Champagne yeast help

[medic brewer]

How long does EC-1113 champagne yeast ferment for? It's been 2 weeks now and not getting much gravity change. Still have some airlock activity, but real active.

[medic brewer]

OK I ended up re-pitching the yeast tonight and had an instant noticeable increase in airlock activity.

[Anthony]

If we are talking beer, it is highly unlikely Champagne yeast will do much. While it can resist the pressures of higher alcohol environments, it can’t ferment maltotriose, so it’s utility in unsticking a fermentation is pretty limited.

More likely is that all the little crumbs of yeast displaced entrained co2 and you got a rush of “activity” as a result.

[medic brewer]

I was using it for a Henry's Hard Soda Clone. Started off with basically a boiled sugar water. OG was 1.07, the last reading I got last night before re-pitching was 1.05

[Anthony]

Ah well in that case, ferment away!

[medic brewer]

Thanks Anthony, but I seem to be having a problem with it fermenting or I think I am. The gravity doesn't seem to be coming down and the activity level isn't the greatest. Does this strain of yeast take a long time to finish fermenting?

[Anthony]

It can be pretty slow to finish. You might try and take out about a pint of the soda, dilute it with a bit of sterile water, and proof more yeast in it.. then toss the resulting foamy yeast back into the soda and see if that will help.

[medic brewer]

Well I got tired of waiting any longer and decided to keg today. The FG got to 1.038 and ended with an ABV of 4.2% right at where the Henry's brand is, so I am ok with that.