I am having trouble getting fermentation to finish. Strike water is 160F, 5.5 PH. Add 60% Rye flour and 40% Distillers Malt flour. Conversion seems to happen pretty fast, but I hold at 155 for 1 hour anyway. Then crash cool mash to 90F. I start at about 18 brix. Then pitch distillers yeast. Everything starts out great, in about 24 hours I get to 11 brix (I know that isn't totally accurate with the alcohol in the mash, but easiest way to quickly measure with grain in). Then fermentation pretty much halts. I was thinking maybe the mash was too hot and killing the yeast, so I added more yeast when temps cooled, but still no more fermentation. Clearly I am doing something wrong. Please help. Thanks.
Reply:
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Joseph D.
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Reply:
Hold mash at 145 for 15 mins is plenty, drop your ph when you add yeast to 4.5 add yeast at around 100 degrees.
Reply:
Thanks fldme,
Really appreciate the help. I have not used flour before and am just trying to figure it out.
Best,
Steve
Reply:
If it is flour, it will more than likely have been sifted. I have found it to make excellent rye and the yield will be higher because of more starch in the cooker. What are you using for yeast.
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I used superstart from White Labs on this batch. It says to pitch at 90 degrees, but I can certainly try 100 degrees, less cooling time for me. I am going to scale down the size just for testing.
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How are you checking Brix?
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With a refractometer.
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That yeast does better at 100
