G_cowboy_is_that_a_Gnu_Hurd? wrote:[color=blue]
> David M. Taylor wrote:
>
>[color=green]
>>"G_cowboy_is_that_a_Gnu_Hurd?" <vvosen@cpinternet.com> wrote in message
>>news:10kc5q9gu7it9cc@corp.supernews.com...
>>[color=darkred]
>>>Hey,
>>>
>>> My gravity is still reading 1.030, it's been that way for a week now
>>>after deciding to pitch some sweet mead yeasties in there. What to do,
>>>wait longer? It seems more sediement has collected on the bottom of a[/color]
>>
>>very
>>[color=darkred]
>>>different hue, and furthermore the beer seems to really be clearing a
>>>bit. I thought about doing other stuff, like adding yeast nutrients to
>>>get the
>>>yeast to ferment, and aerating it. The %alcholXvol is reading around 9%
>>>and that's what killed the trappist yeast. Notably, the sweet mead yeast
>>>hasn't significantly dropped the specific gravity. Any advice would be
>>>helpful,[/color]
>>
>>As can be inferred from the name, sweet mead yeast is designed to halt at
>>a sweet level... probably shouldn't be 1.030, but there could be other
>>problems, such as lack of oxygen or dead yeast. You could try adding a
>>more resilient yeast such as dry mead yeast, but then your beer could end
>>up too
>>dry..... I guess I'm not being of much help. Alternately, if you're not
>>too concerned about the percent alcohol, you could simply add some
>>distilled water, which would dilute the beer and lower the FG.... but I'm
>>sure you
>>don't want to do that. Your best bet is to dump some tougher yeast in to
>>finish the job. You could also try adding more enzymes and ferment the
>>more complex sugars by adding a few crushed Beano tablets... they can
>>supposedly break down the bigger sugars and cut the FG in half..... I have
>>never personally tried this, but if you've begun to lose all hope, it
>>couldn't hurt to try.
>>
>>Good luck.
>>[/color]
>
>
> That could be it! I did use some grains in making this, but I noted not a
> single product I used contained any enzymes. Because the beer is way too
> sweet and though the mead yeast is in there replicating, it isn't
> indicating aggressive multiplication or anything, and the SG hasn't dropped
> significantly, therefore it is probably complex sugars making it too sweet.
> Is this going to screw things up adding the enzymes in at this point,
> because if it is... I'll just toss it, yea it couldn't hurt. Will enzymes
> really work with the presence of alchohol?[/color]

Sweet mead yeast probably isn't a good choice as it isn't very
attenuative (compared to most ale yeasts). Trappist yeasts are notably
tolerant of high gravity beers. But there will always be a situation
which makes an exception.
The generally recommended practice for a stuck fermentation is to use a
couple of packets of dried yeast - Danstar Nottingham being commonly
recommended. I'm currently using a couple packs of Coopers ale yeast to
finish a high gravity stout at the moment.
Regarding the Beano option - I've never tried it but those that have,
generally, have regretted it. Apparently it makes for a rather thin dry
beer.

Here is a link with some information regarding the practice of
rehydrating dried yeast prior to pitching which may be of some interest.

[url]http://consumer.lallemand.com/danstar-lalvin/beerfaq.html#rehydrate[/url]


cheers
rb