My second ever all grain batch. Pale ale, dry Voss Kveik yeast. Starting gravity 1.053. After 3 days, fermentation stalled at ~1.035. Added nutrient because I hadn’t yet read that Kveik can need it. One week later FG still at ~1.035. Any advice?
How are you measuring? How do you know it’s stalled and not done? Have you done a fast fermentation test?
On brew day I measured with a hydrometer and refractometer – same reading. Since it’s been fermenting I’ve only used refractometer. I think it’s stalled because it’s been 17 days now and it hasn’t dropped past 1.035.
No, I did not do a fermentation test. Could have been a brew day problem. Might have mashed too high for Kveik (~152°F) – something else I learned after the fact. (5 Tips for Success with Kveik Yeast – Escarpment Labs)
Other suggestions I got were pitching more/different yeast to finish or trying enzymes, neither of which I’ve done before.
Try measuring with a hydrometer instead of a refractometer. There’s an adjustment required when measuring final gravity with a refractometer. More importantly, how does it taste?
4 Likes
Tastes fine to me, at least in line with the previous batches I’ve done pre-bottling. I just don’t want to bottle if there’s something I can do to get the FG closer to what I thought it would be (1.011).
Consider bottling in plastic bottles if you have concerns about bottle bombs?
It may be there. Once alcohol is present it throws off a refractometer reading. You either need to apply a correction factor or measure with a hydrometer.
4 Likes
As has already been said you need to do a conversion on refractometer readings once alcohol is present, soooo….
If I take a couple estimations on your refractometer readings, you started around 13.6brix and are currently at ~8.8brix. Using Sean Terrill”s conversion spreadsheet it appears you are at ~1.0184 gravity.
That’s in the ballpark of done.
I’d give it a 2 or 3 more days and see where it’s at.
Paul
2 Likes
This format doesn’t work right