Beer Forum

So back on the 26th I had asked about slower then normal (for me) fermentation. Starting gravity was 1.055 and on the 26th is was at 1.030. That reading was after about 10 days in the primary. I recieved some great feedback and everyone said let it ride and to not get so anxious, which we all know is hard to do. Well it has been another 10 days and i'm sitting at about 1.022. Is there any reason it has slowed down so much? Can I give the yeast some of its energy back? Just curious what everyone thought?

Yeast is Wyeast European Ale 1338

Thanks,

Brian

I didn't read the other post, so forgive me if i am covering ground that was already covered ...

1) what temperature is it right now and what temp did you ferment at?
2) did you aerate?
3) did you make a starter?
4) what was the date on the yeast pack? did it bloat when you smacked it?
5) is your hydrometer or refractometer calibrated?

without knowing the above, i'd say warm it up a tad, you are far enough along in fermentation to bring it up to 70 - low 70s without getting too many off flavors. You can rouse the yeast a bit. Gently swirl the carboy. Don't slosh it around. get the yeast back in suspension and let it go. this may get you some more points lower.

TampaBrew wrote:I didn't read the other post, so forgive me if i am covering ground that was already covered ...

1) what temperature is it right now and what temp did you ferment at?
2) did you aerate?
3) did you make a starter?
4) what was the date on the yeast pack? did it bloat when you smacked it?
5) is your hydrometer or refractometer calibrated?

without knowing the above, i'd say warm it up a tad, you are far enough along in fermentation to bring it up to 70 - low 70s without getting too many off flavors. You can rouse the yeast a bit. Gently swirl the carboy. Don't slosh it around. get the yeast back in suspension and let it go. this may get you some more points lower.

1) 68 -72 since day one.
2) No
3) No
4) Can't remember the exact day but it wasn't old. Yes it did bloat.
5) Yes. I made three batches of diferent beer all in a two day period and the other two have gone as planned and are now bottled.

I gave it a swirl about two days ago and it picked up for awhile and now has slowed back down again.

i guess try swirling it again. sanitize your racking cane and get in there and stir it up. You could warm it up a bit more, i wouldn't go to warm though.

Next time make a starter and definitely aerate. at least shake the shit out of it for a while before you pitch.

are you using a hydrometer or a refracto?

hope that helps. I had a dubbel that finished high, it was still ok.

I gave it another swirl. Using a hydrometer and I almost bought a refracto this last time and no clue why I did not, my hydrometer just fell on floor.

So just a question. How do I make a starter exactly? Yes I have been brewing for awhile but I still buy my kits and never have any problems. So I never really venture much outside of that.

Thanks for your help

Brian

Brian wrote:So just a question. How do I make a starter exactly?

Try these links to start:
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html
http://www.mrmalty.com/starter_faq.htm

Wayne

Using a starter and aerating are always good practices. In addition to (or rather the lack of) those pointers, in my experience 1338 is a rather slow fermenting yeast (but normally not as slow as you report).

Your beers are probably turning out just fine, but they are all probably finishing about 1.016 or higher for a normal strength brew? Under aeration and not making a starter can keep your final gravity really high. Once your beers start to attenuate more, you'll see the drinkability factor go up quite a bit, and they will taste cleaner and more "pro."
So give it a shot next time with a starter and aeration on a kit you have made before with all the same ingredients. See if it makes a difference for you.
Cheers!