re: Homebrewing Thread: Volume II

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Update on my fermentation issue. I added my starter on Friday. I had a feeling I kinda screwed it up though. Sure enough, I checked today and my gravity has hardly changed at all. Guess I'll try again to add more yeast. Not sure what else I can do to save the beer.

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Adding more yeast doesn't always lower the gravity of a stalled beer. If all the fermentable sugars have been fermented, that's as low as it's going. A high mash temp may have resulted in a wort that isn't very fermentable.

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I also tasted some of it while I was testing the gravity, just seemed really thin. Not sure what would have caused that other than just not a long enough boil? My OG was lower than the recipe called for.

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Once it's carbonated it might be better. It shouldn't be thin with a gravity of 1.033. I would go with a very attenuative strain like WLP001, WY1054 or US-05 (dry). Those strains can ferment sugars that other ones can't so that's your best bet for reducing the gravity.

Sounds like you've already figured this out but dry yeast doesn't require a starter. In fact, I've been told that it's actually detrimental. However, it's better to re-hydrate the yeast in some warm (80-90°F) water. Dumping yeast into a medium that contains a lot of sugar or (in your case) alcohol is stressful and can result in mortality of up to 50% of the yeast cells.

Also, if you're going to decant your starter, cold crash it first for about 24 hours. This will precipitate the yeast out to the bottom of the flask and it makes it a lot easier to pour off the spent wort on the top.