How to fix a stuck fermentation in home beer brewing

[@prodanman]

So glad I found this video. Brewed an Oktoberfest fest using Lutra Kveik OG 1.063 & STOPPED at 1.023 like turning off a light switch. Flat lined on my Tilt2 graph. Will head out to local Homebrew store this AM for Yeast Energizer. Just put heating wrap on my Bigmouth Bubbler fermentor. Will let you know results

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Awesome, I've had really good results with that and either a hint more yeast or another degree or two in temp too.

[@SankaraHomeBrewing]

Thanks for sharing. Great tips and tricks for the newbies that are getting into home brewing. Cheers!

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Thanks, as I had one of my Pumpkin brews miss the FG by a few points, and I know what caused it but will cover that in another video. The reminder of fermentations not going as planned inspired this little mini-series and this video.

[@smntsn]

Good recommendations, thank you. Some time ago my fermt stuck because of low pH. I added some baking soda and worked! It made a little off taste but beer was drinkable.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

I've never heard of that one before, but I can fully understand. I have heard of some yeast having issues with high PHs. I wonder if maybe that fix would have worked without the off-taste if you used a little less baking soda. I know when I used to deal with stuck fermentations all too often, I would go into panic mode, and luckily I was always able to recover, but with other yeasts. (I appreciate this info as I'll research it to see what info I can find as you know if you had to deal with it, others elsewhere probably have too.)

[@fermentedworld]

Cheers man. Got an Irish red that tore through most of the sugars and is sat at 1.018 instead of the 1.012. After watching this I think I’m gonna pitch some hometown NOTTINGHAM 🇬🇧 yeast 🤟🏻 it’s a high performance so might cut through the last few points. Great video man very informative. Never had a stick ferm. So after years of brewi this is new to me. Might have under pitched as I came out with more volume that expected 😅

[@johnsikking4891]

Good advice, I'm pitching on a yeast cake so I expected to have more than enough viable yeast, but I guess not. I'll be pitching more and see where it takes me.

[@CrustyKitter]

Hi Mike Great video presentation as always. Encountered my first stuck fermentation this week. A Crisp Brown Ale using Llalemand Windsor @ suggested 23c. Shot off like rocket within 3hours but after three days, nothing, so I threw a tilt in there and monitored it. Still nothing, threw another 11g, US-05 still nothing, roused and raised temp, zip !! I’m at the pray, beg or cry stage now, almost forgot the numbers OG 1.046 FG 1.018 Not tried the Kveik yet, think I have a packet somewhere. May not turn out as expected, but like you say a drinkable beer is better than a sweet beer Keep up the great content.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Thank you, and I'd say 23c is a tad high, but if that is the Tilt it monitors the top, the wort might be sitting a degree or two lower. I was going to suggest bringing it a degree or two over the suggested one, but it seems like you are there already. I've never personally tried it, but you could try a crushed (lightly zapped in the microwave to sanitize) Beano (yep, it helps break down some sugars to help them ferment. If you have any Yeast Energizer (not nutrient) that might help too. The Keivk is a great idea, as you could push the temp even more if needed.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Let me know how it turns out. I just had a Cellar Science Baja do almost nothing for three days before repitching White Labs 940 lager yeast which is still fermenting. (Funny thing is that I already had another brew fermenting on 940 a few days earlier and the one that failed with Baja is now surpassed the first fermentation.) Neither has finished and they are lagers so it has been over a week and half and they are still slowly fermenting.

[@CrustyKitter]

Totally understand the temp differences. Currently fermenting in a Grainfather Conical 30 attached to the Grainfather glycol chiller GC4, don’t know what a Beano is. Going to give it another day or two then ramp it to 30c and use the Kveik Voss I had stored.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

@@CrustyKitter Beano is for anti-gas relief but it is mainly Alpha Galactosidase - it contains a digestive enzyme like Alpha Amalyse (if I spelled that correctly) and will help break down some of the sugars that aren't fermenting out. Brulosophy did an article about it but sadly I haven't gotten around to testing it out.

