I just checked the gravity of my 3 week old dark strong. The OG was 24.3 Brix (1.094). I was expecting it to be done by now (in the low 1.020s), but it was 15.3 Brix (1.038 by my calculations). In all my brewing, I've had a stuck ferm just once before and it was because I drastically underpitched. This was a 6 gallon batch and I pitched two 1400mL starters of WLP530. Oxygenated for 60 seconds with O2 and even added some nutrients to the end of the boil. I primaried at 67 and have slowly raised the temp over the past 2 weeks to 70.

I just raised the temp to 72, but I don't think that's gonna allow the beer to finish. I don't want it sitting on the yeast cake much longer either. Should I get a hold of some champagne yeast, transfer off the original yeast cake, and pitch that? It doesn't just need more time, does it?

Half tsp. amylase ought to do it.

Can you post your recipe and mash procedures?

Brewed the BCS dark strong recipe. Scaled down a bit. Added the 1# of table sugar as directed and 1# of DME.

add some brett, let it sit, and brew again!

Alpha amylase will work too.

Won't alpha amylase continue to keep working on the sugars past the point where one may want them too? Or will it only continue to chomp on the smaller chains still available?

Philly- stuck fermentations blow!! If you are worried, you could always rehydrate some dry champagne yeast and add that back to the BDS with a good swirl or two to also throw your yeast back into suspension. Depending on mash temp, that beer should def. finish out a bit drier than that.

As much as I'd like to pitch brett, I think the champagne yeast idea sounds best. I'm actually going to put the carboy out at room temp and see if that'll help until I can get some champagne yeast.

This is pretty , though. I brewed a big ass barleywine a few months ago and just tossed a couple packs of US-05. Attenuated like a champ. And then I get a stuck sparge with $15 worth of liquid yeast plus starters. Blah.

ps. I mashed at 153.

So I got the champagne yeast Friday, rehydrated, and pitched. As of now (Sunday morning), there is absolutely no visible activity. WTF. The yeast should appear to be doing something by now, no? I have two more older packs of champagne yeast that expire in 1/2011 which I could pitch. Should I? At this point, is alpha amylase my only option? If I get some, should I monitor the gravity so it doesn't get too low?