Stuck Fermentation?

[whyjune1st]

I am attempting to ferment my first batch of beer (chocolate stout) i put it into the primary fermenter and pitched my yeast. It is dry yeast so i rehydrated it and primed it with some sugar to make sure it was active before pitching it. I pitched it and then went to sleep when i woke up my airlock was bubbling. Then later that next day it was bubbling even faster (probably 1 bubble a second) then the next morning it was already down to about 1 bubble every 20-30 second and now its down to 1 every 30-40 seconds. Is there something wrong? The only thing i can imagine is wrong is the room its in is a little cool about 58-60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Also a side question I forgot the irish moss in the last 15min of my boil and was thinking about adding gelatin or isinglass to the secondary. Can i use plain gelatin found at my grocery store or do i need a special kind. (not like jello but the plain jelly gelatin). And how should i go about using either isinglass or gelatin. Thanks.

[vance71975]

I am attempting to ferment my first batch of beer (chocolate stout) i put it into the primary fermenter and pitched my yeast. It is dry yeast so i rehydrated it and primed it with some sugar to make sure it was active before pitching it. I pitched it and then went to sleep when i woke up my airlock was bubbling. Then later that next day it was bubbling even faster (probably 1 bubble a second) then the next morning it was already down to about 1 bubble every 20-30 second and now its down to 1 every 30-40 seconds. Is there something wrong? The only thing i can imagine is wrong is the room its in is a little cool about 58-60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Also a side question I forgot the irish moss in the last 15min of my boil and was thinking about adding gelatin or isinglass to the secondary. Can i use plain gelatin found at my grocery store or do i need a special kind. (not like jello but the plain jelly gelatin). And how should i go about using either isinglass or gelatin. Thanks.


Welcome to the forum!
It doesn't sound stuck, it is normal for it to start out strong then taper off, what was the starting gravity? What dry yeast did you use? 58 to 60 is actually a very good temp for an ale yeast.I wouldn't worry about Irish moss or gelatin in a stout it is likely gonna be so dark that you don't need to worry about it being clear.

[whyjune1st]

Thanks for the welcome. I was extremely stupid and was so focused on the process of getting the wort into the primary that I completely forgot to take a starting gravity. I used one packet of either Danstar Windsor, or Danstar Nottingham dried yeast i cant remember which. I guess I am just concerned because I didnt rack to the primary until midnight Monday night and its only 3 days later and its down to one bubble every 45-55 seconds. I may just be babying my first brew tho. Thanks again.

[vance71975]

Thanks for the welcome. I was extremely stupid and was so focused on the process of getting the wort into the primary that I completely forgot to take a starting gravity. I used one packet of either Danstar Windsor, or Danstar Nottingham dried yeast i cant remember which. I guess I am just concerned because I didnt rack to the primary until midnight Monday night and its only 3 days later and its down to one bubble every 45-55 seconds. I may just be babying my first brew tho. Thanks again.

Ok well if it was Nottingham i am not at all shocked notti is a beast of a yeast and is known to finish in 3 or 4 days, i love notti it is my fav yeast.I would give it another 4 days in primary, then rack it to secondary and leave it in secondary for a week or 2

[Mikegobrew]

Welcome. Before you bottle it you need to test the finishing gravity to be safe. It needs to be at an acceptable finishing gravity for the brew you made, say 1.012-1.016? Then, I'd wait a week. If it's still at the same finishing gravity, go ahead and bottle.

[whyjune1st]

So i just racked to my secondary today and took a hydrometer reading when i did it. It read 1.030. The kit says that the final gravity should be 1.012 and estimated O.G. is 1.052. Since i didn't take my actual O.G. and using what it should have been, that means that my beer is only about halfway done fermenting. Should i be concerned? Should I pitch more yeast now that it is off of the original yeast cake. I'm not sure what i should do right now. Thanks in advance for the input.

[Mill Rat]

RDWAHAHB. Don't move to secondary until you're near your FG.

[whyjune1st]

I already racked to my secondary. . . It was already in the primary for 1+ week. Since its already in the secondary what should i do? Put some slurry from the primary into the secondary? IDK:confused:

[vance71975]

I already racked to my secondary. . . It was already in the primary for 1+ week. Since its already in the secondary what should i do? Put some slurry from the primary into the secondary? IDK:confused:


If your really worried you can encourage them to work harder by boiling one cup of water adding 1 teaspoon yeast energizer per gallon and pitching it into your carboy with a sterilized funnel.

