[Wicked Wally]

I need to have my head examined.  I rewrote my stout recipe and didn't noticed there's way to much crystal malt. When you consider the carapils addition, it's out of wack. Well, now I have a stuck fermentation. Started at 1.060 and died at 1.030. Five days into primary and I have brown juice. I've stirred and waited to no avail. I added another package on us 05 and nothing happened. Now I have yeast but no sugar for it to eat.  If I try to bottle it with corn sugar they will probably explode. Should I add 1/2 lb of table sugar to the primary vessel and see if it eats it? It's an 8 gallon batch boiled down to 7.25 gal in the fermenter.

[Bob357]

I'm guessing you used a refractometer and didn't compensate for the presence of alcohol. If this is the case, take a hydrometer reading and you'll find it's done, or very close to be done, fermenting and has an FG reading somewhere around 1.012

[Wicked Wally]

Nope. Learned that lesson before. This was hydrometer.  Readings taken for three straight days.

[Bob357]

I guessed refractometer because the numbers worked so well:)

[pete b]

What percentage of the recipe is crystal malt vs base malt? Posting your grain bill would be useful.
If the problem is truly too much crystal malt then it's not a stuck fermentation, it's simply done fermenting and you will have a cloyingly sweet beer. If this is the case you won't have bottle bombs unless you have an infection.

[Wicked Wally]

Thanks for the response. The recipe is:
12 lb Maris Otter
2 lb Aromatic malt
1.25 lb Chocolate Malt
1 lb Carawheat
1 lb carapils
8 oz crystal 120
8 oz Black Pearl
1 lb Flaked oats

Mashed at 156°F
Ph 5.2
Pre-Boil gravity 1.060
1 oz Warrior @60 min
.5 oz Tettnang @ 30 min
.5 oz Tettnang @ 15 min
1 tsp Fermax nutrient last 10 min of Boil
1 whirlfloc @ 10 min
1tsp Irish Moss @ 10 min
2 pkg US 05 rehydrated with 2 cups cooled, 70°F water which was boiled with 1 tsp Fermax added.
Yeast pitched into 70°F, well shaken wort.

[Drewch]

So .... 2½ lbs out of 19¼ lbs (mental arithmetic in public 😅😬)?

About 13%.  That's a bit high, but no less a source than Brewing Classic Styles includes a full 10% crystal in their Foreign Extra Stout.

[BrewBama]

As a data point: according to Dave, Pete’s Wicked Ale had 15% C60 in it.

[Wicked Wally]

 If not too much unfermentable malt then what? Mash temp could be lower but 156° isn't out of range. Two packs of US 05 PLUS nutrients should have sent the airlock into the ceiling! I suppose it's time for some sugar.

[tommymorris]

My current Amber has 20% Caramel (17% C40, 3% C120). It went from 1051 to 1009 with Bry-97.

[ynotbrusum]

If not too much unfermentable malt then what? Mash temp could be lower but 156° isn't out of range. Two packs of US 05 PLUS nutrients should have sent the airlock into the ceiling! I suppose it's time for some sugar.

Calibration of the thermometer in the mash?  It could be that the real temperature was a bit higher?  If calibrated, then I would guess that it must have been the yeast giving out.

[denny]

Thanks for the response. The recipe is:
12 lb Maris Otter
2 lb Aromatic malt
1.25 lb Chocolate Malt
1 lb Carawheat
1 lb carapils
8 oz crystal 120
8 oz Black Pearl
1 lb Flaked oats

Mashed at 156°F
Ph 5.2
Pre-Boil gravity 1.060
1 oz Warrior @60 min
.5 oz Tettnang @ 30 min
.5 oz Tettnang @ 15 min
1 tsp Fermax nutrient last 10 min of Boil
1 whirlfloc @ 10 min
1tsp Irish Moss @ 10 min
2 pkg US 05 rehydrated with 2 cups cooled, 70°F water which was boiled with 1 tsp Fermax added.
Yeast pitched into 70°F, well shaken wort.

Holy cow...2 lb. aromatic? 1.25 lb. chocolate?

[Wicked Wally]

If not too much unfermentable malt then what? Mash temp could be lower but 156° isn't out of range. Two packs of US 05 PLUS nutrients should have sent the airlock into the ceiling! I suppose it's time for some sugar.

Calibration of the thermometer in the mash?  It could be that the real temperature was a bit higher?  If calibrated, then I would guess that it must have been the yeast giving out.

I use three thermometers when I brew. I had a bad one once. Never again.

[Wicked Wally]

Holy cow...2 lb. aromatic? 1.25 lb. chocolate?
[/quote]


I take it you disapprove. Do you think this is the problem? If so, please elaborate. As far as taste goes, it's pretty good. I'm going for a nutty flavor and thought this would work. I also toasted about two pounds of the Maris for ten minutes at 350°F for the same reason.

[denny]

Holy cow...2 lb. aromatic? 1.25 lb. chocolate?

I take it you disapprove. Do you think this is the problem? If so, please elaborate. As far as taste goes, it's pretty good. I'm going for a nutty flavor and thought this would work. I also toasted about two pounds of the Maris for ten minutes at 350°F for the same reason.
[/quote]

Yeah, besides the crystal you have a lot of other low/non fermentable there.