Ipa High Fg Or Stalled Ferment

[raven19]

Keen to gauge the thoughts of others on a possible problem (stalled ferment or otherwise?) with my IPA.

Brewcraft Indian Pale Ale Kit
- Black Rock IPA tin
- brew enhancer 76
- Saf-Ale US05 Yeast

SG 10.5 Brix (1043) - 15th Dec
Current FG 5.5 Brix (1023) 28th Dec (almost 2 weeks later)

No temperature control, however have kept it at a consistent 22 - 24 degrees over the last two weeks (mild weather in Adelaide of late).
I rocked the fermenter a little 2 days ago, and have racked into secondary this arvo.
Refractometer readings are pretty steady at the moment - has dropped from 1025 to 1023 over the last 24 hours (will check again tomorrow).

If its finished, this means I have a brew of only around 2.8% alc?

I pitched the yeast as a starter (around 500ml) which I prepared the day before.

Samples tastes good.

Plenty of bubbling over the first week, then it quietened down (not that airlocks can be trusted ).

Thoughts?

 

[pmolou]

hmmn my opinion is dont bottle it
had a similar problem with the first beer i ever brewed and now their borderline bottlebombs and gush all over the place
i rekon just wait and if ur just way to eger pitch another packet of yeast
but thats just my 2 cents

 

[Adamt]

5.5 Brix with a starting gravity of 1.043 actually converts to a current SG of 1.009.

Alcohol in your beer means you need to correct for your SG conversion. You can work out your true SG in Beersmith or something.

 

[raven19]

5.5 Brix with a starting gravity of 1.043 actually converts to a current SG of 1.009.

Alcohol in your beer means you need to correct for your SG conversion. You can work out your true SG in Beersmith or something.

Nice one Adam.
Downloaded beersmith will keep this in mind.
It is bubbling again a bit more since racking to second fermentor.
Will continue to wait and see...

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Or use this

http://brew.stderr.net/refractometer.html

 

[pint of lager]

The multiplication factor of 1 brix = 4 sg units only works prior to fermentation.

Once fermentation starts you need to use a calculator such as that already posted.

When you first start using a refractometer, do side by side hydrometer and refractometer readings.

Once you become used to the refractometer, you won't need to do sg readings.

 

[raven19]

Cheers Cortez & POL.
I shall check another sample tomorrow.
My missus previously accidentally broke my hydrometer, hence it was a good excuse to upgrade to a refractometer.

 

[Brewman_]

Hi Raven 19,
Did an IPA using a Kit recently that started at, (Hydometer) about 1060 and finished at 1022. I used, 1.8Kg kit with 1500g LLME and 400g LDME and 400g of dex, using the KIT yeast. I expected a much lower FG reading also, but as much as I waited nothing changed. I kegged it and it was fine. I repeated this again with the same result, FG 1022. My experience is IF the yeast starts to ferment strongly, unless you have some unfavourable temperature conditions, once fermentation finishes and the FG stabilisers for a couple of days it don't go anywhere after that.

Did the same recipe again using Wyest 1099, Whitbread and FG was 1015, and I must say a different beer resulted.

FNL

 

[Wonderwoman]

Hi Raven19

What happened to your brew? I have a similar problem now and I'm not sure how to proceed.

I'm doing a Brewcraft Czech Pilsner Kit
- brewcraft czech pilsner tin
- Brewcraft converter kit #62: 1 kg of maltose, dextrose, maltodetrxin and malted barley; 15 g saaz hops pellets
- Saf-Ale US05 Yeast -pitched at 25oC

original SG 1038 - 28th Dec
Current SG 1020 - 4th Jan (7 days later)

No temperature control - it's been betweeen 16 - 20oC over the last five days.

The specific gravity seems to have stabilised, but this drop only eqautes to ~2.5% alc by my calculations, so I don't know whether to bottle it yet.


My previous batch was using the same brewcraft czech pilsner can but with coopers brand brewing sugar and the yeast that comes with the kit. The SG on that batch dropped from 1042 to 1005.


any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[buttersd70]

Without knowing the actual ratios of the ingredients in the converter kits, theres no way to predict with any accuracy what the likely sg will be, as all the ingredients ferment to different degrees. So you can only take a best guess at it. I would have thought that 1010 to 1012 would be likely with those ingredients.

1. Give the fermenter a gentle swirl to resuspend the yeast, and keep it closer to 20 than to 16 if possible. GIve it another couple of days and see if it drops. If it fails to drop, or stops again over 1014-16, goto 2/.

2. rack the beer into another container, and maintain at fermentation temps. Check sg again in another couple of days to see if it drops. if it fails to drop, or stops again over 1014-16, goto 3/.

3. Give the fermenter a gentle swirl to resuspend the yeast. Give it another couple of days and see if it drops.

By the time you've done that, if it's still not dropping, or is still over 1014-16, theres not a lot left that you can do. Bottle in PET instead of glass, making sure you don't overprime, and store them somewhere that is easy to clean if worse comes to worse. Chill a bottle and check the carbonation after 10 days to 2 weeks. It should either just be carbonated, or still slightly undercarbonated. If so, all should be well. But if it is highly carbonated after only 10 days to 2 weeks, then you can vent the other bottles to reduce the pressure if required.

If the sg does drop during those steps, confirm stability again with 3 hydro readings over subsequent days.

 

[Wonderwoman]

thanks buttersd70 - I'll give that a go

btw, the instructions that came with the kit said the FG should be between 1010-1012

 

[buttersd70]

thanks buttersd70 - I'll give that a go

btw, the instructions that came with the kit said the FG should be between 1010-1012

:lol: good guess then.

 

[Wonderwoman]

FYI - after a bit of a shake and an increase in the temperature to 23oC, the brew seems to be continuing to ferment. The SG is now down to 1016 after one day

 

[raven19]

FYI - after a bit of a shake and an increase in the temperature to 23oC, the brew seems to be continuing to ferment. The SG is now down to 1016 after one day

I racked mine across, and it started bubbling away again and the gravity dropped.

SG 10.5 Brix (1.043)
FG 6 Brix (1.012)

I have never had this problem before, however I am now trying to keep it cooler during fermentation - hence why it may have slowed/stalled on me.

Sorry I didnt reply to your Q earlier. Glad to hear it is dropping in gravity again!

Cheers!