Should I Re-pitch?

[[email protected]]

Hey guys,
Well, my czech pilsner has now been going for 12 days and the SG has shown no signs of dropping
My other post regarding the issues I have had with this brew will explain my paranoia.

I have done a number of hydrometer tests now and the SG doesn't seem to be changing despite the fact that there is evidence of fermentation.
There is krausen, though it is patchy and hasn't formed a full head on the surface of the brew. The samples I have taken smell good, have a decent amount of CO2 in them, and taste good compared to the half fermented draught I also have going. Hope that isn't a bad sign

Anyway, it seems like the fermentation is going very, very slowly or has possibly stopped.
One reason i am thinking this is that the CO2 bubbles in the sample I took today seemed a lot less vigorous than the one a few days ago.

Given my problems with getting it started, should I consider adding some more yeast to it at this point?
Any advice gratefully received.

Cheers,
Joel

 

[raven19]

Hey guys,
Well, my czech pilsner has now been going for 12 days and the SG has shown no signs of dropping
My other post regarding the issues I have had with this brew will explain my paranoia.

Your previous topic mentioned krausen forming, hence all was going ok... is this now not the case?

SG 1040, is it dropping at all?

If not, my vote is for pitching some dry yeast ASAP into fermentor.

Sample before bottling, just incase nasties have gotten in...

2c.

 

[[email protected]]

Hi Raven,
Yes, the krausen is still there, but it doesn't seem to have increased. It may even have thinned slightly over the last few days, but I can't be sure. Peering through the condensation on the fermenter lid can be a bit dodgey I have discovered.
Since I have it going at 8*C the hydrometer readings need a bit of adjusting. This being the case it may have dropped 1-2 points in 12 days, but nothing has happened in the last 4 as far as I can tell.
Thanks,
Joel

 

[Fourstar]

Hi Raven,
Yes, the krausen is still there, but it doesn't seem to have increased. It may even have thinned slightly over the last few days, but I can't be sure. Peering through the condensation on the fermenter lid can be a bit dodgey I have discovered.
Since I have it going at 8*C the hydrometer readings need a bit of adjusting. This being the case it may have dropped 1-2 points in 12 days, but nothing has happened in the last 4 as far as I can tell.
Thanks,
Joel

I find when doing Lagers, it is best to get your sample and get rid of all the excess CO2 by giving her a good shake, let it sit and the foam subside.. by this time it will be at ambient temps and you can measure accurately... ive had times where ive done readings within a day of themselves with the gravity increasing due to CO2 or temperature putting it out.

It may also pay to increase your ferment temp (to say 12-14) for a shot period (12 hours) to get the yeast kick started if you think its stalled then drop it back to 8.

 

[raven19]

I think you need to let it warm up a little to let the yeast reproduce quicker, then once it is gong strong, put it back in the fridge. As a rough guide 15 - 18 degrees until it gets going... then back in fridge.

Maybe invest in a fridgemate (Ross @ Craftbrewer - sponsor above) to lift your fridge temp to the ideal range for your next batch.

Another thought, let the hydrometer sample warm up, sample it at the correct temp, then let it ferment out on the kitchen windowsill - it shall ferment out quicker and give an indication of FG. Wont taste as good but its only a small sample.

I am thinking 8 degrees will just be too cold for your yeast to become active.

Edit: What Fourstar said - work computer crashing during submit post action...

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks fellas, I'll proceed as advised.