[@CrustyKitter]

@@BitterRealityBrewing Hey Mike, quick update on the stuck brown ale. The original Windsor, a Us-05 and a Kveik Voss all couldn’t budge it from SG 1.017. Closed transfer into a 30L AllRounder and placed into my faithful old Ferminator chamber to cool back down to normal temp. Going to make a starter of a US-05 and see if I can salvage anything from it, gonna be a Frankenbeer with all the yeast I’ve used 😀 Panic stations were activated when a second brew failed to show any activity, a German Pilsner, using Llalemand Diamond, little did I realise that, that little beast has an incredible lag, over 48 hours, but finally got going today, and bubbling away nicely.

[@irish7460]

Number 9 is my go to XD

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

I had to rewatch to remember #9 😂, I think we all do #9 from time to time.

[@wd6358]

Have you done a video on troubleshooting Tilts? My 3rd brew using the tilt and it showed a starting gravity of 1.042. However, the classic hydrometer showed 1.056 which was dead on for the recipe so I trust that measurement. Is there something in the software that I needed to change?

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Sadly no but I do have a massive Hydrometer video planned, just trying to find time is rough at the moment. Once I get my new brew space before the end of the year should help me get a Ton of videos done a lot faster. If it is WAY off and you can't get the Tilt to be more accurate, reach out to them as their support is AWESOME! Also make sure if you have done previous calibrations on your phone or like device that you clear those 100% before doing a fresh calibration or they can stack causing your numbers to be way off.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

In relation to the Tilts, I want to do a massive hydrometer test at known high OG, mid OG, moderate low OG, and very low OG/FG, and of course 1.000 as I expect some hydrometers might be more accurate at certain ranges but not 100% across the board. I have a PILL, iSpindle, too many Tilts, regular glass hydrometers, and the Easy Dens so it should be very interesting.

[@Wildbill34275]

*** UPDATE*** After getting more yeast from my LBS I decided to check gravity with a Hydrometer (been using a TILT in fermenter) Anyway, it read 1.008, so I guess my wort finished off in less than 4 days!!! 😳And I'll be checking into why my TILT stuck and NOT my wort. 🙄 Perfect timing, ironically as you posted this video, I was experiencing a Stuck Fermentation but didn't know it yet..... I had good start and got a decent cap but it went away within 48 hrs and hasn't done anything since for several days. It's stuck at 1.045 down from 1.054 OG so nowhere near done!! I agitated the crap out of it last night and it started chugging again. This morning it's back to nothing!!! I'm going to try to re-pitching and see what's happens

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Good luck on the re-pitch and with that high of gravity I'd almost say any fresh yeast should start kicking. Good luck and let me know where it finishes?

[@Wildbill34275]

@@BitterRealityBrewing I pulled a sample and used a hydrometer to compare with my Tilt reading. It showed 1.008 so it looks like it already finished. I left it alone and plan to do another reading today to see if any change. if not, then I'll keg it. Thanks for checking in. You mentioned Florida in your video, are you located here? I'm in Charlotte Co.

[@deckerhand12]

I heard with dry it’s it’s not good to use yeast nutrients with it. It already has it in there

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Actually it isn't a problem but you are correct. At least with Lallemand's as I haven't heard the same with other dry yeasts personally. I still add some yeast nutrients to be safe without going crazy. Lallemand is one of the yeast companies I got a ton of information from (some a bit strange but most very useful) and they do recommend the Yeast Energizer if things don't take off right away or become sluggish before completing their job.

[@CLEARLIGHTdotTV]

Hey old mate. I’ve got a very stuck fermentation. I’ve tried other kinds of yeast, high alcohol tolerant yeast etc. I’ve worked with temperature and adding oxygen into the wart. What is this number seven point? Pitch a bug? There’s very little exlanation and I don’t understand what you’re saying. Please explain….

