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Well I see a lot of stuck fermentation questions here on the forum so I'm hoping you all don't mind another one. In the past, I've always waited 14 days and then primed and bottled, and just assumed it was done as it would get at that point. However, my dear wifey got me one of these Brix/SG refractometers for my birthday so with my latest batch I'm trying it out.
I started sampling my previous batch right away and noticed it was at 1.025 (way higher than my recipe called for) but I just figured my OG might have been higher than called for since I didn't have the refractometer at the time I started it. This time I was taking samples from the get-go.
As you can see from my brew log, it dropped quickly from my OG (which was, I did note, higher than my recipe called for, even with some diluting) down to 1.025. And there it has stayed. Now, I should note that it's very subjective; the line has a bit of a fade to it, so today's reading of 1.024 might be accurate or yesterday's might have been the same, or today's the same as yesterday's. It's hard to tell, really.
It's odd to me that the SG is exactly the same as my previous apparently-stuck brew. I checked to make sure the refractometer was calibrated (just a hair below 1.000 with distilled water). After reading through some of the other stuck fermentation posts, I gave the fermentor a slosh in hopes that helps, but with my current readings I have a paltry 3.4% alcohol in there and if it is fermenting, it's going mighty slow.
Some things to note: first, I added Irish Moss to the last 15min or so of my boil. Just over half a teaspoon for about 3.5gal of mash. Second, I broke from my recipe with a different yeast. Instead of the Fermentis S-23 (haven't had much luck with that here in the New Jersey summer, even with air conditioning, and I have no room for a cooler), I used Lalbrew Voss Kveik ale yeast. Lastly, I added an extra ounce of hops to the dry hops than my recipe called for.
None of these things that I know of would account for my stuck brew, save maybe the Irish Moss dragging my yeast down maybe? Does anyone have any ideas?
I started sampling my previous batch right away and noticed it was at 1.025 (way higher than my recipe called for) but I just figured my OG might have been higher than called for since I didn't have the refractometer at the time I started it. This time I was taking samples from the get-go.
As you can see from my brew log, it dropped quickly from my OG (which was, I did note, higher than my recipe called for, even with some diluting) down to 1.025. And there it has stayed. Now, I should note that it's very subjective; the line has a bit of a fade to it, so today's reading of 1.024 might be accurate or yesterday's might have been the same, or today's the same as yesterday's. It's hard to tell, really.
It's odd to me that the SG is exactly the same as my previous apparently-stuck brew. I checked to make sure the refractometer was calibrated (just a hair below 1.000 with distilled water). After reading through some of the other stuck fermentation posts, I gave the fermentor a slosh in hopes that helps, but with my current readings I have a paltry 3.4% alcohol in there and if it is fermenting, it's going mighty slow.
Some things to note: first, I added Irish Moss to the last 15min or so of my boil. Just over half a teaspoon for about 3.5gal of mash. Second, I broke from my recipe with a different yeast. Instead of the Fermentis S-23 (haven't had much luck with that here in the New Jersey summer, even with air conditioning, and I have no room for a cooler), I used Lalbrew Voss Kveik ale yeast. Lastly, I added an extra ounce of hops to the dry hops than my recipe called for.
None of these things that I know of would account for my stuck brew, save maybe the Irish Moss dragging my yeast down maybe? Does anyone have any ideas?
