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Post by imaretiree on Jan 19, 2017 12:34:17 GMT -5
Two weeks ago I put a hefeweizen in the fermenter. It had an OG of 1.050. Fermentation started OK and kreuzen fell into the wort after 4 days. After 6 days the gravity was 1.024. I moved it to a warmer room and now after 14 days in total fermenting the gravity is 1.022. I was targeting 1.013 for a FG.
I'm down to adding some more yeast. I have a package of dry wheat beer yeast. How much should I rehydrate to add to the carboy to finish the fermention and carbonate the beer? Can you overpitch?
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Post by Stephen on Jan 19, 2017 17:57:37 GMT -5
Stuck fermentation is not an easy fix. I'm assuming it was an all extract batch? If so then it's unlikely you're "done" (sometimes in all grain people mess up and mash way too high or have poor conversion and get to a point and literally it's as far as it will go). First check your hydrometer carefully and taste the beer. Make sure the hydrometer is accurate and jives with what your tasting. Check it's reading zero with just water @60 degrees. (Hydrometers are a common issue with this it seems). If it's all good then warming up (fermenter should be at 72 - 74 at least) and swirling the carboy to get the yeast in suspension and possibly shake (if you have headroom) to further oxygenate (note this could be bad if it doesn't start back up but worth it to me because if you don't get it going it's likely toast). If you do decide to pitch more yeast which I've heard isn't always a fix then you need to make some kind of starter, get it active and close to high krausen and then pitch it. You want strong, active healthy yeast cause they're gonna get slammed going into a fermenter that has alcohol already. If you just rehydrate the alcohol may kill the majority before they get going. Overpitching isn't a concern as most of your "flavour" is made at this point and you're just converting the rest of the sugar for more alcohol.
Anyway that's what I know. Hope it works out.
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Post by Alex Bullock on Jan 20, 2017 16:23:53 GMT -5
I agree with Stephen except that you should calibrate your hydrometer with distilled water. The temperature should be 60f or 68f, depending on what it says on the hydrometer. If your hydrometer is showing 1.002 in distilled water at the right temp, then remember to subtract 2 gravity points from your sample. For example if your hydrometer is showing 1.022 it would actually be 1.020. I calibrate my hydrometer every 6 months or so, as well as my refractometer. Make sure you account for the temperature of your sample as well. Use something like BeerSmith or an online calculator like Brewers Friend. www.brewersfriend.com/hydrometer-temp/Be sure to let us know how this goes. If the gravity just isn't budging then post the recipe and brew day notes (pitching temp, oxygenation method etc) and we'll figure it out.
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Post by imaretiree on Jan 21, 2017 15:10:15 GMT -5
I checked the hydrometer...it's calibrated OK.
I sloshed around the carboy a bit and put it in a tub of water kept at 73 degrees by an old aquarium heater. For the last two days the fermentation seemed to start again. The airlock is bubbled for two days at 3 bubbles a minute and now is down to 2 bubbles a minute. I figure I'll see how long this goes and check the gravity on Wednesday to see if there is a noticeable change. But 9 gravity points seems a lot to hope for when it started at 1.050 and stalled originally at 1.024.
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Post by keegan on Jan 23, 2017 16:04:49 GMT -5
Depending on the yeast strain, it may be prone to stalling. Hopefully it cleans the rest of that sugar up for you now it's moving again!
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Post by Alex Bullock on Jan 24, 2017 9:26:23 GMT -5
What was the yeast strain by the way? Like Keegan said, some are prone to stalling.
I've never used it but the classic Saison Dupont strain is apparently notorious for stalling. So much so that people will copitch it with another saison strain to ensure complete attenuation when the Dupont strain gives up.
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Post by imaretiree on Jan 24, 2017 15:18:28 GMT -5
Well I checked the gravity again....only down to 1.020 and the bubbling has stopped. I guess that's the best it can do.
Now I'm worried about creating bottle bombs when I carbonate it.
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Post by Stephen on Jan 24, 2017 15:20:55 GMT -5
How does it taste and what yeast was it ?
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Post by imaretiree on Jan 24, 2017 15:38:48 GMT -5
Tastes OK. I wanted it drier so I could taste the blood orange more. I used Omega Hefeweizen Ale I yeast.
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Post by Stephen on Jan 24, 2017 16:02:36 GMT -5
Obviously you have to decide if you're happy or not. Final thing is that you could either wait it out (that strain says 75 degrees so keep it there) for at least 4 (or up to 6) weeks. Some strains stall and then start again and I've heard of people just waiting it out to make sure and then being shocked by it starting again. Also, if you really want to make sure then you can either blindly do the repitch with the dry yeast you have (although I would as noted before get a starter and make sure it's active before pitching). At this point there's no real problems with overpitching so the more the better going into that alcohol. Additionally you could pull a litre, throw in that dry yeast at heat it up to the upper regions (maybe 80 - 85 degrees) and do a forced ferment. At that temp the yeast are forced to do their thing and ferment till complete and then you will know how far they go with your wort. If it doesn't go any further something else is the problem. If it attenuated more then you know you should be able to get it going. Note this usually makes some crap beer so that's why you sacrifice a litre and see. If it gets down then you can decide to add more yeast (if you have more hefe dry yeast) or I would even consider (as long as you were sanitary) cold crash and decant the spent wort and then pitch just the yeast slurry. Either way those are the things I would consider doing if it was mine. Hope it works out!
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Post by imaretiree on Jan 25, 2017 7:50:13 GMT -5
This brewing is truly weird science.....
I reduced the water in the tub so the aquarium heater could raise the water temp to 75 degrees and the fermentation started again. There is even a very thin layer of krauzen. Maybe this thing can be saved....
Geez, there is nothing easy about brewing in the winter.
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