I have a fridemate, but it is in use making the draught in my other fridge.
The bar-fridge got the job for the pils as it has a built in thermostat. I'd prefer to have it running at around 10*C, but it only goes up to 8 sadly.
According to my friendly LHBS the Wyeast Czech Pils yeast should be Ok at this low temp. I think I may just have a low yeast cell population.
Anyway, its a learning experience and I will approach it as such

 

[RdeVjun]

G'day brewbie,
now this may seem a bit of a bone suggestion, but do you wait for your sample to warm up (to 20degC), and then/or give your hydrometer a spin in the cylinder before measuring? I've found with lagers in particular, but with just about any brew really, that the hydrometer can be a great nucleation point for CO2, i.e. bubbles will form on it. This can give your hydrometer some extra bouyancy and yield artifically- high SGs. Spinning it vigorously will free the bubbles from the hydrometer and you'll then get an accurate measurement. Waiting for it to warm up to room temp is probably a good idea too, that removes the non- homogenous temperature distribution you'll get and also allow some degassing to take place plus largely negate the need for correcting the reading.
I could be way off, but its just a thought... If it were me in your position, I'd be perplexed too and wanting to minimise sources of error.
Otherwise, if I read your post correctly, your ferment is at the low end temperature- wise and in which case, things could be rreeeeaaaallllyy sssslloowww... .. Other folks may know more about the yeast's characteristics, so I'll stand corrected. Low temps are not necessarily a bad thing at all, it just means you have to might have to posess a great deal of patience.
Mind you, I could be full of sh*te- I'm not a big fan of low temp brews personally- as soon as I realised that with the fermenter and lagering fridge tied up for long periods and that I'd soon run out of the good stuff, that steered me back to ales, and pretty quick smart. But, I don't mind the lagers I did, worth the effort for sure, however I just kind of like ales too!
Anyway, its a precarious situation if your yeast count is low, if all else fails, I'd go with other suggestions and warm it up for a bit, or try to rouse it in some way. Even pull out a sample to sit on the kitchen window sill and see what happens to it- if it goes beserk, then there's your simple answer- the tempurature is a bit on the low side. Raise it.

 

[manticle]

I always advise this but until I feel the situation has changed I'll advise it again.

TAKE MY ADVICE WITH A GRAIN OF SALT. ME NO EXPERT.

I would work in this order, measuring gravity at each point and proceeding after 24 hrs per step if nothing happens.

1. Allow the temp to rise
2 Add yeast nutrient
3. Add dried yeast or small starter
4. Rack to secondary and leave 10 - 14 days
5. Bottle/keg

 

[[email protected]]

Hey guys,
Thanks for all the helpful advice.

I turned the fridge off yesterday arvo and then set it on a timer overnight. Doing this I managed to raise and hold the temp at around 12*C without letting it get too high.
The result is that I now have a nice even layer of krausen on top of the brew, hooray!
I am loath to trust the timer during the day so I have turned the fridge back on and set it to 8*C once more.

I tried shaking the test sample and leaving it for a while as advised and managed to get a stable reading of 1.039, which is not as low as I had hoped it would be. On the other hand I am not sure I can fully trust my OG reading as I didn't really know what I was doing when I took it.

Anyway, my plan is to buy another fridgemate today and use that on the bar fridge so I can up the temp to 10*C.
Longer term I will set up 2 dedicated fermenting fridges as I simply must brew lagers as well as ales
I picked up my first fridge for free without even trying so I am confident I can get another one from somewhere without too much hassle or expense.
Maybe a nice chest freezer so I can fit a couple of fermenters easily and do 2 or 3 lagers at a time to keep my stocks up...

Thanks again guys.
Really enjoying my brewing and learning so far.
Seems I have become completely obsessed as I have to tell everyone I talk to how my brews and brewery are progressing.
At least if I get too boring there will be more beer for me to drink by myself... :lol:

Cheers,
Joel

 

[raven19]

Maybe a nice chest freezer so I can fit a couple of fermenters easily and do 2 or 3 lagers at a time to keep my stocks up...

Great to hear it has kicked off (again!?).

Just keep in mind the back when lifting fermentors in and out of chest freezers.... not fun IMO.

Id go another fridge if possible... my 2c.

 

[[email protected]]

Just keep in mind the back when lifting fermentors in and out of chest freezers.... not fun IMO.

Id go another fridge if possible... my 2c.

Hmm, good point.
Gravity tests would become very tedious indeed.