Fermentation stopped

[Brewer #458918]

Hello all, I am new here, also foreigner, so I am not sure if I am using correct words for every process in homebrewing. Sorry for that.

I brew before, but first time I tried to brew very simple pilsner via infusion with using correctly calculated recipe and process measuring.

I started with 1.055 SG, and after three days fermentation basicly stopped. I am quite surprised and I have no idea where I did mistake, or what went wrong. Also having different values from hydrometer, refractometer and the rapt pill, which were calibrated before brewing.

There is a lot of sugar, yeast are resistant to more than twice of the percentage of alcohol and values did not changed for six days.

My recipe is here:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1568380/infulsner

And values in attached files.

Would appriciate any help.

Thanks!

 

[Zambi]

It's quite normal for fermentation to stop after 3 days, so don't worry

Your refractometer will give you "false" readings in the presence of alcohol. There is a table on this site to correct it (an theoretical approximation but more than close enough in my opinion).
Your hydrometer should give the correct value, although it can be off in "extreme" temperatures. Normally they work correct at 15 or 20 oC.

 

[Minbari]

What is the FG now? 3 days could be done, I would trust the hydrometer over the other 2.
A refractometer will not read properly in the presence of alcohol without a conversation chart
Those floating hydrometers aren't not to be used as measurement devices. Great for trends

 

[Dave Y]

he’s showing about 1.017 if I’m reading the pics correctly.

Welcome to the BF Forum @Brewer #458918

I had a Pils do this to me last year; doubly frustrating as I used my only home grown cascade in the batch and it stopped at 1.017 as well. I had enough IBUs to counteract _most_ of the sweetness, but not all of it. Our IBU’s are similar.

By last year, I was confident in my sanitization, mash process, did a starter culture for the yeast, which was still well within the best by date, plenty of diastatic power, single infusion mash at 152, no errors in the process I could detect... After checking the recipe today, the only thing suspicious I see
- I sparged with straight r/o water at about 7.0 ph, no chemicals. I don’t show the amount but would probably be 3.5-4 gallons, to achieve 8 gallons-ish.
- Using Mangrove Jack Bohemian Lager yeast. It’s been traditionally good for me, up until this brew.. but also left me hanging on Dunkelweizen...

I now pre-treat all of the water with at least some chemicals, not just the mash water. My house water is pretty neutral and brew friendly; in fact I usually add chemicals back to match my local water.


At 1.017, the beer you have is what you’re going to get. If it’s not to taste, you will have to decide how to proceed. I kept mine on tap because I put a lot of effort into growing those hops ! ! ! ! Had I not grown the hops in the beer, I’d have dumped it. The dunkelweizen at 1.017 tasted awful, I did dump that. You can stir, heat up the beer until your heart’s content but the yeast is telling you there’s nothing more to do.

what was your mash process; single infusion? step mash? decoction?
what temperature or temperatures?
it looks like your fermentation temp was within recommended values.
was the fermenter fully cleaned, then sanitized?


I just did a pils with MG German Lager that came out to the numbers without issue.

 

[west1m]

Sometimes it just needs a good sloshing and stir to wake up the yeasties.

 

[Minbari]

he’s showing about 1.017 if I’m reading the pics correctly.

Welcome to the BF Forum @Brewer #458918

I had a Pils do this to me last year; doubly frustrating as I used my only home grown cascade in the batch and it stopped at 1.017 as well. I had enough IBUs to counteract _most_ of the sweetness, but not all of it. Our IBU’s are similar.

By last year, I was confident in my sanitization, mash process, did a starter culture for the yeast, which was still well within the best by date, plenty of diastatic power, single infusion mash at 152, no errors in the process I could detect... After checking the recipe today, the only thing suspicious I see
- I sparged with straight r/o water at about 7.0 ph, no chemicals. I don’t show the amount but would probably be 3.5-4 gallons, to achieve 8 gallons-ish.
- Using Mangrove Jack Bohemian Lager yeast. It’s been traditionally good for me, up until this brew.. but also left me hanging on Dunkelweizen...

I now pre-treat all of the water with at least some chemicals, not just the mash water. My house water is pretty neutral and brew friendly; in fact I usually add chemicals back to match my local water.


At 1.017, the beer you have is what you’re going to get. If it’s not to taste, you will have to decide how to proceed. I kept mine on tap because I put a lot of effort into growing those hops ! ! ! ! Had I not grown the hops in the beer, I’d have dumped it. The dunkelweizen at 1.017 tasted awful, I did dump that. You can stir, heat up the beer until your heart’s content but the yeast is telling you there’s nothing more to do.

what was your mash process; single infusion? step mash? decoction?
what temperature or temperatures?
it looks like your fermentation temp was within recommended values.
was the fermenter fully cleaned, then sanitized?


I just did a pils with MG German Lager that came out to the numbers without issue.

Mashed too high. Take it down to 146-148 and it will ferm our into single digits