Re: Help My Kit Has Stopped Fermenting

[krisleeds]

Questions are:


Is 1.010 low enough? Or should i wang it in the airing cupboard for a day or two?

Is there a way to establish the strength without the initial and end gravity readings?

All suggested FGs given in instructions are a target, and like darts sometimes you hit it, sometimes you don't. Take a reading over a couple of days. If it stays the same then it's finished.

While there appears to be no calculation of ABV without an OG, I like Ditch's philosophy regards alcoholic strength. Drink a couple. If you fall over it's strong. If you are still standing it's not.

Cheers

Just in the instruction is says not to bottle unless its 1006 or below.

Sod it, ill just do it and see what happens....best to learn from experiences huh?

[Beer O'Clock]

With the current ambient temps, if you get 2 to 3 final readings the same, it is very unlikely that it has not yet completed fermenting.
We all have to make judgement calls. As you say, we learn from experience.

[Andris]

Thanks for this post, it's really helpfull.

I brew in a shed in the garden which, at this time of the year is quite cold. I have a heated belt round the FV with an old towel under and two cardboard boxes (one inside the other) covering it all. Should I really be considering an immersion heater, do you think?

I think an aquarium heater might do the trick, comes with built in thermostat and various wattage's as well, tho they are pricey and I'm not sure how they will behave in this rather lively environment and you have to think about getting wiring inside FV. You have to consider in this case that it might produce uneven temperature patches in FV and you cant sink it all way to the bottom due sediment - it will burn out heater and kill your yeast in process.

Maybe you can insulate outer shell of your cardboard box cover to prevent heat losses - should be easy to patch em up with some 50mm of insulation - Styrofoam (the white stuff that comes in most cardboard boxes with tellies!) and some tape should work, high tech look and bits of heat reflection might be acquired by gluing aluminum foil layer (yea, the kitchen one) to inner wall of your cardboard, but thats if you really dont have anytin better to do.

Also, I bet you have xmass lights (non LED ones, ordinary bulbs) - I think you can make few more improvised "belts" around your FV out of those - its 99% heat and about 1% light, should be efficient and look fantastic, put transformer inside the heated box area as well (if those xmass lights have it) - that one produces heat as well. Tho with this setup you might want to invest into thermostat.... just to be on safe side

Just a theoretical improvisation, hope it lights up a bulb or two in someone's head

[i_am_ed]

I've got a problem with a kit (Muntons Gold IPA) that hasn't started to ferment at all after 48 hours. I hope this is an appropriate place to post, didn't think I should start a new topic for what is probably a common issue.

I'm certain it hasn't started: no bubbling, no krausen. I'm sure the FV is airtight because as it's plastic I can deform the sides - which makes the airlock bubble!

The only thing I've done different this time is that straight after pitching (straight from the packet into the wort at 26C) I put the FV in the outhouse, which was 16C. Possibly went a bit lower overnight... (but it's not exactly wintery outside yet!). I routinely add yeast nutrient to all my kits, and I 'trash' the wort for 5 minutes to aerate it.

Do you think I've sent the yeast into dormancy by with it being too cold? or bad yeast? All my previous kits have been going full blast within 24 hours.

What should I do? Wait, re-pitch, or start again? I'm pretty paranoid with the sterilisation but the longer it sits dormant the more chance infection could get a hold, right? I've since brought the FV inside, where the ambiant temperature is 20C.

If I re-pitch should I re-aerate the wort? Not sure I should...

Thanks for any ideas!
Ed

[i_am_ed]

Thank you. I've stirred gently and it's slowly getting going. I'll be more careful with the temperature in the future.

Edit to add: simply stirring didn't seem to be enough, so I re-pitched with another sachet - it then stormed through the primary fermentation as usual. Hopefully my pratting about didn't introduce any infection. Thanks again.

[Topcat]

Hi, new member here. Have recently got back into home brewing. Currently on a Woodforde's Wherry which, like the last kit I did (Geordie Bitter), seems to have finished fermentation short of 1014. However, the Geordie Bitter tasted fine although it was flatter than I remembered previous brews from some years back. Any clues? Any link with the gravity at the end of primary fermentation? Also, the tap on my plastic pressurised barrel has only one mode - like you've got your thumb over the end of the hose. Should I be letting air out of the valve at some point?
Cheers,

[Topcat]

Actually it is still bubbling away - must be at the bottom end of the temperature range (I don't have a thermometer). Been in there for 9 days now but have left a brew in primary fermentation for weeks before.

