Fermenting has become idle?

[Stiftung]

Hi,


I started fermenting 24L last Sunday morning, The OG was 1.048

It started bubbling after a few hours and continued to do so around every 40 seconds, sitting at about 17 degrees.

In the last 24hrs it has stopped bubbling, The gravity is at 1.040, sitting at about 16/17 degrees.

I used 1 pitch of Belgian saison in a 1.5L starter, and rice malt to a total of 4,030g including the starter.

My first time brewing. Any tricks to get them bubbling again?

I did read that fermenting can stall for a while and then start again, do I just need to be patient?

 

[Curly79]

So are you saying it's been bubbling all week and only dropped from 1.048 to 1.040 ?

 

[Stiftung]

Well 5 days solid and now nothing. The OG was probably a bad guesstimate. I stuffed up, The gravity was 1.040 before i added the starter, which was made with another 650g of rice malt, then I forgot to get the gravity when i added it to the wort! Silly I know, it is my first brew though and i can only use this excuse once, so I'll milk it

 

[danestead]

Belgian saison yeast is usually fermented hot, up around 30 degrees. You probably need to do some research on that yeast because temperature is my gut feeling.

http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=60

 

[Velu]

just curious but is that 4 kg of rice malt for the batch?
Now down to your issue.
Did you use a refractometer or hydrometer to test the gravity? and does hydrometer read 1.000 in tap water?
If 1.040 is in fact the correct number then either your yeast isn't playing nice or your rice malt might not be very fermentable.
Also 650g of rice malt in a 1.5L starter sounds like a huge amount.

 

[Stiftung]

Belgian saison yeast is usually fermented hot, up around 30 degrees. You probably need to do some research on that yeast because temperature is my gut feeling.

http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=60

Makes sense, starting vigorously and then stalling. Thursday night was bloody cold here too!

It's in the spare shower so I might shut the door and get a heater in there

 

[Stiftung]

just curious but is that 4 kg of rice malt for the batch?
Now down to your issue.
Did you use a refractometer or hydrometer to test the gravity? and does hydrometer read 1.000 in tap water?
If 1.040 is in fact the correct number then either your yeast isn't playing nice or your rice malt might not be very fermentable.
Also 650g of rice malt in a 1.5L starter sounds like a huge amount.

Yeah, it's for the batch.

I used a hydrometer and it does read 1.00 in water. I'm pretty sure there's more fermentable sugars left and that it is the yeast.

The only other thing I can think is that there could be something in the water? I used fresh natural water from Mt Donna Buang

 

[Velu]

I would imagine the water would be fine. Go with Danestead's advice and bump the temperature up. The couple of saisons I have made started around 17 degrees and then went up to 22 degrees for a few days (in a temp controlled fridge with heat source), then up to 28 degrees for a week to finish off

 

[Stiftung]

I'll sit the oil heater with it overnight and see how it goes. Cheers

 

[Stiftung]

Up to 25 degrees, still no bubbling yet.

 

[barls]

don't take any notice of the bubbling only the gravity and its changes.

 

[Stiftung]

don't take any notice of the bubbling only the gravity and its changes.

Yeah there's still no bubbling, but I can see bubbles on the surface against the sides of the fermenter. Can I assume that there is at least a little fermenting going on?

I did read that patience is usually the best option, I just hadn't accounted for any of that. No rush though I suppose.

I'll take another gravity reading later in the week.

 

[Lionman]

Yeah there's still no bubbling, but I can see bubbles on the surface against the sides of the fermenter. Can I assume that there is at least a little fermenting going on?

I did read that patience is usually the best option, I just hadn't accounted for any of that. No rush though I suppose.

I'll take another gravity reading later in the week.

If you mean bubbling in the airlock, this is not an indication of fermentation. The only way you can be sure it's fermenting or not is by taking gravity readings.

What is the yeast strain you are using?

Thi sis the blurb from WYEAST 3724

This strain is the classic farmhouse ale yeast. A traditional yeast that is spicy with complex aromatics, including bubble gum.
It is very tart and dry on the palate with a mild fruitiness.
Expect a crisp, mildly acidic finish that will benefit from elevated fermentation temperatures.
This strain is notorious for a rapid and vigorous start to fermentation, only to stick around 1.035 S.G.
Fermentation will finish, given time and warm temperatures. Warm fermentation temperatures, at least 90°F (32°C), or the use of a secondary strain can accelerate attenuation.

So right from the manufacturer notes, it seems it may be very common for it to stall mid-fermentation. I think you need to up the temps more, depending on the exact strain you have.

Probably better to brew this one in summer if you don't have a brew fridge.

 

[Stiftung]

I'm using the White Labs one
http://www.whitelabs.com/yeast/wlp565-belgian-saison-i-yeast

I had the temp up to 27 as of this morning.

Where does the gas go if the airlock isn't bubbling? Or can sugars be converted without creating any?

 

[pnorkle]

Where does the gas go if the airlock isn't bubbling?

Thing is, it's unlikely you've created a perfect seal - CO2 could well be escaping at the seal around the top of the fermenter, or at the airlock. This is why *many* people say to ignore the airlock bubbling, or otherwise.

 

[Lionman]

It also works the other way, there are other factors which can cause it to bubble other than fermentation, such as temp changes.

 

[good4whatAlesU]

Yep i have a dodgy fermenter (cheapo from eBay) and I have to duct tape the lid on to get it to seal properly and get the airlock to bubble.

 

[Rocker1986]

I just duct tape over the airlock hole in the lid on mine and don't even use an airlock anymore. The lid is not on as tight as possible, so gas can escape through its seal.

Anyway, not much to add here, I'd suggest temperature is/was too cold but it's up now, give it a few days and take another gravity reading and see where it's at.

 

[Stiftung]

I'm using a cheap 30L water container from Bunnings.

I noticed last night that I can see it fizzing quite furiously through the blue plastic the fermenter is made of if I get close enough.

It's up to 28 degrees.

 

[Vini2ton]

I used 500gms of rice malt extract once in a brew a few years back and found it a bit sweet. What sort of rice malt are you using?