[corkybstewart]

Warm it up a little, and leave it alone for a week or 2. Since you're already half fermented warming it up to room temp won't really affect the flavor. You've probably got plenty of good active yeast in there so I wouldn't add more yeast. If it doesn't start fermenting again add another pack of dry yeast. Next time take the gravity reading, then decide what to do. If the beer isn't completely fermented leave it in primary until it is.
I know new brewers want to follow the instructions that come with their first kits, but those direction are often useless at best. It's a wonder half the new brewers ever even try a second batch. Don't be afraid to ask questions here before you do something that doesn't make sense, it's easier to prevent a screwup than fix one.
And welcome to realbeer.com, this is a great site full of very helpful and friendly people.

[Jaimez]

Your beer should be fine. If you want to warm it up just stick it in the bathtub with HOT water.

But i would just leave it another week and take a Gravity reading then.

RDWAHAHB!!

[deucedaily]

I agree with the above, get it up around 65-70 and hopefully it will start up again. If not you may need to add more yeast. Also when using dry yeast, proofing is OK, but in my mind unnecessary unless you are getting it from a suspect source where it may be potentially old. Also making a starter with dry yeast is not recommended due to how it is manufactured. Also The only time I have ever had to re-pitch was when trying to make a starter with dry yeast.

[whyjune1st]

So I wrapped it in a blanket to hopefully help it warm up in the secondary waited and nothing happening. Took another hydrometer reading and it was still @ 1.03. So I rehydrated and repitched a packet of dry nottingham yeast about 2 or 3 days ago. There is no increased action in my airlock. Should I agitate it or leave it sit? I'm afraid to stir or shake it because I dont want to oxygenate my brew. I am in the process of getting a brew belt to warm it up as well. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

[beerking]

Wrapping it in a blanket will not warm it. Blankets don't create heat, they only retain it (except electric blankets). Since there was no active fermentation, there is no heat being generated for the blanket to retain. You need to add heat to actually warm up the beer a few degrees to reactivate the yeast.

As for stirring or shaking, just mix it gently, to rouse the yeast.

[Mad Scientist]

June, what is the temp it is at now? at 58-60, some yeast strains start going dormant, and (as previously stated, 65 to 70 is muich better....I shoot for 66 to 68 myself.

[whyjune1st]

So I now have had a brew belt on my carboy for about two weeks there is a consistent temperature of 65-66 degrees. There was some increased activity but i just checked the gravity again today and it is only @ 1.025. This seems pretty high still is there anything else that i can do to kick this into high gear? Also i know that its been a long time sitting in the carboy should i be worried about off tastes/will this batch be horrible? haha thanks again in advance.

[Jaimez]

So I now have had a brew belt on my carboy for about two weeks there is a consistent temperature of 65-66 degrees. There was some increased activity but i just checked the gravity again today and it is only @ 1.025. This seems pretty high still is there anything else that i can do to kick this into high gear? Also i know that its been a long time sitting in the carboy should i be worried about off tastes/will this batch be horrible? haha thanks again in advance.
Not if its secondary.
Try boiling a lot of water and pour it in the bath tub. Then submerge your fermenter in the tub to warm it up to 70+. If you begin to see some action, pull it out.

[vance71975]

So I now have had a brew belt on my carboy for about two weeks there is a consistent temperature of 65-66 degrees. There was some increased activity but i just checked the gravity again today and it is only @ 1.025. This seems pretty high still is there anything else that i can do to kick this into high gear? Also i know that its been a long time sitting in the carboy should i be worried about off tastes/will this batch be horrible? haha thanks again in advance.

If you are Desperate, Take 1/2 cup water, Boil it, Add yeast nutrient as per the manufacturers instruction, Sanitize a funnel and Dump the water/yeast nutrient mixture into the carboy and swirl it around.

Or you could Do the above, cool it to about 80 degrees, add 1 package of Nottingham and let it rehydrate then add that to the carboy to help it finish out.

[whyjune1st]

Ok, so I am sure I am getting on peoples nerves with the constant questions on this brew. But, i'm going to ask anyway. So I know i messed up and didnt take a starting gravity however my beer is still @1.02 @ 72 degrees and I just brewed my second batch, (a smoked porter). When i did my second brew i took 5 1 gallon jugs of water and poured it into my primary and marked the level so I knew when topping it off after the boil that I got it to exactly 5 gallons. When i transferred my second brew to the secondary next to my first brew i realized that there is a significant difference in the levels. As in my first brew is probably a good half to full gallon less than my second brew...This made me wonder if the fact that i didnt top off my first brew to exactly 5 gallons could be why i'm stuck @ 1.02. Or correct me if i'm completely off here but could the fact that my volume is only like 4 or 4.5 gallons could this brew perhaps not go lower than 1.02? I'm going to attach a few pictures of my side by side fermenters to let you guys know what i'm talking about. I'll also include pictures of the equipment i'm taking my gravity readings with. Because my hydrometer sometimes touches the sides of my container i'm wondering if that is effecting my readings. Sorry for the long post. The porter (second brew) is on the left and my stout (1st brew) is on the right.



