WTF?! 'Electrim' Vs. 'Stuck Fermentation' .....

[Ditch]

You tell me! I've NEVER heard of, let alone experienced this one before! Ye gonna Like this!

Ok. So I ballsed up ~ again ~ and ended up pitching my yeast into around 34c wort. Safale, but even that can't be expected to perform miracles. Yet it did.

My air lock was going like a train for two or three days. This morning? Nothing. This evening? Nothing.

I've just read all the 'Stuck Fermentation' remedies and am preparing to buy some Yeast Vit (along with a truck load of yeasts and anything else I can think of that I'll wish I had to hand when Brew 3 goes to rat shit) I'm Trying to remain philisophical, but this is starting to take the piss!

So, anyway; I got my Up / Down Thermometer and stuck it next to the FV, just to see. Just looked. Sure enough, with the rain, the room temp has dropped from 20c to 18c. Maybe accounting for the lack of bubbles?

'Obvious' answer; Throw the thermostat to minimum. Switch on and see if I can gain a couple of degrees. Yeah? Try this!

I threw the stat to minimum and hit the button. Instantly the air lock roared and gurgled and, I thought, was about to Explode!!! I switched the heater straight off again!

What in hell could have caused that, please? Anyone?

And does that even sound like a 'stuck ferment'?

What's going on now???

Thank you.

[ashbyp]

Safale pitched in the 30's, 3 days later? i'd expect that to be fermented out. Check the gravity before you bung anything else in.

[Jim]

Sounds like the heat from the element caused CO2 to come out of solution and bubble through the airlock. The surface of those elements get pretty hot, as they are controlled by a rheostat, so they come on at full blast.

Have you checked the gravity? (EDIT: beaten to it! )

[Ditch]

Safale pitched in the 30's, 3 days later? i'd expect that to be fermented out.

Ye gotta be kidding me!!! Never ~ surely to god?! Ionly pitched at 34c. It then fermented at 20c.

Either way, I'm just off to sanitise my hydrom jar and run a swift test.

I'm taking it this could mean some pretty ghastly version of Wherry, either way? Doesn't seem natural or right to do that to a beer.

Best bit is - if it Is finished out? So is my evening! I hadn't really planned to be kegging beer tonight!

I'll report back in about half an hour from now then.

Thanks, gents

[ashbyp]

Safale pitched in the 30's, 3 days later? i'd expect that to be fermented out.

I'm taking it this could mean some pretty ghastly version of Wherry, either way?

Nope. Safale will ferment out three days easily - no problem there. If the fermenetation was at 20 you're fine.

But don't move it yet!. Give it another week (assuming you report back with a gravity below 1014 which i'm betting you will).

Then bottle or cask. It needs a few days on the yeast to finish up.

[Russ]

Sound advice from ashbyp

Hurry up and tell us wat the gravity is- the suspense is killing me

BTW I'm also putting money on is fermented out

[kenny850]

the curse of the wherry strikes again-knew it was weird stuff

[Ditch]

That's truly staggering! Where the devil was Safale twenty five years ago? Back then I was using a BruHeat. Probably fermenting at more like 25c and drinking a vile, strongly alcoholic slurry which only a ..... well ... Alcoholic would want a second sip of!

That was then. This is now. I'd, frankly, rather manage to brew lower strength beer which just tastes good to me and which I can slowly drink lots of without getting in a mess. I tend to sit supping for about twelve hours, see? I'd drink tea. But, then I'd never sleep at all. Wanted to get smashed? I'd buy sherry and white " Cider " and save myself a fortune!

This is more like my plan now, see? Brewing the sort of beer beer used to be; Something one drank at breakfast, dinner and tea. A thirst quenching, tasty liquor which didn't leave one staggering around wondering what day it was. Not that I'm usually particularly aware of what day it is anyway. But I'm quite compas mentis. I just don't care or need to know what day.

Anyway; Hydrom Jar's full of bleachy water. Sodium Met's standing by. Ooh! I seem to have just killed enough time to now go rinse and take that reading!

Fingers crossed. I'm dead curious about all this!

[Ditch]

Houston ..... Guess!

Hydromy's reading about '32 at 18c. Stuck like Richard unto a blanket then. The 34c pitch must've mullered even the Safale. Hardly surprising.

What is surprising is that it doesn't taste like liquid sewage. Doesn't taste like any beer I wouldn't throw either, but I wouldn't expect it to yet.

