I've had an extract Old Ale in primary for three weeks. Starting at 1.080, I was expecting a FG of 1.020-1.023 based on this yeast (Wyeast 1318). A week ago it was at 1.030. At that time I roused the yeast, bundled it up, and turned the heat up a couple degrees. I checked tonight and it's still only down to 1.029.
At this point I realize that I probably underpitched :smack: (I used two smack packs and should have done 3; yes, I know, I know I need to start doing starters and intend to learn after this experience). I had an insanely vigorous fermentation for the first 2-3 days (the blowoff tube was overwhelmed; krausen was belching into the blowoff bucket, and then it slowed considerably).
It seems like everyone on these types of threads wants to know about the sugars in the recipe, so I used: extra light DME, 4 oz. of treacle, and 8 oz. of Maltodextrin. Any other minimal sugars came from 1.25 lb. steeping grains. I hit my expected OG, and oxygenated really well prior to pitching. Temperatures were steady throughout fermentation and within the recommended range for the yeast. The samples taste good, so I don't think it's infected.
In retrospect, when I cleaned the blowoff bucket, there was a lot of yeast sediment in the bottom. Maybe it blew off a lot of what it still needed to finish?
The beer is not very clear considering how long it has been in the fermentor, and I thought this was a very flocculent yeast. There is still some CO2 bubbling (about 1x a minute or so; but I know that shouldn't mean anything).
At any rate, I'm .006 from hitting my calculated low end FG for this yeast, and .009 from the high end FG. I don't have the means to keg, and I don't want bottle bombs...
SO, should I :
1) Not worry about it and bottle?
2) Leave it alone for another week? (worried about off flavors)
3) Add amylase enzyme? (I've read of success with this)
4) or try to do my first yeast starter and pitch it?
I really appreciate any help anyone can provide. If I left anything out, feel free to ask. I just don't want to do anything extreme if I'm worrying about nothing. But if something needs to be done, it seems like it's time to act.
At this point I realize that I probably underpitched :smack: (I used two smack packs and should have done 3; yes, I know, I know I need to start doing starters and intend to learn after this experience). I had an insanely vigorous fermentation for the first 2-3 days (the blowoff tube was overwhelmed; krausen was belching into the blowoff bucket, and then it slowed considerably).
It seems like everyone on these types of threads wants to know about the sugars in the recipe, so I used: extra light DME, 4 oz. of treacle, and 8 oz. of Maltodextrin. Any other minimal sugars came from 1.25 lb. steeping grains. I hit my expected OG, and oxygenated really well prior to pitching. Temperatures were steady throughout fermentation and within the recommended range for the yeast. The samples taste good, so I don't think it's infected.
In retrospect, when I cleaned the blowoff bucket, there was a lot of yeast sediment in the bottom. Maybe it blew off a lot of what it still needed to finish?
The beer is not very clear considering how long it has been in the fermentor, and I thought this was a very flocculent yeast. There is still some CO2 bubbling (about 1x a minute or so; but I know that shouldn't mean anything).
At any rate, I'm .006 from hitting my calculated low end FG for this yeast, and .009 from the high end FG. I don't have the means to keg, and I don't want bottle bombs...
SO, should I :
1) Not worry about it and bottle?
2) Leave it alone for another week? (worried about off flavors)
3) Add amylase enzyme? (I've read of success with this)
4) or try to do my first yeast starter and pitch it?
I really appreciate any help anyone can provide. If I left anything out, feel free to ask. I just don't want to do anything extreme if I'm worrying about nothing. But if something needs to be done, it seems like it's time to act.