Ps. The porter i brewed said that the starting gravity should be 1.06 and my actual original gravity was 1.055. I racked to my secondary about 9 days ago and the gravity was 1.019 and it is still @ that. The kit says it should be around 1.016 to bottle. Could this be because i was off by .005 starting out? Is this one stalled or just wait it out? Thanks again guys. Again i'm sorry for the length of this rambling.

[corkybstewart]

Your beer is as fermented as it will get. 4 points from expected Fg is not bad at all for an extract kit. I think the Fg listed on the kit are way too optimistic for most new brewers to achieve.I'm guessing there was a lot of dark extract in the kit, that stuff is notorious for having unknown amounts of unfermentable sugars.
I can't tell how big your carboys are but the porter looks like it has too much in it, that would explain the lower OG.
Another problem I have with kits is that they tell you to brew exactly 5 gallons, and here's no way you'll end up with 5 gallons of beer especially if you rack to secondary-for me that's a completely useless step. Every time you move beer you have to leave some behind so starting with exactly 5 you can't end up with more than 4.5 or 4 gallons. You have to decide what you want-4 gallons of exactly the beer advertised or 5 gallons of slightly weaker(but still good)beer, or you can add 20% more DME and a little more hops, and start with 5.5 gallons of beer to end up with 5.
I brew "10" gallon batches, but to get 2 5 gallon cornies full I shoot for 11 gallons and design my recipes accordingly.

[Mikegobrew]

Also 1.020 isn't really a bad number for those brews either. My IPA finished at 1.020 (wasn't what I was going for) and it is one gooooood beer.

[Mad Scientist]

Ok, so I am sure I am getting on peoples nerves with the constant questions on this brew.

Keep typing...we'll keep answering....

[whyjune1st]

Ok thanks for all your guys help. I dont really know if i could have even brewed my first batch without the input from this forum. I will bottle both batches asap. Just one last question. The kit that i bought tells me to put 3/4 cup of priming sugar for both the porter and the stout, however, i have been reading a lot and people say that the 3/4 cup priming sugar regardless rule of thumb is kinda stupid. Should i go ahead with the 3/4 cup for both or should I do something different with either of them? I was planning on using 3/4 cup regular table sugar dissolved in water added to bottling bucket before racking on top of it. Thanks again.

[Mad Scientist]

well, all the 3/4 cup does is add the same carbonation level, which is generally acceptable for most beers. For now, I'd say stick with the status quo since you are just getting going. Worry about tweaking carbonation levels when you have a bit more experience.

[Mill Rat]

At this point, keep your attention on the big stuff, which you seem to have done well. You'll have made better beer than you're anticipating.As you progress, you can pay more attention to the finer points. Just never lose focus on sanitation. No matter how well you follow all other minutiae and brew the most awesome wort, compromised sanitation places the whole effort at risk of become drainpour.

[corkybstewart]

compromised sanitation places the whole effort at risk of become drainpour.
Drainpour my ass-drink your mistakes so you don't make them twice.
Actually beer is much more forgiving than new brewers think. For hundreds of centuries before the concept of sanitation was even invented people brewed and drank beer. There isn't anybody here that's brewed a dozen batches that hasn't reached into a fermenter with their nasty arm or dropped an unsanitized tool into their wort and then been amazed that they ended up with good beer. that doesn't mean that you can go easy on sanitation, just
don't panic when things don't go perfectly.
Homebrewing should be fun, not something to lose sleep over, and as you do it more often you'll find that it takes over your life in a good way.

[vance71975]

Bottle those bad boys up! I wouldn't use table sugar tho i would go to the Home-brew store and pick up Priming Sugar OR DME. 3/4 cup priming sugar boil in 4 cups water, dump in your bottling bucket and rack your ale on to it, no need to wait for it to cool.

If you opt for DME use 1 1/4 cup DME boil in 4 cups water and do the same dump it in and rack on to it.

Boil either one for at least 5 mins at a hard boil just to make sure there are no "bugs" in it IE Bacteria.

[Mikegobrew]

... as you do it more often you'll find that it takes over your life in a good way.

Tell that to my wife... ;)

[Mill Rat]

For the little bit of sugar you add to prime the bottle won't matter if you use dextrose, glucose, or fructose. When I started out I was fanatical about using DME to prime. Waste of time & money. Now I keg & force carb so it ain't an issue.

[corkybstewart]

table sugar is fine, and it's a lot cheaper.

[drumsnbeer]

Beer is like a women, takes alot of time to get ready, but worth the wait.