Stuck Fermentation & Over Spiced

[BrewBoBaggins]

Hello,

I have 2 problems that I'm hoping to fix at the same time.

I'm relatively new to homebrewing and have hit my first big wall! I have 2 small batches brewing right now. Both of them were made from the same boil but I spilt them up to make one brown ale and another Pumpkin Spice.

My Spiced beer is fermenting great! But it's terribly over Spiced and my Brown ale has a stuck Fermentation.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can solve both of these problems? I'm thinking I might be able to combine the 2 to help dilute the over Spiced beer and pitch more yeast to get the Fermentation going again.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thank you,

Drew

 

[GFHomebrew]

Hello,

I have 2 problems that I'm hoping to fix at the same time.

I'm relatively new to homebrewing and have hit my first big wall! I have 2 small batches brewing right now. Both of them were made from the same boil but I spilt them up to make one brown ale and another Pumpkin Spice.

My Spiced beer is fermenting great! But it's terribly over Spiced and my Brown ale has a stuck Fermentation.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can solve both of these problems? I'm thinking I might be able to combine the 2 to help dilute the over Spiced beer and pitch more yeast to get the Fermentation going again.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thank you,

Drew

If you were to combine the two at this stage there should be enough yeast built up to take care of the extra wort for you. weather this fixes your over spiced pumpkin ale well pour half a glass of each into one glass take a taste and see if your savvy with it.

 

[J A]

That^^^
There's not much you can do with over-spiced beer.
Regarding the stuck fermentation...how long has it been at the same gravity? what's the gravity? what was the OG? what's the yeast? what's the temperature? ...
Nothing anyone can offer in terms of advice without a whole lot more info.

 

[BrewBoBaggins]

If you were to combine the two at this stage there should be enough yeast built up to take care of the extra wort for you. weather this fixes your over spiced pumpkin ale well pour half a glass of each into one glass take a taste and see if your savvy with it.

If you were to combine the two at this stage there should be enough yeast built up to take care of the extra wort for you. weather this fixes your over spiced pumpkin ale well pour half a glass of each into one glass take a taste and see if your savvy with it.

If you were to combine the two at this stage there should be enough yeast built up to take care of the extra wort for you. weather this fixes your over spiced pumpkin ale well pour half a glass of each into one glass take a taste and see if your savvy with it.

Thank you for the help. I went ahead and combined the two 1 day ago and just checked the

If you were to combine the two at this stage there should be enough yeast built up to take care of the extra wort for you. weather this fixes your over spiced pumpkin ale well pour half a glass of each into one glass take a taste and see if your savvy with it.

Thank you for the help! I combined the 2 batches 24 hours ago and the fermentation seems to be going along fine. I have not checked the gravity again but I see the airlock is bubbling away. Thank you.

 

[BrewBoBaggins]

That^^^
There's not much you can do with over-spiced beer.
Regarding the stuck fermentation...how long has it been at the same gravity? what's the gravity? what was the OG? what's the yeast? what's the temperature? ...
Nothing anyone can offer in terms of advice without a whole lot more info.

The gravity has been stuck at 1.040 for 6-7 days with the OG being 1.065. The yeast is California Ale (White Labs #WLP001). The temperature is at 68 degrees though it's not controlled and may have dipped a little as I live in Colorado and it's been somewhat cold. I keep the beer in the pantry in the middle of the house which usually stays between 65-70 degrees no matter how hot/cold it is outside.

 

[J A]

Sounds like you have it under control. I'd guess that the reason for the difference is that the yeast pitch wasn't split evenly. I don't know what "small" batches means for you...if they're 1-gallon, it wouldn't matter, but 2 1/2 gallon batches could perform poorly with less than half of the vial/pouch of liquid yeast. Low pitch rate along with lack of aeration could account for stopping like that. Especially if the temp dropped. It would likely start again with a temp raise and a swirl, but you've got the problem solved.
Just curious...what sort of recipe are you using? High percentages of specialty malt and extract or high mash temp (all of which you might use for the styles you're doing) can get in the way of attenuation.

 

[BrewBoBaggins]

Sounds like you have it under control. I'd guess that the reason for the difference is that the yeast pitch wasn't split evenly. I don't know what "small" batches means for you...if they're 1-gallon, it wouldn't matter, but 2 1/2 gallon batches could perform poorly with less than half of the vial/pouch of liquid yeast. Low pitch rate along with lack of aeration could account for stopping like that. Especially if the temp dropped. It would likely start again with a temp raise and a swirl, but you've got the problem solved.
Just curious...what sort of recipe are you using? High percentages of specialty malt and extract or high mash temp (all of which you might use for the styles you're doing) can get in the way of attenuation.

I did an all grain mash using 6 pounds of Maris Otter with 1 pound of Caramel Malt my boil volume was about 4 gallons. It's been a week since I combined the 2 batches and the gravity has gone from 1.040 to about 1.030. I am hoping to get it down to 1.010ish before I bottle it. How long is too long for a fermentation? This one has been going for 3 weeks and still needs some time.

I appreciate your help and response to this question! You've been very helpful.

 

[J A]

How long is too long for a fermentation? This one has been going for 3 weeks and still needs some time.

If it's not at gravity in 3 weeks, it's not going there. I think 1.030 is too high for that to be finished, even from 1.065, but you may have done all you can do with that pitch.

It's possible that your readings just aren't accurate, so do all you can to ensure accuracy, including trying a different hydrometer.

If it was me, I'd pitch a Saison yeast in an active starter and let it go another couple of weeks. Make a 2-quart starter of 1.040 wort using low-temp mashed 2-row or just use DME. Boil it with a little hops if you want so you add some hop flavor. Pitch a packet of dry Saison yeast and when it slows down in a day or so, pour the whole thing into your batch. The Saison yeast will guarantee that all the sugar that can be consumed will be and you can safely bottle it. It'll be a different beer, but that spice flavor will go perfectly with the Saison yeast profile.