Pooped out porter

[ChemicalBrew]

I have a 5 gallon Honey Porter extract batch that has slowed way down in the fermentation. It is day 25, still in primary and at the dreaded 1.020 FG. It was 1.020 at days 19 and 21 also. After day 19 I started swirling the carboy twice a day to rouse the yeast from the bottom. At day 21 I found that this wasn't doing any good. On day 21 I raised the temp from 67F to 73F and swirled the carboy but that hasn't done anything either. The airlock keeps slowly bubbling, about one bubble every 2 or 3 minutes. Regular, but very slow. The hydrometer samples have great flavor but are too sweet. This is a MoreBeeer kit with OG expected to be 1.054 - 1.059 (I didn't measure OG) and an ABV of 6% which suggests an FG of 1.008 - 1.013. I used Safale US -05 and aerated well before pitching at 63F. Should I let it ride another week or two or begin more involved efforts to kick start it?

 

[zzARzz]

I've used amylase enzyme to coax stuck fermentations on occasion and it has worked well for me, though other brewers I've read about have had a bit of a crap shoot with it. I'll usually add 1-2 tsps per 5 gallons by just sprinkling it dry over the top of the beer and within a day or two will slowly start reducing the FG. I got mine from my LHBS for $3 or $4 so it's cheap enough to give a shot.

 

[two_one_seven]

The other option is to wait it out and see what you get. I recently had a pale ale stick at 1.030 I tried swirling, rousing, temp raising and even repitching with an active yeast. I didn't go as far as the amylase but that is a vaild otion. Anywho, I just kegged this beer tonight and took a taste and I must say I like it no matter what the refractometer says. While gravity is a great tool we get to tied up in numbers and miss the forest for the trees. I bet if you give it some more time it will come out great!

 

[ChemicalBrew]

I'm going to let it ride for awhile I think. Since I still have some steady activity, albeit slow, I will give the yeast some additional time. If I don't get any lower in the next week or two I will think about racking it to another yeast cake. I may have to change what my next beer will be though. I was planning on brewing up some Dead Ringer, but even though I will use US-05, the same yeast as the porter, I think the hoppiness of that might show up to much in the porter if I rack it to the Dead Ringer yeast cake. What a dilemma, now I have to make more beer. Poor me.

 

[ChemicalBrew]

So I have been practicing patience with this one. Went on vacation, drank more than a few home brews, only a .001 change after 43 days now I'm at 1.019. I decided to see if a simple syrup addition might kick start things. I boiled 4oz of cane sugar in a cup of water and added it to the carboy after it had cooled to room temp. Basically, I added my priming sugar as if to bottle without bottling. If it rouses the yeast beyond consuming the new sugar, great. If it only consumes the new sugar then nothing else I'm back to where I was. In that case, I'll reprime and bottle and move on.