I contacted the LHBS was told to repitch more yeast, its still at 1.030. Finally I was told to try some yeast energizer and here we are 72 hours later and I'm still at 1.030.

Gain Bill -
9.5lbs Marris Otter
1lbs Crystal 60
.25lbs Chocolate Malt
1.6oz Black Patent

Mash was to be 152f however it fell to 146f.

I shook the carboy for 2 min to aerate.

I calibrated the refractometer with distilled water prior to using it on the brew day.


Does anyone else have any solutions? Any thoughts on what did I do wrong? Should I just consider this batch a bust and dump it?

Thanks,
Steve
From Phoenix

Did you take the FG reading with a refractometer or hydrometer? If it's a refractometer, ignore the reading and take it with a hydrometer. If you took the reading with a hydrometer, did you check it to make sure it reads 1.000 in distilled water?

 

[Skipp107]

i didn't use a Hydrometer. I can check with one, but I thought I would want to use the same measuring device both at the start and finish. Is that not the case?

 

[Yooper]

i didn't use a Hydrometer. I can check with one, but I thought I would want to use the same measuring device both at the start and finish. Is that not the case?

Nope! Run and check with your hydrometer. I promise you'll be shocked.

 

[Neopol]

Nope! Run and check with your hydrometer. I promise you'll be shocked.

+1+1. Right on.

By far favorite strain...007 is fast like James Bond, likes to pull out early in 5P will coerce happily to 3P if mash temps right and oxy good early..

 

[Skipp107]

HOLY CRAP! I had NO idea.... This was my 1st batch with a Refactometer! I guess I just learned something today! Thank you Yooper! On to the Keg instead of the drain!

 

[Yooper]

HOLY CRAP! I had NO idea.... This was my 1st batch with a Refactometer! I guess I just learned something today! Thank you Yooper! On to the Keg instead of the drain!

Wellllll...........................what was the FG anyway? Don't leave us hanging!

 

[Skipp107]

1.015 - One point from my estimated FG. LOL I WILL TAKE THAT!

 

[Yooper]

1.015 - One point from my estimated FG. LOL I WILL TAKE THAT!

Yep, sounds great!!!!!! :rockin:

When you have time (you have to go keg a beer), we can discuss why your refractometer converted to 1.030, but the short story is that when alcohol is in the mix it skews the light refraction, making the reading useless.

There ARE some software corrections you can use, but I've never found them all that accurate. Still, others have so they can be useful!

 

[nateburn]

The spreadsheet from morebeer.com gives reasonable results.

http://morebeer.com/images/file.php?file_id=1434