Stuck fermentation

[Carboy]

Hi guys,

Total newbie here. I was hopeing to get some help with a braget I'm trying to make. I followed a recipe from a book and adjusted it for a 2.5 gallon batch. OG was 1.11 and after a very vigorous primary which was about 4 days it stopped. I left it for another week and racked it off into a clean carboy. I checked it again and it was at 1.05. I left it for two weeks with no signs of anything and checked it again. No movement. I then added some yeast energizer and shook the hell out of it. Two days later I threw new yeast in, this time I used champagne yeast. That was ten days ago without anything. I proofed the yeast before pitching it too. I'll add that the initial yeast was cote de blanc sp?.
It tastes good but is still undrinkably sweet. Is there now too much alcohol to get anything started again?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[heathd666]

Hiya fellow newbee here as well but everyone on here wants to know any details such as water to honey type of yeast etc. basically your recipe and brewlog. it will help anyone that looks out with helping you.

for example i used a ale yeast (danstar nottingham ale yeast) and 15 pounds honey and 4.5 pounds water and within 5 days the yeast had ate all the suger it could and died off. im no way able to give you advice since im so new as well but that may be what happened and no matter how much yeast you repitch theres nothing for it to eat. but post your recipe and log of whatever you have done and i am sure someone will be able to better help you.

sincerely
heath delashmit

 

[Chevette Girl]

Welcome to the forum, Carboy.

As it states in the IMPORTANT part up top, we need your recipe and procedures to pinpoint what might have gone wrong. It looks like your fermentation got about halfway done.

A couple of comments without knowing your recipe - the nutrients/energizer should have gone in earlier, they're for when the yeast are building up your population.

Shaking the crap out of it is also something that needs to be done earlier on in the fermentation for the same reason as nutrients.

The pH might be a problem, especially if your recipe called for adding acid blend (common problem with older recipes that don't recognize that honey has its own acidity).

My suggestion if you can't get it started again on its own is instead of just adding more yeast, make an acclimated starter by rehydrating the yeast according to the package, then once it's had whatever time it needs, add the same volume of must to it, wait till it looks active, then double the volume by adding must again and aerate the heck out of it, repeat this every hour or so till you've got about a quarter or a fifth of the total batch size all nice and bubbly and active, aerate it one more time then add it to the remaining must.

Good luck!

 

[Carboy]

Thanks for the replies. I couldn't get back on the forums for some reason to respond. I got the recipe from an online book a friend had so I couldn't get the details. You may know it and it's probably from a member here . I had him email the page we worked from so here it is.
Makes 5 gallons (18.93 L)

8 lbs. (3.64 kg) pale ale malt, crushed
2 lbs. (907 g) Vienna malt, crushed
1 lb. (454 g) dextrin malt, crushed
3 oz. (85 g) Cascade hops (25 IBU) 60 min.
1 oz. (28.35 g) Cascade hops (8 IBU) 30 min.
1 oz. (28.35 g) Cascade hops, 2 min.
9 lbs. (4.09 kg) honey—one with a big aroma, or a blend of several varieties
2 tsp. (9.9 mL) yeast energizer
2 tsp. (9.9 mL) yeast nutrient

10 g Lalvin D-47 yeast, rehydrated •
OG: 1.120 (28.1° P) •
FG: 1.018 (4.6° P)


Those seeking to use extract can substitute 6 pounds (2.72 kg) of amber dry malt extract, add water to 5 gallons (18.93 L), and proceed with the boil. If it is not practical to boil 5 gallons of liquid with the equipment you have, you can also boil the extract with a smaller quantity of water, adding the hops and honey as indicated, and add water to make up the 5-gallon batch size before pitching. Make sure you use a fermenter with plenty of headspace. This ferment will be vigorous, and will generate LOTS of krausen. Bottle with 3/4 cup (178 mL) of corn sugar, or keg and carbonate by your chosen method.

Schramm, Ken (2010-03-12). The Compleat Meadmaker : Home Production of Honey Wine From Your First Batch to Award-winning Fruit and Herb Variations (Kindle Location 3660). National Book Network - A. Kindle Edition.

I used 3.5lbs of liquid amber malt extract instead of the DME. And I substituted the yeast with Cotes De Blances. Other than that I followed everything but adjusted for a 2.5 gallon batch. I have to admit that after the initial aeration and addition of the yeast, I just let it do it's thing. I didn't know I should have continued to aerate and feed it. It was bubbling away like crazy. It stopped so I racked as per my friends suggestion but when I checked it the hydrometer was at 1.05. It still hasn't moved and I've been shaking it and heating it next to the radiator. I think I'll try your suggestion of slowly creating a starter and see what that does.

Thanks again,

Dan

 

[GntlKnigt1]

I would bet it is the pH, and that it is less than 3.0. If so, adding some calcium carbonate would help. A cheap pH meter can be almost as useful as a hydrometer.
http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22051