Fermentation Stuck

[msheridan69]

Hi,

I made up the following recipe and it's been in primary for 2 weeks. The OG was 1050 and it's been fermenting at between 18 and 24C. The G has been stuck at 1020 for about a week and it's cloudy and orange in color. I pitched it without a starter using Muntons Ale dry yeast. After 24 hours the airlock hadn't started to bubble although there were signs of fermentation (condensation inside the lid of the fermenter). I pitched in a a packet of coopers kit yeast that I had and the airlock started to bubble but it stopped after a couple of days.

Recipe:[/B
1 can of Coopers Bitter or Ale
2 kg Light Dry Malt Extract
500g Glucose or Dextrose
200g Cracked Crystal Malt
50g Cracked Black Malt
100g Cracked Chocolate Malt
20g Hersbrucker Hop Pellets

Method:
1. Mix the cracked grains with about 1 litre of water and bring to the boil.
2. Boil gently for 20 minutes then add the hop pellets and turn the heat off at the same time. Let the hot mixture stand for about 10 minutes.
3. Pour the hot mixture through a fine strainer into the fermenter. Gently pour some hot water through the collected grain to rinse all the goodness into the fermenter.
4. Add the other ingredients to the fermenter plus some hot water if necessary and mix thoroughly.
5. Add cold water up to the 23 litre mark and stir well.
6. When the temperature is below 30 deg.C. add the yeast and make your beer the usual way.

Any ideas on why the beer has stopped fermenting and why the yeast hasn't settled?

Thanks

 

[donmateo]

...

Any ideas on why the beer has stopped fermenting and why the yeast hasn't settled?

Thanks

I'd say don't be afraid to either
a) put some more yeast in there, the healthier the better
B) give it a good stir up with a sanitised stirring thingo

1020 is really too high for a 1050 wheat beer, but I've had a few stop on me there for some unknown reason.
Lately i'm more pro-active about doing something about it before it looks like it's getting tired out.
I think you could pretty safely say that if it's been sitting at 1020 for 2 weeks it's not going to go any further on it's lonesome, the color
and cloudyness sound good though.

 

[Lodan]

Your gravity might be getting up there for a standard kit yeast, maybe it found the going too tough and fermented out? (don't trust me on that one!)
Maybe try swirling your fermenter and keeping warm to see if you can rouse it.

I'd like to make a suggestion about steps 1-4

Specialty grains should not be boiled in water, only steeped. Check this article for more info http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...;showarticle=80
I can't say if this has impacted on your stuck ferment though

Edit: my high gravity content was based upon my calculation for gravity for your recipe (OG 1067, FG 1015)

 

[msheridan69]

Yeah I was sure that you steeped the grains at around 65C, then sparge, then boil. Anyway, me being a total beginner I just followed the recipe method.

I'm going to make up a started using a spare coopers kit yeast that I have - should be able to manage the 1020.

thanks for your input.

:icon_cheers:

 

[rclemmett]

Any ideas on why the beer has stopped fermenting and why the yeast hasn't settled?

I think your OG would have been closer to 1070... I would also say it stopped fermenting because it hit its FG...

 

[kelbygreen]

only part in that method i find right is top upto 23lts lol

1. the grains should be steeped in 60-70c water (3 times weight in water then grain) for 30+mins then the liquid should be poured into a pot and leave the grain behind (you can use a fine sieve or a grain bag to hold the grain). then rinse with 60-70c water and tip in pot, discard the grain.
2. this is about right but make sure your gravity is near 1.040 gravity when boiling. when there is 1 min of the boil to go dump the rest of the ingredients in. also once the boil finished I pot lid on pot and put it in a sink with cold water then when the water in the sinks hot change till its cool.
3. no need to strain the liquid and I wouldnt pour hot wort in the fermenter, why cool it in a sink before hand.
4. this is done with 1min left on the boil.
5. this is right
6.pitch yeast between 19-23c 30 deg is way to hot also get your yeast out of the fridge while brewing so it can slowly warm up as they get shocked if you dump them into wort +-10c of the temp the yeast is.

If they wort was to hot you might of shocked them and lost viability which could of made them get lazy also how much yeast was pitched?? never used muntons yeast so dont know the size of there packs. Being so high gravity and alcohol you may of not pitched enough yeast