Nearly Stuck Ferment

[TimmyR]

Robust porter brewed 3-weeks ago has decided to hang up at 1.022 (6 P) from a starting gravity of 1.070 (17 P).

I have two fermenters one with WLP 001 and one with WLP 007. I pitched according to the Mr. Malty calculator and mashed at 153 (unless my thermometers are both off...but I'll check those soon).

Question: any suggested yeast strains to stir-plate and pitch? I leave Sunday for a couple weeks and plan to leave both beers on the original yeast until I get home (total time will be 5 weeks on yeast) and am thinking I'd like to throw more WLP-001 or another neutral, tolerant yeast at my porters to try and dry them out. The recipe was similar to Brewing Classic Styles with only some small tweaks to the grain bill.

I know I may be stuck and have to deal with the FG, but am willing to try to eke out 4-6 more points if it is possible.

[BarefootLion]

What about temp?
was it too cool? maybe they just slowed down.

And how did your thermometer check go? My last batch my mash was way off, strike was fine but 1st infusion was high because I dropped the thermometer.

[TimmyR]

I have not recalibrated my thermometers yet. But I did pick up 2 packs of Safale US-05 today and plan to pitch each into a 0.75L starter at 10 P and then pitch into my Robust Porters and cross my fingers.

RDWHAHB

[TimmyR]

Done, pitched after about 9-10 hours on a stirplate. Hopefully it'll work out.

[brewinhard]

You may have reached your FG at 1.022. Depending on the amount of unfermentables you used, the beer may be done. !.022 is not that high of a gravity for a strong porter especially with a 1.070 OG. If you are worried about any cloying sweetness, then simply carbonate your beer a bit higher than usual which will help to give you a drier mouthfeel.

Cheers!

Brewinhard

[TimmyR]

You may have reached your FG at 1.022. Depending on the amount of unfermentables you used, the beer may be done. !.022 is not that high of a gravity for a strong porter especially with a 1.070 OG. If you are worried about any cloying sweetness, then simply carbonate your beer a bit higher than usual which will help to give you a drier mouthfeel.

Cheers!

Brewinhard

Agreed. In any case its getting 2 more weeks just to see what happens. I do not like to leave it on the yeast past 4-weeks, but have no choice right now. I head to Chicago tomorrow for Siebel's Concise Course ( ). It's definitely not cloying and has a great roasty/coffee aroma now, but I'd like to see it drop a couple points. I do not think it was a lot of unfermentables but maybe. Mashed at 153F at 1.25 qt/pound batch sparged at 165F.

70.6% 2-row
7.3 % Vienna
4.2% Munich 10L (ran out and dumped in the vienna to help out)
6.4% Carmel 40L
5.1% UK Chocolate
3.2% Black Malt
1.6% Pale Chocolate
1.6% Coffee Malt

IBU 46.6 / OG 1.070 / WLP001 and WLP007 split ferment (now with US-05 thrown in for good measure)

It'll still be drinkable.