To Bottle Or Not To Bottle?

[vanceonbeach]

So I brewed up a Muntons Smugglers Gold using S-04, one of the 3 Kg kits that's notorious for stalling. Anyway you guessed it, the damn thing stalled at 1021 :angry: I pitched another S-04 which kicked it back into life temporarily. Now it's been in the fermenter for a month and it's only got down to 1017, the target FG is 1014. The airlock bubbles every so often but it's only dropped a point in the last week.

I'm tired of the damn thing taking up space on the bench and tieing up a fermenter. So I'm thinking I'll bottle the lot without priming and let it finish in the bottles and carbonate in the process. It's a bitter so I'm not too worried if it is flattish, but I don't want to make bottle bombs. How much CO2 will the last 3 ppgs make assuming they ferment out at all?

 

[Renegade]

Crank the temperature up a bit for a couple of days, then see if the SG changes. If it remains the same, then bottle it i reckon.

 

[drtomc]

+1 for trying a temperature boost, then bottle.

My very first batch stuck. I primed and bottled, and although I didn't get any grenades, they did come out uber-fizzy. Not exactly in-style for a porter....

T.

 

[brettprevans]

one of my first kits after my brewing hiatus was a smuggler gold. i didnt know it was a staller and yup it stalled. I bottled it then after 3 weeks went totaste it....yuck sickly sweet. after a few months it seemed to be ok. i must have been close to having bottle bombs.

mind you at 1017 i recon its fine. its a malty style kit anyway so a bit of residual sweetness wont hurt.

 

[chappo1970]

+2 Up the temp and give the fermenter a swirl see if you can squeeze a grav or two out of it.

I would bottle and prime normally but maybe be on the lean side for the prime.


Cheers


Chappo

 

[Bizier]

You could try an active starter of US05 if you are really keen to drop the points off. I'd be surprised if that won't drop the points off.

 

[raven19]

If you do bottle it, do a few in PET's, keep them a bit warmer adn squeeze to see if its going to lead to bombs... 2c

 

[Nath151]

try using a sugar syrup
half a cup of sugar
1 cup of boiling water
stir it up


add this syrup to the wort stirring briskly

leave for a few days and test again

that works a treat for me every time

cheers
Nath

 

[Phoney]

Ive had a few stallers lately...

Last one was a CPA + Morgans Wheat LME + Amarillo + US-05 @ 18C SG 1040 FG 1020
One before that was a Morgans Amber Ale + Morgans Amber LME + Willamette + US-04 @ 18C SG 1052 FG 1022

Now ive got a CPA + 500g dex + 800g LDME + CPA yeast @ 18C SG 1052, it was sitting in the primary for 3 weeks still bubbling out of the airlock occasionally but only at 1020, so I racked it to secondary in the hope that that will reinvigorate it..

I wont be doing k&k's again for a while...but what have I done wrong?

 

[Bizier]

what have I done wrong?

I know that this is off from the thread starter (sorry Vas) but it is all relative.

How have you handled your yeast (amount pitched and how) and ferment temperatures?

 

[Phoney]

How have you handled your yeast (amount pitched and how) and ferment temperatures?

They have all been dry yeasts (well, apart from the recultured CPA). Some I sprinkled on top, sat for 30 mins & then shook. Some I rehydrated in a glass of cooled boiled water. Ferment temps have all been 18C. Anyway, if it happens again ill try what nath151 said

 

[crundle]

If you do bottle it, do a few in PET's, keep them a bit warmer and squeeze to see if its going to lead to bombs... 2c

+1

This will let you know how they are going, if they are getting too hard in the plastic, you can crack the lids of the glass bottles a tad to relieve the excess pressure. If you are going to bottle now in glass, I would advise to lower your bulk priming amount, maybe by 1/3? Better to be a tad under carbonated than be dealing with bombs, especially if you may have to leave in the bottle for several months to let the last of the fermentables be worked on.

Crundle

EDIT: Just noted - quoth the Raven........

 

[muckanic]

How much CO2 will the last 3 ppgs make assuming they ferment out at all?

Do the numbers. A Coopers-style priming of 6g sugar per 750 mL longneck will boost the gravity by just under 6, and is obviously 100% fermentable (unlike wort).