fermenting trouble

[mtnmap]

Howdy fellows,
I started a Scottish oats recipe, w/ 2lbs of malt extract, cane sugar (brown) 1 sacket of yeast and 25ltrs water. made sure Ph was good around 6 within an hour fermentation was great. Sounded like a briggs and straton motor came back 3 hours later and fermentation had totally stopped. Can anyone tell me what happened. Every recipe I've tried came out great, I think I maybe adding to much or sugar when it's not needed.
Thank
mtnmap

[starchild]

Did you check the gravity, it may be done. I'll run the recipe in my beer program called beertools and see what the starting gravity is. Your sugar amount maybe too low and it's already ate all that was there. How much sugar did you put in?

[heeler]

Yeah you left out some important info to try and figure out what went wrong. Hmmmmmm .. totally stopped in 3 hours?
And I think

[heeler]

I think TOO MUCH sugar would make it run longer and be sweeter, cause it cant use it all. Not enough and it might give out too soon. Recheck your recipe, you can still add more yeast if all your findings show that you need to.

[mtnmap]

I used about three lbs of sugar. I will start again and add about 5 lbs. The receipt didn't really call for sugar I just thought I would add a bit for the alcohol. I thought maybe the mash was just to hot and it killed the yeast. Crap I don't know.

Starchild,
I've never messed with checking the OG never had problems before but I will start. Thank You.
Again you guys are great help
Thank You
MTNMAP

[starchild]

2 lb malt extract and 3 lbs brown sugar in 25L is only 3% abv and adding another 2lbs of sugar will give you 4.28% abv. A bit low. You need 4lbs malt extract and 6lbs of sugar for 6% abv.

[heeler]

After looking at your recipe -- you said 1 sachet of yeast?? Was that bakers yeast?? That might be an issue --- thats not enough yeast for a 5 gallon wash.
Also, as a novice (not being disrespectfull ) sometimes we get impatient and add yeast WAY TOO SOON. And if the mash is too hot !!!!!@#$% dead yeast. But you said it went for a while and then stopped, not enough yeast or not enough food for the yeast.Hmmmmmmmm
I can give some recipes that have worked for me if you want??

[Chore Chunk]

Originally Posted by heeler

After looking at your recipe -- you said 1 sachet of yeast?? Was that bakers yeast?? That might be an issue --- thats not enough yeast for a 5 gallon wash.
Also, as a novice (not being disrespectfull ) sometimes we get impatient and add yeast WAY TOO SOON. And if the mash is too hot !!!!!@#$% dead yeast. But you said it went for a while and then stopped, not enough yeast or not enough food for the yeast.Hmmmmmmmm
I can give some recipes that have worked for me if you want??

Yep I agree, for 5 gallons I always add three 7 gram sachets of bakers yeast and only when below 95F. I use distillers yeast now and add 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons just because its cheap and I want a nuclear bomb.

I also just got in the habit of proofing my yeast too, doesn't hurt and can only help especially if you have a high gravity wash. I keep all mine at 1080 for good luck so it may be moot..

Edit: I forgot to add that I just racked a bunch of 5 gallon sugar washes that I experimented with only 1 sachet of EC1118 and they all came up short and finished at 1020 rather than the 990 I usually get with 3 sachets.