[@guydoesstuff6562]

Thank you for this information! My first brew: I am fermenting a 5 gallon Cooper's lager extract kit with US-05. I am at 8 days and after a pretty good klausen on days 3 through 5, it has slowed waaaayyyy down. I probably should have pitched S-04 ale yeast, but the US-05 was recommended. Today (day 8) the wort is still off-gassing CO2, but in very small amounts. Tiny bubbles spaced far apart. Temp has been stable and is on target at 70˚F. Should I be concerned or just let it go until it stops bubbling? I do plan to cold crash this one for a few days, and then keg, but I don't want to do anything too soon. Your thoughts?

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Honestly, that sounds normal for that yeast around 70F plus, keep in mind if the 70F is your ambient temp, your actual wort was probably around 74 F during peak fermentation which would explain a lot. I would leave it alone and give it time unless you have a Tilt Hydrometer telling you otherwise.

[@guydoesstuff6562]

@@BitterRealityBrewing sounds good. thank you. days 3-5 the temp was 74˚, however it is back down to 72˚-ish. i understand that this is in the upper temp range of US-05. it's still bubbling away, but the klausen is mostly gone. i will be patient.

[@TheAmateursOriginalMusic]

So Ive got a lager on the go, the instructions said just use hot tap water🤷‍♂️ I used a different yeast, not the one that came with the kit, two days and no activity! Is it worth putting the original yeast pack in there to see if it kicks off??👍👍

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Sorry for the late response. The lager yeast included is designed for the amount of beer and the high pressure. Most other quality lager yeasts should work, but I'd over pitch by 50% at least. If you are in a warm area, as most of us are right now, I've had 2 so far, dry yeasts that I've ordered online do ZERO, which tells me they got cooked in a truck on their way to me.

[@TheAmateursOriginalMusic]

@@BitterRealityBrewing Ive pitched three different yeasts now and still nothing! I’m guessing it might be time to give up and pour it away?!😩 40 Pints!🤦‍♂️😭

[@42gilligan]

Good advice bud. Hopefully I can save my beer 🤞

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Good Luck! If it is early most of the fixes will help but one of my favorite is a beer that could is an American style but throwing Belgian yeast in as a back up as Belgian yeast have been a bit more resilient at least for me.

[@JohnnyReverse]

Currently looking at a stuck ferm, and I havent had one in quite a while. Regarding Glucoamylase, any suggested dose? currently at 1020 looking to be down 10 more points. I typically add 5 grams when Im making a light lager that gets me to neutral, obviously I dont want to be down that low. Start lower and see what it does? Or have you tested this your self with a specific amount?

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

I currently have something that I didn't cover in this video that has helped me a lot recently in 3 stuck fermentations over the past year. Repitch more yeast with about 1/2 to 1 tsp of energizer pre-dissolved. (Just be crazy careful to minimize O2 introduction). Regarding the Glucoamylase, I have but usually about 1/2 tsp for 5 gallons.

[@JohnnyReverse]

@@BitterRealityBrewing ty. I'm gonna give that a try, I'll probably throw some yeast in there if that doesn't take.

[@jcinsaniac]

How did you get a RAPT Pill? I've considered ordering one from Canada. Have you used it? Like and Dislikes?

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

I got it off of AliExpress as Keg Land has a store on there. I haven't had time to start playing with it or testing it.

[@jcinsaniac]

How about hard core stuck fermentations? I have one, and I think I know what to do, and I am trying to salvage a Dragon's Milk clone - it was 1.105 when I started fermentation. It's sitting for 2 months at 1.050. I made it worse by transferring to a secondary and added bourbon (4-5 oz) with the oak (the oak was in there probably 2 hours before I realized my mistake - I didn't check the gravity...I ASSUMED it was done) so, I pulled the oak and I'd already cleaned up the primary - so yeast cake was gone. I tossed in some US-05 to try to get it back on track - nothing - Ideas?

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

That is really rough as it has already sat for 2 months. Assuming you can fully trust the FG reading, the US-05 is a good start but I would have pulled a little wort (almost beer), and added the yeast, and also added some yeast energizer, and maybe even converted that into a starter for for a fully 24 hours before tossing it (gently) back into the wort (almost beer), and pushed the temp up to the max for US-05 with some agitation. Good Luck as that is a rough one, plus the added bourbon kicks the abv up which could slow the repitched yeast down a little bit. Good Luck.

