Ive done the same recipe twice with the same yeast. Fermentis S-04. Gravities varied by 4 points 1051 and 1055. They both went balls out for 36-48 hours. Then boom. stopped. its dropped 2 points in 8 days since high krausen. It was fermenting @ 73. Has anyone noticed this with that yeast? I was going to pitch some US-05 and finish it out? Id like it to drop 8 more points… Thoughts.
No. I find this yeast to ferment fast, finish low, and then drop out like a brick, and clear super fast.
Strange. Here is the grist. I mashed at 153 no sparge. http://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/bucked-up-brown
What have your final gravities been on them?
The last two times I have used that yeast it really over attenuated, down to 1.008 and even lower 1.006 the other time.
I dumped the first batch because it stalled at 1018… Currently Im sitting at 1020 right now. Is it the specialty malt? I dont think my mash temp is too crazy? Is it the no sparge? Im a little perplexed…
S04 is a British ale yeast and doens’t usually attenuate particularly dry anyway, if you warm the beer up a little when the yeast starts to slow it helps it finish. Once it clumps and drops its about done and you get what you get. It does tend to work fast, I just fermented a Scottish 80/- and it was only active for about four days.
You dumped a batch because it was four points higher than style guidelines?
and sidenote, it you want it to ferment lower. don’t use buckwheat. From what I just read, “do not expect fermentability from buckwheat”. I bet that is what is holding this beer up, not the yeast.
::edit, I have read more and I think the above post about buckwheat may be wrong.
Yeah, it ain’t slow, its done. No way I woulda dumped that batch. Could be your mash temp, could be your hydrometer, could be that buckwheat, but it unless it tastes bad it ain’t dump worthy.
Maybe the buckwheat has some soluble fiber thats affecting the FG in a way that won’t leave the beer sweet.
If I had been kegging then I wouldn’t have dumped it. I was concerned about bottle bombs.
My reaction also.
If it’s done fermenting, it’s done. There should be no issues with bottle bombs.
I pitched a quarter pouch of us05. Boom. Some more fermentation… We shall see…
