Blue Loon Slow Fermentation

[ronrose]

I brewed the new Blue Loon Extract kit from NB with Wyeast 3944 Belgian Witbier yeast and a yeast starter.
It has been in the fermenter for 10 days now and kept at a around 65 degrees, in the optimum range of the yeast (62-75), with a Tilt hydrometer giving me readings.
It started at 1.052 and after 10 days is only down to 1.030, much slower than I have ever seen any of my batches go.
I am expecting the FG to be around 1.013 give or take so it is getting there.
There is a plenty of activity and a healthy krausen going on so I am just going to let it ride, I normally ferment for 4 weeks anyway.
Just curious, what would make this batch ferment so slow? Or has all my other batches (around 80) been too fast?

[dannyboy58]

Ten days at .030 seems slow but honestly I've never kept an eye on my witbier. I ferment witbier at 64 because I like less clove but I never make a starter unless the yeast slurry is pretty old then it's a small one to revive. I just always heard it's better to under pitch that yeast. It finishes consistently at 1.010 for me, nothing in my notes about being slow but I've never kegged it earlier than 4 weeks. I stop temp control on it after 5 days.

[sneezles61]

I don't think its out of line... Suppose you could very gently wiggle your fermenter? maybe a yeastie raft keeping your tilt... tilted?
Sneezles61

[Rburrelli]

WY3844 is noted as a really slow fermenter. Lots of posts our there on that. It should finish out where you want but four weeks is likely what it will need to get there.