Stuck Fermentation

Northern Brewer General
1

Ok, hate to bring it to the forum but I am at a loss:

Brewed a batch of Chocolate Milk Stout, all-grain. Brew day went fine, hit 1.040 pitched a starter, waited two days fermentation hadn’t started so I picked up a fresh vial of WLP007 pitched it, had a healthy krausen for a day and then it dropped. Checked the gravity today (we are now a week plus one day since brew day) and it is at 1.039…

If it’s an infection I can’t see it since the wort is black, smells like wort still. Temps are in the 60+

Ideas?

2

Wait two another week or two. Check again.

3

how did you go about making your starter?

4

Are you using a hydrometer or a refractometer?

5

Starter was made with harvested wlp007 2/3 cup LME, readings were done with a dialed in refract.

6

Refractometer are made to read sugar solutions. When you add alcohol, the reading is not correct.

http://seanterrill.com/2011/04/07/refra ... g-results/ http://www.brewheads.com/refract-currentgrav.php

How much water was the LME added to? How long did it ferment? Did you shake it, use a stir plate or just let it sit on the counter?

7

The assumption with the refractometer would be the sugar level would decrease with fermentation (what am I missing here?). Starter was made in a erlenmeyer flask, stirred occasionally over the course of three days. But outside of the starter, I pitched another WLP007 straight from NB (I live really close to a retail location).

Other notes: areation via a diffusion stone for 10 minutes. Chilled down to mid to low 60s via a counterflow chiller. Clean and sanitized throughout the process…

8

The alcohol present after fermentation changes the way the light travels through the solution.

A solution that has a sugar content of 1.040 and no alcohol will have a light reflection different that a solution that is 3% alcohol with the same sugar content of 1.040.

A hydrometer will read both @ 1.040. The refractometer will give a different reading.

Make a sugar solution with table sugar. Add 1oz of a liquor of your choice. Take a hydrometer reading and a refractometer reading. They will not be the same.

Until we know the actual SG of the brew today, you don’t have a stuck fermentation.

9

Orrrrrrrrrr, you could just double check your beer with your hydrometer, assuming you have one. Crazy how some beers are real headscratchers, no?

10

I’d just draw off a sample and taste it…

11

Hydrometer: 1.025, tastes good. Thanks everyone. I’m an idiot.

12

Still pretty high, let it go

13

You are welcome. 8)