First Starter to Fix a Stuck Fermentation

[daytonlawvol]

I got my Starter kit from local HBS.

Im dealing with a Brewers Best Oatmeal Stout that had a 1.058 OG and is stuck at 1.032 right now. I have raised the temperature from 62 to 68, still no movement. Used Windsor Yeast, which according to Brewer Best is supposed to cut off a little early to leave some sweetness, but 1.032 is still to high.

I made my starter last night. Got 3 cups water to 180 degrees, added 1.5 cups of Extra Light DME, mixed, let boil for five minutes. Cooled to 70 degrees, added White Labs Irish Ale Liquid Yeast...shook the crap out of the bottle, placed a loose fitting amount of tinfoil over the top of the gallon jug. the instructions say to give it about 72 hours, so that fermentation will be mostly done, then add to the Oatmeal Stout.

Ive never done a starter before, making sure these instructions sound right for what I am trying to accomplish.

 

[Beer_Guy]

Sounds good.

[You may know all this but…]
I would give it a little swirl to suspend the yeast every so often and keep an eye on it. When you see it foaming up really good on its own, then pitch it in. That is called High Krausen. This is going on after the yeast have quit multiplying and gone to work. You will not get many more yeast cells by waiting.

 

[daytonlawvol]

Would you expect High Krausen in about 24 hours or so with the amount I have made?

 

[hotbrew]

I would also recommend making sure you have eliminated the reason for the stuck fermentation. I'd lower the ambient temp to 65 a few hours after pitching because the active fermentation temp insider the fermenter is always going to be a few degree higher. Windsor recommended ferm temp is 64-70.

You may have already read this but here is a great source of information on yeast. It's a lot of information to absorb but it's a superb resource that is authored by a microbiologist.

 

[Calder]

I use LME, and not DME so I don't know what 1.5 cups of DME weighs, but that ratio ..... 3 cups water to 1.5 cups DME looks way too strong to me. If 1.5 cups DME = 12 ozs (as I said I really don't know) you would end up with a starter wort of around 1.170. You can kill the yeast with wort this gravity. You should have something like 1.030. That would be something like 2.5 ozs in 3 cups of water.