Stuck Fermentation

[BobbyC14]

Pitched 1.5 packets of S-04 to 1.068 SG for a Sweet Stout, fermented down to 1.028 in two days and has been stuck there since last Thursday. Gave it a light stir Saturday and raise the temp from 66 to 68, dropped it to .027, target FG 1.020 to1.022

I’ve been working to 530 every day and all of the local howebrew shops are closing at 4 or 5 where I’m at.

I have Wyeast yeast nutrient, can I boil some of that and add? Or just roll with the 1.027

 

[day_trippr]

Are you using a hydrometer to measure the SG, or a refractometer?
If the latter, any reading must be "adjusted" to compensate for the presence of alcohol which affects the way the refractometer works.
There are lots of calculators that do this for you, including one provided by the company that runs this site.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/refractometer-calculator/
Cheers!

 

[BrewZer]

Pitched 1.5 packets of S-04 to 1.068 SG for a Sweet Stout, fermented down to 1.028 in two days and has been stuck there since last Thursday. Gave it a light stir Saturday and raise the temp from 66 to 68, dropped it to .027, target FG 1.020 to1.022

I’ve been working to 530 every day and all of the local howebrew shops are closing at 4 or 5 where I’m at.

I have Wyeast yeast nutrient, can I boil some of that and add? Or just roll with the 1.027

How does it taste?

 

[slayer021175666]

Sounds underpitched to me. If the yeast is gone, you could try the nutrient.
Day_trippr makes a good point, though. Hopefully, he is right and you are fine.

 

[VikeMan]

Pitched 1.5 packets of S-04 to 1.068 SG for a Sweet Stout, fermented down to 1.028 in two days and has been stuck there since last Thursday. Gave it a light stir Saturday and raise the temp from 66 to 68, dropped it to .027, target FG 1.020 to1.022

What were your grain bill, mash temp, mash length, and yeast strain? It's possible that fermentation is finished and that the expectation of 1.020 to 1.022 is the issue.

 

[BobbyC14]

Mashed at 152 for 60
Mash out at 168 for 10
Safale S-04

I’m using a Tilt Digital and confirming it with a hydrometer. This is my 10th beer just first time I’ve come up short. Taste pretty good it’s at 5.3% so it’s not like it’s way under was hoping for 5.9-6.2% but it taste great and the mini test I did adding Treehouse Coffee taste pretty damn good

grain bill attached in picture

 

[VikeMan]

Should have asked your batch size, so doing this two ways...

3 gallon batch? If so, with grains in those proportions, plus 13 oz lactose, and your mash specs and yeast strain, I'd predict an FG of 1.028 using BrewCipher.

4 gallon batch? If so, with grains in those proportions, plus 13 oz lactose, and your mash specs and yeast strain, I'd predict an FG of 1.027 using BrewCipher.

I'd suggest that it was the FG expectation that was off, and not a stuck fermentation.

 

[kh54s10]

Final gravity predictions are just that. Predictions. They are calculations based on fermentables and the reported attenuation. Many things can change the real attenuation. For that style of beer I would not think 1.027 to be very far off. Taste it.

 

[BobbyC14]

Should have asked your batch size, so doing this two ways...

3 gallon batch? If so, with grains in those proportions, plus 13 oz lactose, and your mash specs and yeast strain, I'd predict an FG of 1.028 using BrewCipher.

4 gallon batch? If so, with grains in those proportions, plus 13 oz lactose, and your mash specs and yeast strain, I'd predict an FG of 1.027 using BrewCipher.

I'd suggest that it was the FG expectation that was off, and not a stuck fermentation.

4 gallon, Brewfather had me at 1.026, so I didn’t read it right in the first place

any recommendations on coffee additions? Or is it just a matter of preference? I’m using Treehouse Brewing Co. Aurora Blend Coffee

 

[VikeMan]

any recommendations on coffee additions? Or is it just a matter of preference? I’m using Treehouse Brewing Co. Aurora Blend Coffee

Not sure what your question is, but I "dry bean" coffee by adding whole coffee beans, usually in a keg as a secondary. But if I wasn't doing closed xfers, I would just add the beans to primary at the end of fermentation.

I use 2-4 ounces for 2-3 days (per 5 gallons), depending on how much coffee flavor I want. It does depend somewhat on the particular coffee (strength).

 

[VikeMan]

Final gravity predictions are just that. Predictions. They are calculations based on fermentables and the reported attenuation.

Some (most) programs don't care what the fermentables (grain bill) are. I reckon about 95% of "my stout fermentation is stuck" threads are due to that.

 

[kh54s10]

Some (most) programs don't care what the fermentables (grain bill) are. I reckon about 95% of "my stout fermentation is stuck" threads are due to that.

Actually they do. The recipe (fermentables) establishes the OG. Then the calculations go from there.

 

[VikeMan]

Actually they do. The recipe (fermentables) establishes the OG. Then the calculations go from there.

Yes. But I'm talking about wort fermentability. Let's say the OG is 1.060. Most programs, when predicting attenuation, don't care if that 1.060 came from 100% pilsner malt or 75% pilsner/10% Munich/10% C-40/5% roasted barley, for example.

 

[kh54s10]

Yes. But I'm talking about wort fermentability. Let's say the OG is 1.060. Most programs, when predicting attenuation, don't care if that 1.060 came from 100% pilsner malt or 75% pilsner/10% Munich/10% C-40/5% roasted barley, for example.

Well as I originally said there are many things that change the fermentability of the wort, so any predictions are just that.

 

[VikeMan]

Well as I originally said there are many things that change the fermentability of the wort, so any predictions are just that.

Yeah, of course. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

 

[kh54s10]

Yeah, of course. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

Just saying that just because a program says you should reach a certain final gravity doesn't mean it will or even that you want it to.

 

[VikeMan]

Just saying that just because a program says you should reach a certain final gravity doesn't mean it will or even that you want it to.

Interesting point. If my program was predicting an FG that I didn't want to reach, I would tweak the recipe.