Fermentation Stall Worries

JamieD

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Hi all,
I've just got a couple of worries with the 2 brews I have fermenting at the moment,

Firstly my IPA (10 days old now), I've checked the gravity reading which is showing around 1012 (difficult to get correct as clinging to a few bubbles), I thought it would be nearer to the target of 1008 by now (Wilko kit instructions). I also tasted the gravity sample an I thought it tasted a little flat, not really much flavour at all, and the only flavours weren't anything to write home about. Anyway I have just dry hopped that with 45g of East Kent Holdings (attached below) so hopefully it may sort it out. hyundai hd700 dong vang


Secondly though, an perhaps more worrying, is my Coopers Mexican cerveza kit (4 days old), one thing I noticed is the drop in temperature (started off around 25c, an over a few days has dropped to now about 21c), not a lot I can do other than move closer to the radiator, however the worry is that my airlock has stopped bubbling, it was going like the clappers for first couple of days, yesterday it was one every 30 seconds or so but it's not doing it at all now. I noticed there is a little less water in the airlock than I originally put in (perhaps bubbled that much fell back down into the brew) so I have just topped that up to what I originally put in. giá county đồng vàng

I'm a bit worried these have both stalled or perhaps even worse, got infected, any help or advice would be welcome, thanks
http://hyundai3cuc.vn/san-pham/xe-tai-van-dongben-x30-2-cho/
 
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What yeast did you use with these beers there Jamie? Check the attenuation on the yeast and see if it reflects your fermentation. Don't worry about a flat test sample it's supposed to be remember it ain't carbed yet. Do you mean it's dull tasting like you can't detect the hops you were angling for?

Second brew she's pretty much done mate:) check it with your hydrometer heck check em both then wait a few days and check with hydrometer again if no change then it's time to bottle;).

Good luck Jamie hay it's not over till the fat lady sings:p.

Oh one more thing 25c is pretty high ferment temp for ale yeast Jamie try to keep them brews a bit cooler maybe in a large tub of water
 
First off, your IPA...Extract or grain? I assume extract based on the kits you're using. Extract willl usually go pretty close to FG, but there are a lot of reasons that they won't. If you used steeped grains and didn't steep at a good temp, the portion of fermentables contributed (usually relatively small) will be less. If it's all-grain, it's all about mash temp.
Either way, yeast and temperature are prime suspects. You're almost certainly using dry yeast with a kit. It all depends on the strain. US-05 is usually very good. S-04 will definitely stall occasionally. Some others can hang up. Sometimes, it's just done. Main thing is to be sure it doesn't have a lot of residual fermentable sugar left when you bottle. I'll be too much with the added priming sugar and you'll get overcarbed bottles or bottle bombs.
Give some more details and you'll get some better feedback.
PS...East Kent Golding is an odd choice for dry-hopping an IPA. Is that part of the kit or something you're doing on your own? Just curious.

Re: the Mexican Cerveza...Airlock activity isn't always a good gauge of fermentation activity, but yeah, it's just done. If you were at 25c, that wort got hot during fermentation. Around 19c is plenty warm for fermentation. Most likely you'll find it mostly to FG. Be sure it stays at a good (relatively cool) fermentation temp for a couple of weeks to finish out and clean up. It'll likely be pretty harsh in flavor from the quick, warm fermentation.
The water probably blew out but it may have gotten sucked back in when the temp lowered. Also...it's a good idea to use vodka in the airlock. Keeps things completely antiseptic and when it gets sucked back in, you don't have to worry about any contamination.
 
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Hi all,
I've just got a couple of worries with the 2 brews I have fermenting at the moment,

Firstly my IPA (10 days old now), I've checked the gravity reading which is showing around 1012 (difficult to get correct as clinging to a few bubbles), I thought it would be nearer to the target of 1008 by now (Wilko kit instructions). I also tasted the gravity sample an I thought it tasted a little flat, not really much flavour at all, and the only flavours weren't anything to write home about. Anyway I have just dry hopped that with 45g of East Kent Holdings (attached below) so hopefully it may sort it out.


Secondly though, an perhaps more worrying, is my Coopers Mexican cerveza kit (4 days old), one thing I noticed is the drop in temperature (started off around 25c, an over a few days has dropped to now about 21c), not a lot I can do other than move closer to the radiator, however the worry is that my airlock has stopped bubbling, it was going like the clappers for first couple of days, yesterday it was one every 30 seconds or so but it's not doing it at all now. I noticed there is a little less water in the airlock than I originally put in (perhaps bubbled that much fell back down into the brew) so I have just topped that up to what I originally put in.

I'm a bit worried these have both stalled or perhaps even worse, got infected, any help or advice would be welcome, thanks
There's not that much of a difference between 1012 and 1008 - your mash temperature could result in that difference (or a temperature drop late in fermentation, etc.). As you mentioned, bubbles would raise your hydrometer, increasing the reading, throwing you off by 3 points. I'm assuming extract since you're talking about kits. Someone else mentioned using airlock activity as a gauge of fermentation: Don't. Use your hydrometer. If your beer is only three points off, it hasn't stalled. You're within the range of "experimental error" at three points. This is definitely a case of "RDWHAHB".
 
Getting an extract to 1.008 is near impossible ime, unfermentables created when they make the extract i think. I brew AG, but my brew buddy has brewed exclusively with extract and adjuncts for years and has never gotten any beer to go that low no matter how light a beer. He uses mostly US-05 for ales, as do I, and my beer always finishes drier, even the same basic recipe.

I would love to hear from anyone who regularly get's extract beer to 1.010 or less.
 
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Use a different ale yeast to us05 and it may chew it lower try wlp090 sandiego super yeast that stuff is a hungry yeast". But I get what your putting down on the extract thing.
 
I would love to hear from anyone who regularly get's extract beer to 1.010 or less.

It's true that some extracts won't go. I've gotten a couple of extract kits down to .008 or .009. Very light beers with honey addition... sugar/honey/brown sugar makes a difference. More common is the .011 and maybe .010. Amber LME and especially Dark LME is hard to push to a low FG and always leaves a lot of sweetness in the finished product.
 
Getting an extract to 1.008 is near impossible ime, unfermentables created when they make the extract i think. I brew AG, but my brew buddy has brewed exclusively with extract and adjuncts for years and has never gotten any beer to go that low no matter how light a beer. He uses mostly US-05 for ales, as do I, and my beer always finishes drier, even the same basic recipe.

I would love to hear from anyone who regularly get's extract beer to 1.010 or less.
It's not mashed to ferment that low normally, but if you ferment it with a dry Saison yeast, it'll go as low as you want. Extract is not treated differently than any other mash and the drying process to concentrate the extract is pretty gentle. I find it's about equivalent to a 152 degree single infusion mash, actually quite good for most purposes.
 
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Talk is cheap so let's hear more Ozark. For my friend. How do you do that? What extract? What yeast? Real barley malt, no rice sugar no BS

I keep throwing adjucts at my pilsner to get it above 1.006, trying to get to 9 or 10 using grain
 
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It's the amelase enzyme there heady. Off the top of my head it breaks down the complex sugar into simple easy yeast gobbling sauger molecules so more attenuation happens resulting in drier beer :rolleyes:.
 

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