Fermentation Stops Early

[Drowro]

Ok after moving from Kit n Kilo to all grain for my Xmas beer (that will be going in my brand spanking new sitting under the xmas right now 9lt keg) I thought my fermentation problems might be over. Well they are not, so to get to the point I'll go through my steps with all grain.
I used a BIAB method with 5kg of Joe White export pilsner malt. mashed in 20 ltr at 65 degrees for 60 mins, after which the temp dropped at 60 mins to 63 degrees. pulled the grain bag out and after draining added the wort back into the main pot and added water back up to 20 litres. Tested to gravity with a refractometer and come to 1.056.
After adding a Hallatuer hops at 60mins, 30mins and 15 mins, and whirlfloc tablet at 15 mins, finished off the boil and dropped into a sanitised fermenter, topped up to 23 litres and took a OG reading (1.044). I have not way to chill at this time so went with the drop it on the shed floor for the night and pitch US-05 yeast packet on top in the morning. Now important part here, is that I couldn't aerate the wort with an air pump so I used a portable egg beater and whisked the wort up (straight after I put the wort into the fermenter) on high for about 10 mins. My assumption here is that it would be the same as shaking the crap out of it.

So after 7 days and some nice fermentation activity in the initial 3-4 days, everything has slowed down to a stop and the FG reading is sitting at 1.022. I was expecting around the 1.010-1.012 mark.

So I am stuck with a below par beer for Xmas, can anyone give me any ideas or had a similar experience like this?

Now some things about the process
I have good sanitising techniques (I have a bucket full of sanitiser and frequently put all equipment in it due the brewing process)
My last 5 or so brews have after starting in the 1.044-1.048 mark only being getting down to 1.017-1.019 and they have been Kit n Kilo.
I have being brewing for last 8-10 years using KnK and have never had any real problems before this.
I have a deep freezer keeping the brewing temp with 1.5 degress and fermented at 19 degrees

Any Ideas?

Rodders.

 

[pyrosx]

Are you using the "same" US-05 yeast as your last few not-quite-finished KnK brews? My guess (and it really is a pure WAG) is that your collection of US-05 packets is old and/or mistreated (not necessarily by you).

AG numbers sound fine.... but i'm not sure why you thought changing to AG would "solve" your fermentation issues in the first place. Wort is wort, and really, when it comes down to it, the yeast doesn't care about the "Kit Twang".

Edit: "same" as in same supplier etc... clearly not the literally the same yeast, but perhaps you bought 5 or 10 packets from the same place? Or always buy 1 packet at a time from the same supplier? That kind of "same"

 

[under]

LOL. Mate seriously.

 

[pyrosx]

LOL. Mate seriously.

Wow. Helpful.

Also... not sure whether you're "seriously"'ing me, or the OP.

Way to win the internet.

 

[hoppy2B]

This seems to be a reoccurring topic. People's FG isn't as low as they would like or what they are used to.

I have a theory on this one. Moths are eating away at the little ball of metal on the bottom of your hydrometre in storage. :lol:

 

[Nick JD]

What's your thermometer read in boiling water and a 50:50 ice slurry?

Good chance it's not 65C you mashed at, but 70C.

 

[Drowro]

I have used different yeast from the lhbs and thought I would try this particalur yeast. I thought that when changing to all grain I would have more control over the fermentables in the wort. When doing knk I used to boil the water and add hops then the can. Then top up to correct fermentation level. I thought that doing this reduced the absorbed air in the wort therefore unhealthy yeast. Also I use a refractometer instead of a hydrometer.

 

[under]

Wow. Helpful.

Also... not sure whether you're "seriously"'ing me, or the OP.

Way to win the internet.

Champ. Relax.

Didnt you read the OP and laugh. I did

Egg beater on high for 10min after tipping into fermentr whilst its boiling hot This is just one problem. There is at least 10.

OP - FYI - Read. Read Again. Then re attempt. http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=11694

Someone jump in. I cbf

 

[Drowro]

What's your thermometer read in boiling water and a 50:50 ice slurry?

Good chance it's not 65C you mashed at, but 70C.

Its a digital thermometer so good point. I'll have to check that.

 

[big78sam]

Step number 1 - give the fermentor a swirl to rouse the yeast and up the fermentation temp by a couple of degrees and see what happens over the next few days.
Step 2 - google "fast ferment test" and give it a try to see what your potential FG is.