[happyboy]

Hello!
I am a new member and started by first beer kit, 3 days ago and used the following:
1. Young's Harvest Pilsner Lager Beer Kit 1.5 KG
2. Muntons Beer Enhancer Kit 1 KG

I did everything as per the instructions (except : Instead of 1.5 KG Sugar, I added just 1 KG Muntons Beer Enhancer)

Had a lovely layer of foam (looked like a thick head of beer) after about 12 hours and over the next 2 days the foam subsided into more soapy looking bubbles and I could see small bubbles rising and the beginnings of a beer smell.....and then;

Today, when I got back from work, realised that the foam was almost gone and there were no more bubbles rising. The Hydrometer shows a reading of 1.012. Stalled is my guess
The temp did vary a bit but must have always been in the 19 to 23 range.

I am guessing since I added 1KG instead of 1.5 KG sugar, there is nothing more left for the yeast to work on?

I have added 500 gms of white cane sugar and given the FV a stir ....this was about 30 mins ago and I can see a slight layer of light foam on the top.....is there any hope for my first attempt?

Any inputs most appreciated.

[oneilldave]

Hi Happyboy,

Well, I would say that 1.012 isn't a bad FG to reach, assuming you had a starting OG of, what, 1045 to 1050? Did you take an OG reading and, if so, what was it? Also, did the kit give an indication in its instructions as to what it expected to ferment down to? Sometimes, if the yeast is fresh, and the temperature is just right, you can experience a real run-away fermentation that bottoms out after 3 or 4 days. I had a cider I was doing that started at 1.066 on a Saturday and, by the Tuesday, it was sitting at 1.000.

If you think you have a stalled fermentation you will find loads of really good advice on this site. I would suggest a gentle rousing of the yeast layer so that any sugars in the liquid get a good exposure to the newly disturbed yeast. It may help, even if only a little. I have just used two Queenslander kits brewed to 23 litres with enough added syrup to gibe me a starting OG of 1.050. It went like a rocket for about 3 days, then died away. By then it was at 1.020 So I tried a gentle rousing and, over another week, it sank to 1.018. Anyway, I'm looking at something around 4+% so I bottled it with a half spoon of sugar per bottle.

It'll be okay, which is all that counts. I could have tried adding more sugar to restart the fermentation but decided to leave it and see how it turns out.

Good luck, and let us know how your brew turns out.

[happyboy]

Thanks Oneildave...
The kit indicated a FG of 1.006 and also currently the beer tastes very very watery and a bit too sweet I think. I thought adding the beer enhancer was supposed to give it more body?
Also, after about 3 hrs of adding the 0.5kg sugar, its all more or less carbonation that's happening - decided to risk it and added some yeast as well....frothed and foamed for a bit and is a bit calmer now...looks more like day 2 again....but have my doubts.....oh well...have left the hydrometer in and will see what is shows tomorrow.
Btw...The Hoegaarden clone you are drinking...is it close to the real thing? Can you pls point me to the recipe and I will get onto buying the needed stuff!

[happyboy]

>Update;
I cant see any change in the FG/SG reading, still shows around 1012. Tested in plain water and comes out at 1000 so its not a busted hydrometer.
Trying one last time by moving FV to a slightly warmer place and if nothing changes by the evening am kegging this with 50gms of cane sugar....will keep the keg in a warmish place for 5 days and then start cooling. Do I 'have to' use petroleum jelly on the pressure barrel?
I have friends coming over on the 23rd, don't suppose there is enough time to try another batch of brew which will be ready to drink by the 23rd? Would really like to have some 'homebrew' since none of them have ever had anything but commercial beer
Thanks again for your help folks!

[Geezah]

If you want something drinkable for the 23rd, try the Coopers Stout (Ditch's recipe is stickied)
I had 1 in the fermenter for 10 days, keged it yesterday and i'll start supping it on monday.

Another option is to do some turbo cider. I can have mine bottled and carbonated within 12 days.

[Wooderson]

I'm currently brewing a Coopers Stout with 1kg of Brew Enhancer 2 and 500g of DME.My OG was 1.049 and after 2 weeks in primary it's showing 1.016, do you think I should attempt to rouse it or go ahead and bottle?

[Geezah]

What is the temperature of your brew?
I bottled a Coopers real ale a while back that was 1016 and it stayed a little sweet, but improved with time.

[Wooderson]

I kept it pretty low as I was airing on the side of caution after my last brew which was slightly fruity so around 15-18c.It turned out it had actually dropped to around 1.013 after a trial jar test, I guess it was harder to read by just dunking it in the fermentor.I went ahead and bottled and judging by the taste it should be a tasty brew especially if the carbonation comes out good.