Can I degas to increase pH in a stuck fermentation?

I have an oak leaf and burdock wine that has gotten stuck at a SG of 1.024. The pH reads 2.76, so I suspect that the high acidity has caused it to get stuck. I understand that dissolved CO2 can cause a wine to be too acidic, so I'm wondering if I might be able to restart the fermentation by degassing the wine at this point, thus increasing the pH? I do however recall reading somewhere that degassing a wine …
Category: Mac

Ice cider - fermentation won't start, extreme acidity reported

I'm making a batch of ice cider, from apples from my own trees (not shop-bought juice). No preservatives. The constituent apples are early this year, and most of this batch is windfalls; 55% green and 45% red. These have been frozen in a chest freezer, and then shredded and pressed. The batch is ~21 litres, primary in a plastic bucket. The freshly pressed juice tastes great, not too sour at all (back to this later). I added campden tablets at …
Category: Mac

Toxic compounds, weirder situation then usual, much weirder

Ok so I'm making some hard alcohol from a sugar-wash. I used too little yeast and fermentation ended up halting at like 7% ABV, it then stood around for like a week and a half till I got the new yeast. I freeze distilled most of it after it finished, hopefully at around 13% but can't tell because I added some water with the new yeast, used a sterile syringe and distilled water. Because I used a new container and …
Category: Mac

No more bubbling after a week

I have made mead a few times with perfect results. This time I tried a Cyser in a 1 gal batch. I followed a recipe that, based on the notes, had good results from others. 1 Gal of 100% apple juice, 2lbs honey, nutrient, and energizer, and using Lalvin 71B yeast. I did everything as he said, half of the nutrient and energizer day 1, then the other half day 2. It bubbled great for about a week, then it …
Category: Mac

Finicky Wyeast 3724 Stall

Looking for some useful suggestions. I’m a veritable noob when it comes to brewing. I’m on my second brew and already trying to experiment with my own recipe albeit sticking to extract / specialty grains. Trying to do a saison style beer and landed on Wyeast 3724 for my chosen yeast. Brew went relatively straightforward and hit my target OG on the nose @ 1.062. Into 5gal glass carboy for primary, pitched yeast and fitted blow off tube. A day …
Category: Mac

Apple cider clearing up after just a few days

I did an experiment with a couple brands of baker's yeast and I know that my conditions aren't optimal, but as I said, it's an experiment and it will probably taste horrible. But still, my ingredients are: 1l clear apple juice (I know, I know) ~60g added sugar 1 packet baker's yeast With those I did a couple bottles to compare the different yeasts. I think I should've reduced the amount of yeast, but most of it looks fine for …
Category: Mac

Mead Stuck Fermentation

So, I made a 5 gallon batch of mead on 10Apr2015. I used 17 lbs of pasteurized clover honey and 4 gallon of spring water (no-boil method). OG = 1.130. I used D47 Lalvin yeast (3 packs) with 1/4 tsps of Ferm K and 1/2 tsp of DAP 4 times in the first 3 days. Temperature is pretty stable at 68-70F. I as planning to add some strawberries at G=1.050 (ABV~10%) to make it a melomel, but... After 7 days …
Category: Mac

Check beer for unfermentable sugars?

I did my first homebrew a fortnight ago, an american IPA BIAB-style on the stovetop. I ended up with a low OG (~1.045 - target was 1.075) and now after two weeks of fermentation a high FG too (~1.026). I have tried readded some dry yeast but a day later the gravity has not changed. After a little reading it looks like one of two things went wrong: I forgot to shake the carboy to aerate it & maybe I …
Category: Mac

Stalled mead fermentation

I have a stalled cherry mead fermentation.This is my first attempt at brewing mead so am hoping I can get it going again. I have used 3lbs honey to 2lbs cherries. My yeast is bulldog mead yeast and nutrient. Everything seemed go fine according to the recipe until now. It has been fermenting for 12 days and has just stopped. I have checked with my hydrometer and get a reading of 0.996. What should I do?
Category: Mac

Chocolate stout stuck at 1021

I'm brewing a bulldog chocolate stout 'Easter brew' as per the instructions. 4.2kg of malt extract alone, 23L, one packet of dried yeast. OG 1058, the generic bulldog instructions just say get it to 1014 or below. Everything started fine just like my previous two brews, then after day 7, I can no longer hear bubbling (although I know fermentation can still continue and air can escape elsewhere). On day 10 I take a reading and it's at 1021. I …
Category: Mac

Stopped fermentation wine

My fermentation seems to have stopped too early. I don’t have much experience (mostly some wine and mead making failed attempts) or proper gear like a hydrometer. Here is what I did differently from the regular recipes I didn’t add much sugar because I can’t stand sweet wine. I may have added too much yeast, particularly as I was carefull not to wash the grapes to benefit from the natural yeast. I grossly manually squeezed the grapes, put the juice …
Category: Mac

How will I calculate ABV if I had to add honey in the middle of a stuck fermentation?