[@jcinsaniac]

@@BitterRealityBrewing I've decided to draw 2 gallons of wort off to a smaller fermenter. I've also modded a new Fermonster lid with an added 3/8" SS racking cane which I will use with an electric pump to keep the yeast in suspension for a few days. (I'm being very careful to not cavitate the wort - don't want to oxidize it.) I will be able to put this fermenter in my fermy fridge and heat it to 79 - I hope this, with yeast nutrient added, will help me get the US-05 more in the mood to dine. If that works, I should be able to return the 2 gallon batch to the original fermenter and leave the heat ramped...then I have to start my chant "EAT, little yeasties, EAT"...for a couple weeks. Sure wish I had not cleaned the original fermenter and tossed all those yeasties...even drunk yeast would be better that starting a new colony. Thanks for the input!

[@pnwliving9523]

I’ve just accepted the fact that I have a leaky fermenter and will never see bubbles in my air lock.

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Ouch! That sucks! Hopefully, you caught it early enough to save the wort, aka future beer. (I've lost to full 5-gallon kegs of finished beer due to leaks in disconnects in the past.)

[@wd6358]

I have the same issue. Doesnt seem to effect the beer. Heck even did a NEIPA that turned out bright (colorwise) and tasty. Probably just going to order a new bucket fermenter

[@CLEARLIGHTdotTV]

To make sure your fermenter is completely airtight try covering the various rubber seals on your fermenter with Vaseline to ensure a proper air tight lock. Use liberal amounts on the O-ring that sits under the lid and also on the rubber Gromit which you put the air lock bubbler stem into. You can tell if your fermenter is properly airtight by pushing down on the lid and watching for a slight change in the water level inside your airlock. If this water level doesn’t move at all, then you have an air leak.

[@probegt75]

Going through this now...made a smash recipe with lallemand new England Ale yeast...activity within 12 hours...going crazy at 24 hours...next day nothing and my temp was 80 degrees 🔥

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

80 F early on shouldn't have hurt the beer or killed the yeast off. I would get it down to 72 F as quickly but as smoothly as possible. (1 to 2 Degree(s) per hour if possible). Do you have a Tilt? (You could check the gravity (and temp), unless it is under pressure, then it will be off). Is it under pressure? If so try to keep it under 12 psi as I recently killed off some yeast in mid-fermentation due to being well over 29 psi. Assuming the yeast is dead (Assumption), pitch more or a like yeast and if you have any Yeast Energizer add that too as quickly as possible (assuming the yeast is dead of course).

[@probegt75]

This is only my 2nd brew nothing fancy it's in a fermonster and using old school hydrometer. My og was 1056 just checked it and it's at 1024 with zero airlock activity. It had a big krausen and it was swirling like crazy in 24 hours but the next day the krausen dropped to the bottom and most activity stopped. I think it got too hot in my basement from the pellet stove. I have one pack of verdant yeast to try but maybe I should dump it I'm not sure. Thanks for replying.

[@CLEARLIGHTdotTV]

Hey old mate. I’ve got a very stuck fermentation. I’ve tried other kinds of yeast, high alcohol tolerant yeast etc. I’ve worked with temperature and adding oxygen into the wart. What is this number seven point? Pitch a bug? There’s very little exlanation and I don’t understand what you’re saying. Please explain….

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Ptiching a bug is a Brett or like bacteria that would eat the sugar, but usually it is with a yeast to help with the ABV. My more recent joke, is to call it a sweet beer and use it for cooking.

[@CLEARLIGHTdotTV]

Are you referring to Brettanomyces yeast?

[@probegt75]

Going through this now...made a smash recipe with lallemand new England Ale yeast...activity within 12 hours...going crazy at 24 hours...next day nothing and my temp was 80 degrees 🔥

[@BitterRealityBrewing]

Let me know any answers to my Qs? if possible. Also, let me know if you were able to save it, or if it just finished crazy fast, although 24 hours is way too fast for any good yeast to do a good job.