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Stalled Fermentation?

Catch-22

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On January 1st, I brewed a stout from an extract kit.  I used washed yeast that I calculated the appropriate amount from mrmalty.com.

Within 24 hours, it was going crazy, doing it's thing.  The OG was about 1.045 or 1.046, so I know it's not going to be a "potent" beer to begin with.

I transferred to a secondary today, because I wanted to put vanilla beans that I'd been soaking in Jack since the time I brewed.  When I transferred, I took a reading, and got 1.020.  I know that I need to take more readings over the next few days to be sure, but is this on track for what it should be after that time?  This is only my 3rd batch, and I had readings down closer to 1.016 after about the same time. 

Until I am able to get more readings, what are the chances that things stalled?  If it did, can I add more washed yeast into the secondary? 
 
To answer your questions, we need a little bit more information.

How long did you store the "washed yeast" for?  Ie, When did you harvest the slurry from the previous batch? 

How did you treat the slurry before you pitched it?  Did you warm it up?  Did you add some wort to it to get it started?  Did you use any yeast nutrient?

How did you aerate the wort after it was cool?  Pure O2 kit?  Fish-tank kit?  Splashing, stirring, etc? 

What temperature did you ferment the beer at?  Do you have any temperature control or are you simply setting it in a cool, dark place? 

Does the recipe list an expected Final Gravity?

What did you use to take the measurement?  A Hydrometer or refractometer?

------------
As an aside:

To be honest, I do not recommend that new brewers harvest and re-use slurry.  It just opens up a whole new set of potential complications while you are trying to learn how this whole thing works.  Keep it simple, and eliminate potential variables.  Learn one new thing at a time. 
 
To answer your questions, we need a little bit more information. See my responses below

How long did you store the "washed yeast" for?  Ie, When did you harvest the slurry from the previous batch?  Stored slurry in frig.  It was "washed" 3 times after it was collected on 12/2/13

How did you treat the slurry before you pitched it?  Did you warm it up?  Did you add some wort to it to get it started?  Did you use any yeast nutrient?  It sat at room temperature the entire time I made the brew...so a good 4 hours.  After reading many articles online on whether a starter was needed or not, based on the age of the yeast I did not attempt a starter.  I simply poured the top off the jar, leaving most of the slurry, and measured out based on what mrmalty.com recommended once I put in the variables.  I think I added 180mls of slurry.  It was a thick slurry, too.

How did you aerate the wort after it was cool?  Pure O2 kit?  Fish-tank kit?  Splashing, stirring, etc?  I have an air stone hooked up to an aquarium pump.  Ran it for at least 10-15 minutes before pitching

What temperature did you ferment the beer at?  Do you have any temperature control or are you simply setting it in a cool, dark place?  According to thermometer strip on carboy, fermentation temp was a pretty steady 66 degrees.  I have a dark corner in my basement that stays constant all year long.

Does the recipe list an expected Final Gravity? Est. OG is 1.045-1.049, with Est. ABV of 4.5%.  That would mean that the Est. FG would be in the 1.011 range (give or take depending on OG.  The recipe didn't offer an Est. FG, so I just used the formula (OG-FG) x 131 = 4.5%, since they did give what the ABV should be. 

What did you use to take the measurement?  A Hydrometer or refractometer?  Hydrometer.  Temp of wort when I got the OG was about 75 degrees if I recall.  Temp was 66 at the reading today.

Side note....I went down to check my notes to be able to answer some of your questions, and the airlock is moving on the secondary, so it is still working.  Perhaps I jumped the gun a little.

------------
As an aside:

To be honest, I do not recommend that new brewers harvest and re-use slurry.  It just opens up a whole new set of potential complications while you are trying to learn how this whole thing works.  Keep it simple, and eliminate potential variables.  Learn one new thing at a time.
[/quote]  I know....I probably did bite off more than I could chew, but I am trying to learn as much as possible about this and thought I'd take a chance.  I really appreciate your insight into this.
 
You are doing quite well.  I'm impressed by your answers.  I was expecting many of them to be more indicative of a less mature process. 


Slurry
: I do not recommend storing slurry for more than a week.  You end up pitching too much dead yeast, and the yeast that you do pitch are in a very poor state.  They may technically be "alive" but, they sure aren't healthy.  For instance, look at the difference between how much slurry you have to pitch (based on Mr. Malty) when the yeast is freshly harvested vs. 4 weeks old.  New = 87 ml, 4 weeks old = 187 ml.  So, over half of the yeast material is now dead cells. 

