kolsh fermentation

[lmo506]

Can someone help me out here? I made a honey kolsh a couple weeks ago and northern brewer's site showed to ferment for 14 day at 65 f.
Beersmith said 68. I opted for 68 since thats what the ferm room is set at . I racked it over on the weekend and NB says to ferment now at 34 and beersmith says start at 65 and slowly go to 34 over two weeks. I forgot to mention that the sg is still at .020 so its still sitting in 68  deg till i get a little less confused  on what to do
Thanks in advance for any advice

[Chris Craig]

I'd stay at 68 for a couple of days.  If it doesn't go down, then think about pitching some US-05 to finish it.  If you drop the temperature to 34, you'll be cold crashing.  The yeast will likely drop out all together.  Once you hit your target FG, then you can crash it for a couple of weeks (this is all about clarity, I suspect).

[lmo506]

Thank you Sir, I actually saved the yeast cake but i'd assume it went south for whatever reason(s), so I guess it wouldn't be wise to repitch that . It went thru several days of vigorous fermentation. I tasted a bit when I checked the sg this morning  and it wasn't sweet but had a strong taste... more than i thought it should have . I'll taste it again when i test the sg and pay more attention.

[lmo506]

it's been two days and the sg hasn't moved. I tasted it again and it's not sweet, yeasty,sour or tangy. it's different but then again it's supposed to be . I would say that the temp was too high from what i've been reading. If i put more yeast in it, how should i go about it, I mean i shouldn't aerate it now so how i the yeast going to work.Sorry if these seem like dumb questions

[Chris Craig]

No, don't aerate it.  Just dump the yeast in.  It should do its thing in a couple of days.  

Stuck fermentation is a real bitch.  The best way to avoid it is proper temperature control, proper aeration, and proper pitching rates.

[fakr]

you might want to consider making a starter with the collected kolsch yeast and pitch it.

I'd suggest aerating the wort real good in the starter before pitching the yeast, and wait for the starter to hit high krausen (probably 2-3 days), then pitch the whole thing in the fermenter.   No worries about introducing oxygen in the fermenter as the oxygen would be gobbled up by this point.  the Yeast will be actively fermenting in the starter when it's added to the fermenter.  

Pretty much the only option if you don't have any fresh kolsch yeast, and want to keep the beer a kolsch.

Or pitch s-05 like Chris suggested, but don't expect it to be a kolsch anymore.

[Kyle]

Sorry if these seem like dumb questions

No worries on that front! We are all here to share knowledge, and have continuous learning for everyone. Ask away.

[fakr]

Curious, what did you end up doing?

[lmo506]

ummmm... I actually pulled a sample and tested it with a hydrometer. Moral of this story .. don't forget your correction factor if using a refractomer :oops:  

[Chris Craig]

[fakr]

Good to hear!