Simple question but if testing SG with a hydrometer - Have you given the hydrometer a spin?
Have you calibrated your hydrometer in water?

Also have you calibrated your thermometer used for mash temp? If it's out you could be mashing at a higher temp than you think and getting a less fermantable wort

Most importantly. what does it taste like? If it's not overly sweet than you've brewed a successful beer so RDWHAH

Maybe try your next beer with a yeast like Nottingham that is a reliably low finisher and compare results...


My 2c

EDIT: beaten in part by Nick

 

[MaltyHops]

Also I use a refractometer instead of a hydrometer.

Ear piercing klaxons are blaring!!! ..... err, have aread through this thread.

 

[Drowro]

Champ. Relax.

Didnt you read the OP and laugh. I did

Egg beater on high for 10min after tipping into fermentr whilst its boiling hot This is just one problem. There is at least 10.

OP - FYI - Read. Read Again. Then re attempt. http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=11694

Someone jump in. I cbf

Ok so I let it cool for a while before I did the egg beater trick. Thought it might work but after your reply guess maybe not.
My apologies for trying to ask for constructive feedback

 

[kymba]

yeh you do, providing you mashed at a temp conducive of creating low FGs

hydrometers / refractometer / kittens - it matters not...unfermentable wort, even though full of (complex) sugars, is still unfermentable

if your thermomenter is out and you mash at what you think is normal, but it in reality it is high, then you will get the probs as you describe

if you have no way of determining your thermometers accuracy then next time mash 5 degrees cooler (by your thermometer) and see how that works out

if that doesn't work try another yeast strain like notto or mauri 514...and word on the street is that dry strains do not need aeration (infection)...read the instructions from the manufacturer

my money is on your thermometer though

 

[pyrosx]

My last 5 or so brews have after starting in the 1.044-1.048 mark only being getting down to 1.017-1.019 and they have been Kit n Kilo.
I have being brewing for last 8-10 years using KnK and have never had any real problems before this.

The AG technique may not be the issue here. Something else is wrong. So, im(perfectly-relaxed)ho the laughing and carrying on is probably misplaced

 

[pyrosx]

I have used different yeast from the lhbs and thought I would try this particalur yeast.

Different yeasts from the same shop could still have been mistreated at some point. Dead packet yeast can quite easily cause weird FG issues.

 

[Drowro]

Thank you for the threads to look at, I will follow these up.
The digital thermometre is new, but I admit I have not tested in the correct environment so I will look into this. With Hydrometers (which I didn't use in this instance) i have used the calcs to get back to the corrected value. Maybe I should have stuck with this method as I have check the calibration in the past. I went to two "brew days" at the LBH before I jumped into all grain and he showed me how to use the refractometer but I was unaware of the corrections needed there, so thanks for that.

I have read the fast ferment test before and will go through again. I will also take a hydrometer reading and see what that says, that will at least check the refractometer. If the thermometer is out then I agree, the fermentables won't be as high as I expected.

for what its worth I have been trolling through as many threads as I could to uncover my issue before I posted but was unsucessfull thus why I posted. I will brush up on the searching methods a bit more.

Thank you for your assistance

 

[big78sam]

for what its worth I have been trolling through as many threads as I could to uncover my issue before I posted but was unsucessfull thus why I posted. I will brush up on the searching methods a bit more.

Thank you for your assistance

FWIW The AHB search function is crap IMHO. I use google.

 

[np1962]

Number One-

Ear piercing klaxons are blaring!!! ..... err, have aread through this thread.

Number Two - Calibrate your thermometer.

Cheers
Nige

 

[MaltyHops]

FWIW The AHB search function is crap IMHO. I use google.

Just to avoid any confusion, the "search" button at the top right of each AHB page
has two options - a AHB style search as well as a Google style search (which is
better in most cases).

The Google style search is the same as adding "site:www.aussiehomebrewer.com ..."
at the start of a normal Google search.

T.

 

[ekul]

As maltyhops said, its because you're using the refractometer to measure the reading after its been fermenting. Its a fairly common problem. The refractometer reading after fermentation has commenced needs to be adjusted. From memory 1022 probably means your beer is finished.

FWIW i've never had an ag ferment stall, whereas when i was doing kits and extracts i used to get the dreaded 1020 all the time.