do you think this is done fermenting? maybe time for some brett?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by chianski, Mar 27, 2012.

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  1. chianski

    chianski Initiate (0) Aug 26, 2008 Canada (AB)

    I brewed this beer some three weeks a go, mash mash 154 and pitched one package of safale-05. fermented at 65 C. after a week reached an FG of 1.027 and since then has not dropped another point. I increased the temp to 70 C and raused the yeast several times but has not drop a point since. do you guys thinks this is done? i know there is lots of speciality grains in this recipe but i though safale-05 would take this lower.
    Also, since i think this is too sweet I was thinking of trowing some brett C in there, wait until it drops to 1.018 or so and then kill with camptem. any opinions on this? good/bad idea? thank you for the help
    7 0 # Pale Malt, 2 Row, UK
    2. 3 # Quaker Quick Oats
    1 .0 # Chocolate Malt (US)
    3/4 # Black (Patent) Malt
    1/2 # Carafa III
    3/4 #Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L
    1/8 # Special B Malt
    1/2 # Dememera Sugar
    1.5 oz northern brewer at 60​
    .25 oz simcoe at 60 min
    (about 54 IBU)
     
  2. GRBrew

    GRBrew Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2009 Michigan

    Camden won't kill brett. It will knock it back a little but won't kill it. I would try pitching another pack of US-05 before doing anything else. Make a starter with the new pack.
     
  3. chianski

    chianski Initiate (0) Aug 26, 2008 Canada (AB)


    old sock (madfermentionist) did it with a stout and it seems to have worked for him, he even bottled the beer and has been drinking it for many years

    http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2007/11/courage-russian-imperial-stout.html
     
  4. GRBrew

    GRBrew Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2009 Michigan

    He used more than one method:

    "First I chilled the beer to stop the Brett, then I fined the beer with gelatin and let it sit cool for a few days. Once the gelatin settled I transferred it to tertiary with 3 crushed up Campden Tablets (potassium metabisulfite). K-meta is often used in wine and cider making to kill wild yeast and bacteria before fermentation, but in this case I hope that it was able to kill whatever Brett was left over after the beer was fined. After waiting a few weeks for the SO2 to leave the beer I bottled with priming sugar and some rehydrated US-05 dry yeast. Hopefully the Brett is dead, or I may have some exploding bottles in a few months."

    From everything I have read Brett is very tough to kill completely. I also avoid campden because I think affects the flavor of the beer.
     
  5. chianski

    chianski Initiate (0) Aug 26, 2008 Canada (AB)

    interesting, thank you for the help. i assumed was more straight forward. maybe i'll try a new package and then see
     
  6. ryane

    ryane Initiate (0) Nov 21, 2007 Washington

    mashing @ 154 and 2.3# of oats combined with 1# of crystal malt is your culprit. You could try the extra pack of yeast, and if it doesnt work you could add some more sugar to kick fermentation up again and dry the beer out. You might look at getting a # of dark muscovado sugar for it, I think the flavors would meld very well

    The idea about throwing brett into a beer that's too sweet or didnt turn out right seems to be an idea tossed around quite a bit lately. To me its akin to how people used say to toss fruit into beers in a similar fashion. IMO its generally a waste of time, shitty beer + fruit or Brett generally = shitty beer + more spent $$
     
  7. chianski

    chianski Initiate (0) Aug 26, 2008 Canada (AB)

    those oats contribute unfermentables? i though it would be just like a base malt, mostly fermentable. i have used the same amount of crystal malt in the past, with similar amount of dark malts, oats and even with the same mashing temp an got much lower, that's why i went for it. I had more yeast and sugar in mind. i have access to some good panela or piloncillo, i might try that (i don't think i can get muscovado here).


    I think in this case is not completely random. the beer is just too sweet, not shitty, and brett can bring it down. also i have some brett C which i think would be some how appropriated for a stout since is more mild and derived fro mold english ales. mostly, i just love brett. but i get what you are saying. thanks for the help.
     
  8. ryane

    ryane Initiate (0) Nov 21, 2007 Washington

    I wasnt trying to imply YOUR beer was shitty, just trying to get the point across that Brett, like fruit, isnt a cure all for beers that dont turn out, and more often than not adding more things to a beer that didnt turn out just ends up being a bigger more costly mess

    Brett and fruit have their place but to make something really good with them you should design the beer around them to begin with. Especially with how $$ brett packs are.

    Piloncillo would be good as well, and I'd bet it would really dry the beer out. muscovado is available at any whole foods or sprouts, it has more of a rummy chocolate-like flavor to it
     
  9. atomeyes

    atomeyes Initiate (0) Jul 13, 2011 Canada (ON)

    i'd re-pitch and swirl the beer a bit to ensure its aerated.

    or you can swirl it now to try and kick start fermentation and re-pitch if nothing happens.

    i have 2 schools of thought for your brett idea:

    1. try it. why not? its either going to be drinkable, amazing or a drain pour. one way to find out. except that one way may take you a long time. so is it worth it?
    2. drain pour. you ready to sit on this beer for half a year just to see if its salvagable? that's a hell of a lot of gravity for the brett to chomp at. you may be talking about 1 year to get the results you want.
     
  10. jthahn

    jthahn Initiate (0) Jun 1, 2009 Indiana

    ive had this happen with one beer becore, i wasnt sure what the problem was as it could have been one of many variables. i did pitch more yeast and it helped in my case, ill tell you what i did. i used the same yeast and i made a starter with it, however i made a starter with an airlock rather than covering with foil as i was trying to reduce the oxygen in the starter. i pitched the starter at high krausen and it took another 10 points off my gravity. one example, so who knows. maybe it would have dropped anyways, but thats my one experience with this type of thing.
     
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