Hi all,
I’m new here, but I’ve made about 50 extract kit brews over the last couple of years, so I guess I am an amateur/almost intermediate home brewer. I’m having something that might be a problem, so I thought I would ask for a little advice.
I brewed a Megalodon extract kit several weeks ago, and I can’t decide if it is stuck. I brewed as directed, but messed up and added 2 pounds of corn sugar instead of the suggested 1.5 pounds. I used the Wyeast 1056 yeast from a 2.5 liter starter and pitched at 64 degrees. Wort was aerated with 45 seconds of O2 blast through a metal boil stone. I got vigorous fermentation in about 12 hours, and this lasted for about 10-12 days. My initial gravity was 1.100, and the beer has been at 1.028 for a week (three measurements). I warmed it up to 74-75 slowly to try to get a little more fermentation out of it, but it hasn’t changed in the last 4 days at room temp (still at 1.028). The krausen has collapsed, but the beer is still quite cloudy. If I calculate attenuation with some online tools, I am around 68%, with an ABV of around 9.5%, and the yeast should (ideally) hit 73-77% attenuation and be tolerant to around 11-12% ABV, so it seems there is more potential, and things might get to 1.022-24. It seems nothing is really changing in my primary. Beer tastes alcohol hot, with lots of hops, but still a lot of sweetness (1.028, so, yeah, it is still sweet). It certainly doesn’t taste done. Is this stuck? Is the cloudiness a sign that it might still slowly tick down gravity points over time like some of the Belgian yeasts I have used?
So, what should I do? Wait for the beer to clear and decide when things are really done? Pitch some more tolerant yeast with better attenuation (I have some US-05 dry yeast in my fridge)? I could buy a different yeast if that might help things finish. Live with what I have? Relax and wait? Any advice is welcome on how I should proceed. I have a bunch of primary buckets and space, so it isn’t a big deal to let it sit, if that is the best advice.