I make a lot of beer per year.  I can ferment 4 beers at once in temperature controlled fermenters.  I take very good care of my yeast (nutrients, O2, water chemistry, etc).  I almost always use slurry the same day it is harvested.  Otherwise, I start new.  I have stored it for a week ONCE, because "issues" prevented me from brewing for a week.  Even then, I took my measured slurry amount and pitched it back into starter wort the night before I brewed to ensure it was well fed, it got a new shot of nutrients, and was wide awake and ready to work. 

oxygen (air):  10-15 minutes is good.  But, I'd really recommend that you double that, to ensure that you are getting the full 8ppm that the yeast need.  They really would like to have a little more than 8ppm, but that's the best you can do with air (not pure O2).  So, go the full 30 minutes so that you KNOW the yeast have as much oxygen as you can.  For big beers (1.070 and above) give it another dose about 8 hours later.  This will help ensure that they have adequate O2 for the extra generation or so needed to finish those heavier fermentations.

Temperature: 66 is fine.  But, you might think about warming it up after 2 days, by wrapping it in a blanket or sleeping bag.  The yeast are producing heat as they work.  So, wrapping the fermenter will help trap some of that heat.  If you get it early enough (before it really starts to slow down, but after the growth phase) then this will retain some of that heat and help the fermentation reach desired FG. 

When a fermentation slows down, it stops producing as much heat.  Without temp control, it will cool off.  This causes the yeast to further slow down, and if they weren't very healthy to begin with...they may just "give up". 

FG: that's about what I kinda expected, a little higher than an All-Grain of similar OG.  But, its been a long time since I made an extract kit.  Fermentability of extract is highly variable from maltster to maltster.  Some extracts can finish pretty sweet. 

Airlock Activity: This is pretty normal after a transfer.  It doesn't necessarily mean that the yeast have restarted.  It CAN mean that, but often its just some outgassing of CO2 because you moved the beer.


So, what to do?

Your best bet is to warm the beer up by 5 degrees or so.  There are a lot of ways you could do this, but the simplest is just to move it to a warmer section of the house.  If you go more than 5 degrees that's okay, too.  you are past the potential for flavor impact at this point. So, anywhere warmer is fine.  If you can get it into the low 70s that would be perfect. 

Then give it a week or so to do its thing, then see if the FG has dropped.  You can go ahead and add your vanilla/jack concoction now if you like.  It won't hurt anything. 


To answer your original questions:


"what are the chances that things stalled?  If it did, can I add more washed yeast into the secondary?  "

Its definately behind the curve for 2 weeks.  It should be at terminal gravity by now, even with the 66 degree fermentation temp. 

Adding additional yeast IS an option.  But, I wouldn't go that route first.  I'd start with the temperature change I noted above.  That has a very good chance of solving the issue, and it has zero risk.  Using  your 6 week old slurry has its own risks: dead yeast flavors (autolysis), and infection.  If I went this route, I'd get a packet of US-05 and make a small (500ml) starter with it.  Then I'd pitch that at the peak of its activity (12-18 hours after start, as soon as it builds a head of foam). 


As far as adopting things "too early"
:  That's fine.  I always make the point because it can be confusing and frustrating in the early stages, and lots of people will give up if the beer doesn't turn out decent.  But, as long as you understand that you are going to have "issues" that will result in learning "opportunities", you will do fine.  Like this.  Your result isn't exactly what you wanted...now you have a problem to solve, which results in learning a bunch of new stuff.  Some of these "opportunities" may result in undrinkable beer.  If you're okay with that going in...have at it.  It is just a hobby, after all. 

But, if you really want to learn more and make better beer sooner, then I'd recommend a slightly different course of advancement:

1.  Full wort boil---no added water after the boil.  Everything that goes into the fermenter was once boiling in the pot in one big pool. 

2.  Fermentation temperature control - you don't "hope" for a temperature you use a heater/cooler to force the temperature where you want it to be. 

3.  Yeast Starters - you grow exactly the right amount of optimally healthy yeast.


Oh, and SANITATION.  I put this separate and last because it is not a "step", its a continual exercise forever.  You never stop working to improve it.  If you think your sanitation can't be improved, then you don't understand it.  At every turn, every time you brew, look for ways that your beer could be infected and try and figure out ways to eliminate those risks.