Now my dilemma: Do I leave it, hermetically sealed in its airlock protected chamber as I await the arrival of Yeast Vit and fresh Safale, middle of next week some time? Or dare I bother opening it up and messing with it - thus exposing it to risks of god knows what?

I don't want to stir in disaster. But might it survive, as is, into the latter stages of next week?

Funny; I used to crack out a brew as nonchalantly as making a cup of tea. Now ....?

[ashbyp]

that is very surprising, pitching at 34 won't damage the yeast, the worst you would expect *may* be some off flavours.

At this point I'll bow out, have you read this

[Russ]

Bugger

1032 is too high IMO for a stuck ferment and too low to have not fermented at all, they usually stop around 1020 ish if stuck. Did it taste sweet? (assuming you drank the sample) I'm asking in the hope that you say no and it could be your hydrometer that's giving a false reading?

Not sure why the airlock activity should have stopped even if the temp went from 20oC to 18oC that would be OK.

Think I'd be inclined to leave it alone under airlock and get some fresh yeast in there ASAP. I know hindsight is a wonderful thing and it's not a helpful comment but in future always keep a spare sachet of yeast as backup especially in your location- but I guess you've already figured that one

Sorry things not getting any easier
Can't offer much more other than sympathy I'm afraid.....

[Russ]

Hey Ditch

Just read your sig

You've got a kit in the wings- London Dockland Porter?

so there will be a sachet of yeast in it you could use?

[Ditch]

Read that, Ashbyp. Thanks.

And sorry for seemingly ignoring Kenny850 there ~ who, I suspect - is as near to the truth as anyone.

Bottom line is, between what both you lads are intimating? That's the first and last Muntons kit I EVER buy! I'll avoid their cursed carp like the plague in future. End of.

Russ; You're a genius! Of course! Though, I wonder what good yet more yeast will do, having just read what Ashbyp sent me to look at. Still; Nothing else to lose, have I? I'll hydrate That lot and sling it in presently.

Incidentally; Just had my glasses on and had a mouch about in the kitchen. Here's some snippets of latest data:

Room temp now down to 15/16c.

Hydrometer reading, in a bottle of Sod Met treated water, at the above temp, reads about right. Just tried it in straight tap water - not much wrong with the Hydi.

Wort didn't taste sweet to me. Impossible to describe quite what it Did taste, to be honest. Nothing revolting about it though. Just not something I'd choose to drink. Mixture of malt, yeast and water, I imagine?

Oh and, finally, for now; If I so much as fart near that FV, the air lock gives an almighty belch in response. It's seemingly bursting with CO in there. Only it's plateaued out completely and appears to be a touch of the hand, or the skin of water, away from surging out. Weird!

I'll leave this - and it - till tomorrow afternoon now then. See if there's any new ideas and take it from there. Quite honestly, it's more annoying than scary. I just want to get on.

[Russ]

OK Ditch sounds a little more posative If you've got some activity in the airlock then I think all is well.

Is your FV the bucket type with a thin flexible snap on lid rather than the wine type with a 4'' screw type lid? I have both they are both fine but......

My bucket types lids flex and bow outwards under the pressure of the C02 inside and I find that sometimes the C02 is reluctant to go through the airlock, especially if I'm using the two part type locks (handy airlocks I think there called) That could be happening combined with a small leak elsewhere and you wont be getting a lot of airlock activity. Or as you descibe intermittent almighty belches which release the pressure and it's awhile until more builds up and the process repeats. To stop te problem I usually put a weight on top of the bin lid (a brick or something) any you then get steady regular airlock activity .

If it's not too late I'd think about this first before pitching that yeast as it deffo sounds like it's fermenting. If you have already pitched the yeast I doubt it will be an issue, just a waste of yeast. As for Muntons kits then I vowed to give them a wide birth ages ago but they certianly have the bulk of the market. Next order pick something from Brupaks they get great reports.

[Ditch]

Cheers, Russ. I'll find a rock then and just forget about the stuff for a few more days. Run another test with the Hydi and see what happens then.

Should also point out that the temperature's dropping like a bloody rock round here now. Bugger is that I never field tested that 'stat, to see what setting will give me a steady 20c. I should've done that and marked it. Could've then switched it on. As it is, I guess I'm now just rather compounding the situation by letting the wort grow so cool

Never mind. I've learned a hell of a lot from these glitches. I'll soon be back to just knocking out beer. Even found myself looking long and hard at Dave Lines' book the other night. Used to work from that one. I'll never forget that Fullers ESB!