Help! Brew is going nowhere!

[sweenbeen]

So about 4 or 5 weeks ago I brewed a gingerbread ale. It was based off of a nut brown ale. I added some spices and 2lbs of additional malt. The nut brown ale with out the additional malt should yield an ABV of about 6.0-6.5% so adding the additional malt should have brought me up to around 8%. Here is where the problem comes in.

My fermentation slowed down (was expecting that) so I repitched with another ale yeast strain. I waited a week and I have yet to see much of a result in my FG. My OG was 1.072 and the gravity I am stuck at is 1.022. Which if I am not mistaken will give me a ABV of about 6.5%. Any suggestions? Or do you think it is actually done? Since repitching I have not seen a drop in gravity.

I tried raising the temperature to the upper end for ale yeasts...still nothing. I have not seen any movement in the air lock for some time either.

Help? Lol

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[Pappers_]

You've done what you should do, raised the temp and re-pitched. I suspect your yeast is done doing its fermentation, especially given your fairly high starting gravity.

Was this all-grain and what was the grain bill? What did you mash at? And what yeasts did you use?

 

[sweenbeen]

I started with an extract. I also used crystal and chocolate malt/grain mix. I am just disappointed and was thinking my FG was going to be lower and my abv higher considering I added that extra 2lbs.

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[sweenbeen]

And I used dry yeast packs. Trying to remember the name but can't. the first was an english ale and the second was an american ale (which I was expecting to be a little more aggressive)

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[Jawbox0]

Did you rehydrate the second pack before pitching? Give it any nutrients? That's a pretty high alcohol environment to pitch a new yeast into... also, a big brown is likely to finish pretty high anyway, you might not get much that lower with all the added fermentables and an non-attenuative english yeast.

Which specific yeast did you first pitch?

 

[sweenbeen]

No I didn't rehydrate. Didn't realize I should have and I started with safale-04 and repitched with safale-05

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[wittmania]

That S-04 usually takes off like a rocket and doesn't stop until there's nothing left. I agree with Jawbox that a bigger brown will usually finish higher because there are more unfermentables in it. That's what gives it the flavor you're after.

 

[sweenbeen]

Okay, I was thinking like I was missing something because I wasn't getting the attenuation that I was expecting. Looks like I'll be bottling this weekend! Thanks for the help!

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[sweenbeen]

So I bottled it today didn't see any decrease in gravity. So my FG = 1.024. Which gives me an ABV of 6.41%.

In thinking about doing this for next time... more hops and figure out what I can do to make this a "bigger" beer.

I attached two pictures. I think it will clear up some... we will see.

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