My first stuck batch-- any ideas ???

[spunky]

Could use some input from the group.


I have been brewing beer and wine for years, and I have had a couple of slow batches and a couple of batches I needed to augment, but never a fully stuck batch .

I brewed this oct 1st 6lb of malt syrup 2lb of honey. Nothin at all, so saturday the 6th I repitched another different type of ale yeast.


What have been your longest stuck batches ?

[nursebee]

Perhaps share more info: gravity readings, specific yeast used, what you mean by "brewed". Brewing to me is beer, not wine or mead. What are you trying to end up with? What do you mean by malt syrup? You doing a honey beer?

Start a champagne yeast on an enriched honey solution, let it get fermenting good, and pitch it in. Aerate somehow. Stand back.

[spunky]

Yes it is beer


6.6lb of John Bull malt extract and 2lb of honey. I tried knottingham ale yeast on the first pitch , and the pack that was provided with the malt for the second pitch.


Cant ever remember any wine or beer taking this long to get going

I didnt take any spg readings

[knadai]

What is the total volume?

Pitched on the first, today is the ninth. Maybe it took off and finished while your weren't looking?

Take a hydro reading and get back to us. Taste the hydro sample too.

[Aspera]

You either got a bad batch of yeast, a cold room, or else the batch is tainted with an antimicrobial (possibly from a carboy). In many of the above cases, you may be out of luck but it won't hurt to proof some dry yeast and repitch.

[spunky]

Well, I sampled the stuck batch and it is still wort. I have allready repitched with more ale yeast 4 days ago , still no CO2 escaping the air lock ???

[Ben Brewcat]

Some questions will help us pin it down.
What is the temp of the wort?
Is it in a carboy or a plastic fermenter?

[spunky]

Room temp which now in my house is 65-72 degrees

Plastic 6 gallon fermenter

[Ben Brewcat]

That temp should be OK. Do you have a hydrometer?

[spunky]

Errr , well I did but I cant find it.



This is the first time I have used the 20 minute boil kit, and me thinks this will be the last.

[Ben Brewcat]

Press on the lid gently, and see if the airlock bubbles. Often with the plastic fermenters the seal is imperfect and the ferment runs to completion with nary a bubble. Though if it still tastes worty we'd have to look further, but the best next step is a hydro reading.

Otherwise, get some more yeast, fresh from a good source. If it's dry yeast, they'll usually have a date on the crimp. Rehydrate in lukewarm water for 10 mins before pitching into the wort. If that doesn't take off you're hosed .

[spunky]

Well, this batch is lost . 30$ sheckles down the tubes.

[Ben Brewcat]

Bummer, sorry to hear it. That's really ususual! It's a rare wort that yeast can't be coaxed into at least trying.

[spunky]

Ben you were right ; it was a really slow ferment and was leaking out around the top. I tasted the wort yesterday and it is porter beer for sure. I bottled in my new 1 liter size grolsch style bottles, nice. Guess it is time to replace my primary fermenter after 12 plus years

[mattoleriver]

>Guess it is time to replace my primary fermenter after 12 plus years

No need to replace the fermenter, just be aware that it is not airtight and counting bubbles is not a reliable method of determining fermentation. One of my fermenters just won't seal and I have never had a problem with it. Some brewers (successfully) don't use any lid on their primary fermenters at all---completely open! I'm not ready to go that far so I won't suggest it to others.
George

[Ben Brewcat]

Hooray! George is right. Or you could get a gasket for it. Though plastic really does benefit from occasional replacement (or rather the mead benefits from it )