Exposure of cold wort to any moving air, more contact with surfaces, transfers from vessel to vessel all expose your wort/beer to risks of infection.  It doesn't matter how good you are, or how long you've been doing it.  THERE IS ALWAYS A RISK when you move the beer.  So, do you NEED to move the beer (why?)?  Can you accomplish the same thing without moving it?  Do you need to take the lid off or the stopper out?  Is there some way that you can get a sample without sticking something into the whole batch? 

Remember "sanitary" does not mean sterile.  Every time your wort or beer touches a sanitary surface it could pick up a little bit of infection. 
 
On the subject of yeast producing its own heat, my active primary is two or three degrees warmer than the secondary right next to it.
 
Thank you for your time.  Your willingness to share your knowledge is greatly appreciated.

I have an area on the other side of my basement that is 74 degrees, so the secondary has been moved there. 

I do have a packet of US-05 to use if need be, but I don't have anything to make a starter (does corn sugar count?)

Even though I do extract brewing, I do have a kettle large enough to do full boils.  All of my beers (a whole 3 at this point), while extracts, were full boils.

I do hope to try my hand at AG soon.  While I am new to this, I have tried to research and read as much as possible along the way.  I have a few books that have been a wonderful asset.  However, access to individuals on here and their experiences is second to none!
 
Oh....another thing...I have a blonde ale and porter that I brewed first that have been wonderful, especially the porter.  However, the difference for those two were that they had fresh yeast packs (US-05) each time.
 
You said you were researching AG so you're probably already aware of these sources, but just in case...  Check these two sites:    dennybrew.com        and      howtobrew.com      (the print version of "How to Brew" is more up-to-date; the on-line version is free.
 
  You are doing great!!  One question what temp is your Hydrometer calibrated to?  Most are calibrated to 60* F which would put your OG at about 1.048 with taking the reading at 75* F.  Which may move your FG up a couple of points.  I find the Hydrometer Tool in Beersmith to be quite handy for doing temp corrections.  I have move to using a refractometer.  Your yeast most likely has an attenuation of 73-77%.  Your are right in the temp range 59°-75°

Safale US-05 Ale Yeast/
 
1.045 to 1.020 is a bit of a shallow variation, however it is obvious that your yeast is working, just maybe a bit tired. You might want to try to add a bit of energizer or possibly a bit more yeast, though replicating the recipe if it works will be tough to do.
Vanilla bean in Jack...Gotta hear how it turns out!
Good drinking!
Bill
 
BILLY BREW said:
1.045 to 1.020 is a bit of a shallow variation, however it is obvious that your yeast is working, just maybe a bit tired. You might want to try to add a bit of energizer or possibly a bit more yeast, though replicating the recipe if it works will be tough to do.
Vanilla bean in Jack...Gotta hear how it turns out!
Good drinking!
Bill

I have a Porter that's been in the primary for 6 days.  I put 3 split and chopped up vanilla beans in 2 pints of Pendleton Whiskey in my Ninja and turned it to mush (on advice of the head brewer of the mircrobrewery who supplied the recipe).  The vanilla and whiskey have been getting happy for two weeks so far in canning jars.  I'll add it to the beer after two weeks in the primary, when I rack to a secondary and harvest my yeast.  The Pendleton Whiskey has a sweet taste that goes well with the vanilla bean.  Jack doesn't have that sweet taste that Pendleton has.
 
UPDATE:

10 days now from racking to the secondary, and I decided to take another reading.  Ever since I moved to the secondary, I did see action in the airlock.  The gravity was 1.020 when I racked on 1/14, and today it was 1.018. 

So, my question now is do I continue to be patient or should I look to add some fresh yeast?  I have a new pack of US-05, and I didn't know if that needed a starter still in a situation like this.  I know dry yeast typically don't require starters, and since this gravity is low already, if it is recommended to use it, how should I proceed?

I tasted the beer from the sample I took, and it tasted fine.  No off flavors or signs of anything bad going on with it.  OG was 1.045-1.047. 

 
I know you probably made a move since your post, but one thing to take into consideration when taking gravity readings is the temperature, it will have an effect on your readings.
What did you end up doing?
 
It remained at 1.018.  I have since kegged it and started drinking.  It tastes really good.  It reminds me of a milk stout (can't taste much if any of the vanilla I added) more than anything else. 

Lesson learned with pitching washed yeast, but I won't give up on trying to reuse yeast from time to time. 
 
YEA! SUCCESS! Congrats.
Had a great Jim Beam Honey whisky. Thinking of putting it on hickory chips for a while and introducing it to a brew...Maybe a red ale for a knock out Irish Red!
 
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