Stuck fermentation or hydrometer reading off?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by mikehblack, May 23, 2014.

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  1. mikehblack

    mikehblack Zealot (602) Feb 10, 2010 California
    Trader

    Three weeks ago I brewed a double IPA. OG read 1.078. I made a 2L starter of WLP001 and the fermentation took off quickly and steadily for over a week. After two weeks I transferred to secondary and dry hopped. I broke my hydrometer that day and couldn't take a reading but I figured two weeks was solid.
    As I prepared to bottle tonight I took a final gravity reading having purchased a new hydrometer. It read 1.040. I tasted the beer and it tastes pretty boozy and bitter, maybe a bit thick but not sweet or cloying by any means. I'm worried about going ahead with bottling as I'm not sure if my reading is way off or the fermentation actually stopped halfway. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks.
     
    #1 mikehblack, May 23, 2014
  2. JrGtr

    JrGtr Pooh-Bah (1,775) Apr 13, 2006 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

    Did you check the accuracy of the hydrometer?
    Straight water at 60 degrees (I think) should read zero, or close enough to make no difference.
     
    #2 JrGtr, May 23, 2014
  3. AlCaponeJunior

    AlCaponeJunior Grand Pooh-Bah (3,452) May 21, 2010 Texas
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Do this. Re-test. I'm skeptical of the reading of 1.040. I think the "stalled yeast" phenomenonenon is somewhat less prevalent than you'd think from reading these 'ferums.

    However, if you decide to just bottle it anyway, you should store the bottles in an open top container right next to your bed. That way you won't miss any of the hott action when the time comes. :grimacing:
     
    #3 AlCaponeJunior, May 23, 2014
  4. mikehblack

    mikehblack Zealot (602) Feb 10, 2010 California
    Trader

    Thanks for the responses. I tested the hydrometer and it read 1.000. Retested the beer and its reading around 1.020 now. Not sure what happened there. It's still a little higher than I would have liked but I feel a little more comfortable bottling now.
     
    #4 mikehblack, May 23, 2014
  5. NiceFly

    NiceFly Initiate (0) Dec 22, 2011 Tajikistan

    Was your starter shaken or stirred? If it was stirred your pitching rate was probably pretty close. If it was shaken you were probably a bit short.
     
    #5 NiceFly, May 23, 2014
  6. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Operator error. Your beer didn't go from 1.040 to 1.020 in a couple hours. Are you sure the first sample (and second for that matter) had enough liquid to allow the hydrometer to move without bottoming out?
     
    #6 VikeMan, May 23, 2014
    JrGtr likes this.
  7. mikehblack

    mikehblack Zealot (602) Feb 10, 2010 California
    Trader

    Yep, I probably need to go back to Hydrometer Reading 101. My first reading I was not spinning the hydrometer so it was just coming to a rest on the side of the cylinder.
     
    #7 mikehblack, May 23, 2014
  8. ssam

    ssam Pundit (997) Dec 2, 2008 California

    Spinning the hydrometer? Why?
     
    #8 ssam, May 24, 2014
  9. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    It encourages bubbles to not stick to the hydrometer. Otherwise, bubbles could affect the reading.
     
    #9 VikeMan, May 24, 2014
  10. basscram

    basscram Initiate (0) Mar 29, 2006 Maine

    My first thought was lots of hop matter still in there raising your hydrometer up to a higher level. It can get thick and the hop matter will sink to the bottom causing your hydrometer to be a bit higher than if there were not any hop matter. Could this be a possibility? When you dry hopped in secondary. Were the hops in bags or just dumped in?
     
    #10 basscram, May 24, 2014
  11. BrewTapper

    BrewTapper Initiate (0) Jun 29, 2014

    As you mentioned earlier, making sure to spin the hydrometer removes the bubbles, which can throw off your readings.

    Also, beware of temperature changes. We like brewersfriend.com online hydrometer temperature correction adjustment calculator, also linked below.


    http://www.brewersfriend.com/hydrometer-temp/
     
    #11 BrewTapper, Jun 29, 2014
    PapaGoose03 likes this.
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