I created a lemon/ginger/carrot mead and started with SG 1.120. I used a mead calculator (https://gotmead.com/blog/the-mead-calculator/) to factor in the sugars in the carrot. However, the fermentation got stuck and the SG was 1.002 — completely dry. I expected the yeast to eat the shredded carrot, but alas, yeast are not piranhas; they have no teeth. I added one pound of honey (and 1/2 tbsp. Fermax and 1 tbsp. calcium carbonate) and stirred. It is bubbling once again but how …
Category: Mac

Stuck fermentation, more yeast?

I have a 2.5-2.75 gallon batch of Amber beer. I brewed it using the biab method. It's been in primary for about 2 weeks. 5 days ago the hydrometer reading was 1.030 and 3 days later it was 1.030. The OG 1.060 was and read after the wort was cooled in the kettle all night. Mash temperature was 152 and cooled to about room temperature before adding yeast. Fermentation is done at room temperature which varies 65 and 80 around …
Category: Mac

Bottle a beer that was stuck at fermentation?

6 Months ago I attempted a KBS Clone. Beer uses chocolate, coffee, bourbon soaked oak. I got 1.090 OG and got stuck at 1.032, but it tastes really good (Can chocolate make it appear higher?) It's been 6 months and I would like to bottle it. What technique should I use if I want to bottle condition? I'm scared that if I repitch an high attenuative yeast, I might restart fermentation and make bottles bombs.. Is that a possibility? Thanks
Category: Mac

Stuck fermentation on wild fermented cider?

I pressed about 40 L worth of apple juice 12 days ago. Sweet cider was put into a carboy and foamed heavily after 3 or 4 days for about a week with consitent airlock activity. In the past two days, the thick foam has gone down to the point where it has disapeared, which I guess is normal in wild fermented cider as it starts secondary fermentation. However, airlock bubbling has stopped, which I'm unsure if it's a normal symptom. …
Category: Mac

Having doubts about my first stout

I just had an issue with an oatmeal stout. I'm just starting to brew beer at home (BIAB) and I think I made some mistakes. I had my water at 80°C hoping for the decrease of temperature to 72°C when adding my grains. So I just kept at it not knowing this was a problem. So my OG was at 1.070, recipe indicated it should be at 1.068. Then I put the beer in the fermenter and after 7 days …
Category: Mac

My brew has stopped

I made some Young's Scottish Harvest Heavy from a can. I used cane sugar, which I prefer for colour and taste. My refractometer said 1.048 pre yeast. Ten days on, gravity seems to be static at 1.020-1.025, however I don't entirely trust the refractometer. I was careful with cleaning. I've tried adding a little more sugar and some yeast to see if it needed kickstarting again but it hasn't made any difference. Should I just keg and prime and see …
Category: Mac

Apple cider fermentation stuck for 20+ days

I am on my second year producing apple cider at home, and was successful producing 40 liters of apple cider and perry last year, and are through primary fermenting about 40 liters this season. But my last batch of 20 liters, which I set in a bucket 17th September, is stuck still (>20 days). What can I do now? Best course of action? additives: Pectolase, nutrition salts, 2 table spoons campden powder all added 2 days earlier temperature: between 20-25 …
Category: Mac

Stuck Mead Fermentation?

Obligatory: This is my first batch of Mead and I'm still learning the ropes. If I've made any critical mistakes, please point them out but do know: odds are, I had no idea of that particular issue. I'm brewing a batch of traditional mead, following every step and ingredient used by these guys City Steading on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ildRSUSWmc8 My issue: I'm almost two weeks in, and my hydrometer reading has almost not changed whatsoever. For the one gallon batch, my …
Category: Mac

About

Geeks Mental is a community that publishes articles and tutorials about Web, Android, Data Science, new techniques and Linux security.