Bavarian brew - Seems to have stalled

[yellow]

Hey guys, sorry to bother you with another noob question.

I am currently brewing the following

Coopers Bavarian
900gms Brew Enhancer 1
500gms Cooper Light Dry Malt
Cascade Finishing Hops (Tea bag type)

I am brewing it at the moment in Sydney, so at around 10 to 12 degrees.

When I started it, the hydrometer reading was 1040, after a couple of days it dropped to 1030, but after a week and a bit it dropped to 1020 and has stayed at 1020 for the past four days.

Do you think it has finished brewing, or has it just temporarily stalled.

I know you should brew it longer than the normal time in colder temps, but it has been on for a week and a half now.

Should I bottle it now given that the Hydro readings are both the same at 1020, and if so will it have a reduced alcohol content?

Thanks for any advice.

[Cat]

Did you use a lager yeast or an ale yeast with it? If you've got an ale yeast down it might not be properly fermenting at the lower temperatures.

*edit: apologies, forgot that the Coopers Bavarian kit does come with a lager yeast. Carry on folks!

[yellow]

Also it tastes not bad either

[Wassa]

Try giving the fermenter a swirl around. This sometimes reactivates stalled yeast.

You could also try racking the brew to a sewcond fermenter this will also reactivate the yeast.

[yellow]

Well I tested it again with the hydrometer and it is still around 10.20, should bottle or leave it a little while longer it has been in the fermenter 14 days today

Anyone got any ideas?

[Ash]

more than enough time at the same gravity I suppose - though the Coopers site says it should end at about 1006.

did you try swirling or racking? are you sure there aren't any bubbles on the hydrometer or something making the readings come out funny?

I'd bottle it given a week at the same SG but I only have PET bottles so I'm not worried about bottle bombs.

[poges]

Just finished one of those a weee ago. Mine ended up being stuck at 1016 for about 4 days. bottled it then. Is that a typo on the cooper recipe? I thought any of the BE bags should leave you around 1012?

[Ash]

that's a good point - 1/2kg of malt & 250gm of corn in this brew, both of which won't ferment out totally hence leave a higher FG

[mark68]

Just pitch a sachet of saflager s23 into the brew , this will finish it off nicely at 12 to 14 degrees.

[yellow]

bugger too late I already bottled it, hope I don't get any bottle bombs, pretty sure it finished fermenting though, well hope so anyway.

[Chris]

I'd keep those bottles away from everything. You don't want them to explode and take out your other beer supplies.

Geez guys, when will you work out that 'stuck fermentation' equals time to rack? If the FG is that high, racking is the first thing to do. Then you may consider pitching more yeast if activity doesn't pick up.

[yellow]

It is a bugger I live in a small apartment so don't have room for a second fermenter to rack the beer, flat out pushing my luck fermenting beer in the apartment as it is

[Chris]

Sounds like time to move apartments. As you progress into brewing beer, you will find yourself making more life decisions that take into account this pasttime.

[yellow]

Haha I am hearing you, now if I could only get out of Sydney and then I could afford a bigger place lol.