Hi everyone, I hope you are all doing well. I’m experiencing an issue that I could use some help with. I was expecting an OG of the neighborhood of 1.060 but ended up with 1.035. Here is what I did:
Fermentables
6.5 lbs of Weyerman Bohemian Pilsner floor malted
1 lb of flaked wheat
3 lbs wildflower honey
750 mL Muscat grape juice
I am not sparing, and because I lose so much during the boil, I used 9 gallons of water to do a rest at 125F for 20 minutes, then 149F for 90. I collected just under 8 gallons. After a 90 minute boil, I added the honey to approximately 5.5 gallons. I added the grape juice once the wort got down to 85F. I pitched a 2L starter of Wyeast 3724 after the juice. I use a TILT hydrometer that said 1.035. It now says 1.030, there are active signs of fermentation, and this is about 8 hours after pitching the yeast. Normally the TILT takes a little while to give accurate info, but mine has never taken this long. Any ideas as to why the OG is so low?
Thanks in advance for any help in this matter! Stay well!
Based on my experience, I no longer trust the Tilt to provide an SG without verifying with a hydrometer. I’ve rarely found it to be accurate therefore I adjust the Tilt reading to the hydrometer reading.
The honey was mixed very well in the boil kettle. The grape juice, not so much as I simply poured it into the wort after I added the O2. I do not see any different layers, but if it is stratification, what shall I do?
And thank you all for the reply and assistance, it is very much appreciated!!
There is an update to the situation and some more questions, if you wouldn’t mind. The gravity has not moved once it reached 1.023 on Sunday evening (it is now Wednesday) and there have been no temperature fluctuations. I noticed there was no longer any active signs of fermentation that I could see. The view from the top of the carboy was blocked as it had this film caked to it. It seems as though the previously active fermentation blew up to the top of the carboy and left this sandy looking residue. I thought it might be some yeast, so I used a sanitized brush to wipe the film off and rinsed it back into the wort. I now can see bubbles slowly, and there are these floating white bodies at the top of the wort that were not there yesterday. I think this might be a sign of fermentation, but I am unsure. I am fermenting at 90F, the smell of sulfur is present (I’ve never noticed that smell before, but then I have never used this grain or yeast strain before, nor have I fermented at this temperature before), but the gravity is not moving.
Any thoughts? Does anyone know what the bodies are on top of the wort? Is the smell of sulfur a bad thing?
Just a thought. You might want to add some amylase enzyme to the fermenter. You can find it a your LHBS. This sometimes helps with a fermentation that appears to be stuck and was recommended a couple years back by my local LHBS. It may help. But the beer might just be done.
If you are seeing motion in the beer though, it might still be going, albeit slowly. I would check your gravity again with a hydrometer to be sure.
I would suggest never brushing off the inside of the carboy until the beer is racked off and you are cleaning the carboy. Sanitized or not, using any brush at that point invites danger of contamination.
Good luck with your beer - it may turn out great, which resolves any issues.
I took out a sample and it tasted ok, a bit more tart than I originally planned (maybe next tine I’ll use less juice). I understand that Wyeast 3724 is notorious for stalling out, but given time and high temperature it should finish down to a more typical gravity like 1.006 or close to it.
If it is indeed finished, that was the quickest fermentation I’ve ever heard of (approximately 30 hours!!) I will check with a traditional hydrometer, but I am also going to leave it alone and see what happens over the next week or so.
You are all so kind to offer your thoughts and advice, thanks so much!!
