Possible Stuck Fermentation - Muntons Imperial Stout

[HantsGaz]

Either get some Yeast vit and try that or failing that some dry beer enzyme.

I am waiting for these to come in the post and if they dont work I will keg anyway and just have a slightly sweet weak beer.

Me too, it will the end of next week though. I'm surprised that most shops haven't sold out judging by the amount of stuck fermentations recently!!

I reckon you and I had exactly the same problems with the Wherry - btw.

[HantsGaz]

Wow, 15 minutes after the re-hydrated yeast had been mixed with the wort the PET bottle has started to hiss - so i guess the fermentation has well and truly started in the active starter. Should I still wait for one to two hours before pitching?

After pitching should I gently stir it in, without causing any aeration?

[HantsGaz]

I pitched it & gave it a gentle stir. Fingers crossed...

[HantsGaz]

Well, it looks like I have a little action in my fermenting bin again... Hopefully this will get it down a few more points.

I would add a piccy, but can't fgure out how to!

[HantsGaz]

Thanks DaaB - nice one. Let's see if it works... (Thanks for the active starter tip too - it got going very quickly, might use that all the time now).

[HantsGaz]

S-04, also what i pitched in the first instance.

[HantsGaz]

It seems from reading a few replies that Dry Beer Enzyme is a good bet too, apart from that it might ferment the beer down too low. But even if this one slows it not worth counting your method out as it will be worth a go with champagne yeast (I’ll order some as it seems I’m gong through a few stuck fermentations at the mo and I have another Muntons kit (Continental Pilsner) to do!). Couple of questions:

1. Would the champagne yeast impart a different flavour to the brew?

2. One of the suggested kick starts is Yeast-Vit, yet I think I read that this can cause a strange taste if not fermented out completely. Is this only the case when added to try and re-start fermentation, as some advice suggests to always use this when first starting the brew? Therefore I was thinking of always using this at the start to supplement the fermentables in the wort – but if it can impart a strange taste then it might not be worth it.

[HantsGaz]

This morning the SG is just above 1016, so it's moved a couple of points in the right direction, but the fermentation looks to have all but stopped again. I'll take another reading tomorrow AM to double check, but maybe 1016 is not too bad. I might try and get hold of some Dry Beer Enzyme - and add a little for a final push, other than that I'll leave the beer for three or so days and then rack it to some PET’s or my barrel – depending on whether the PET’s arrive in time!

When I do my next kit, if I’m going to make up an active starter again, is it advisable to take some of the wort from the bin after mixing it with its initial 3 litres of boiling water – to use for the starter - or is it OK to use DME again like suggested for this re-start and as suggested in your Brupack instructions (my next kit won’t have additional hops – it will be the John Bull Master Class Irish Stout).

[sparky Paul]

maybe 1016 is not too bad. I might try and get hold of some Dry Beer Enzyme - and add a little for a final push

As DaaB says, I would be happy at 1016, especially with a stout. You need a good feel in the mouth with a stout, which the higher FG gives you.

Take care adding the Dry Beer Enzyme, I suspect that adding less won't decrease the effect - as there will be less of the enzyme doing the work, it'll just be slower getting to the final gravity .

[HantsGaz]

Thanks guys - points noted. I think I'll leave it as it is and get my wife to taste as I can't taste squat at the mo due to man-flu .

[HantsGaz]

I tasted it. It's very rich, quite heavy, smells sweetish, but tastes of stout and is a little dry & bitter. Didn't appear to get any HBT either, which was nice! Was kind of expecting something a little smoother but that might come with conditioning / carbonation etc. I think I read that someone said it had a liquorice flavour, but I didn’t get any of that (perhaps more in the smell than the taste).

I'm going to keep on doing Stouts until I get to one that I really like and then invest in a Corni & Pub Gas set up and keep on brewing the stuff!

[sparky Paul]

I think I read that someone said it had a liquorice flavour, but I didn’t get any of that (perhaps more in the smell than the taste).

You'll find that some of the more subtle flavours will also come through with a bit of maturing, especially if you can already smell it. The bitterness will also mellow out nicely.

I'm going to keep on doing Stouts until I get to one that I really like and then invest in a Corni & Pub Gas set up and keep on brewing the stuff!

I would have to say that stouts are some of the most successful kits I've done.

If you want the draught Guinness type pint, there's no real alternative to the Corni and CO2/Nitrogen mix - but I quite like the old bottled Guinness, so I'm okay.

[HantsGaz]

Is the N2/CO2 mix the key to getting a creamy head or does the brew play an equal factor?

[HantsGaz]

Well, 15 days after starting the fermentation and nearly a week since re-starting the stuck fermentation I have barreled it. I took an SG reading and it had dropped to 1014 – result - and it tasted good too. Definitely glad I was patient with this one. I primed it with approx 30g of Light Spraymalt as in the instructions. Looking forward to drinking this in a couple of weeks.

[sparky Paul]

Is the N2/CO2 mix the key to getting a creamy head or does the brew play an equal factor?

It's certainly the biggest part of the battle, in fact to be honest it's the only way you'll get the classic draught Guinness head and texture.

Is that 30g for a 5 gal. brew? Personally, I'd go for a bit more priming sugar than that, I think it works well with a stout without artificial gassing.

Oh, and you'll find 1014 is bang on for an all malt stout!