Howdy

That temp of 74f is rather cool and will extend ferment time. It can take two-weeks plus - I've seen that on my sweet feeds here when missus has another bout of hot flashes and turns the house into a meat locker... I don't mind, it means less off flavors. I'd check it again in a day or so and see what trend you have on the sugar consumption (FG).

Had that been me, I woulda pitched more yeast, but I'm of the school of doubles - I use a single pack of Prestige Whiskey(23grams) for 5gaL, then 2 for a 10 and so on... What was the size of that yeast packet? - 23grams, or?

"Hi AA,

I agree with Red and Johnny. Just let it finish. I think you'll find that a slower, cooler fermentation will give you better results.

Every yeast is a bit different. They all have slightly different ideal fermentation temperature ranges. I always try to keep the temps in the lower half of the range and never push the gravity. BTW: your OG measurement looks spot-on given the amount of sugar you used.

From now until somewhere around the middle of June most of my fermentations will be taking place in a room that never gets above 68 F. But that's never been a problem. Some of my rice washes have taken three or more weeks, but they always end up clean and clear. And I've never had an infection ... just keep the lid on and the airlock in place.

BTW: If your airlock doesn't look like it's going to blow off, or if the lees are already nice and compact and the wash looks crystal clear, it doesn't mean the yeast aren't still working. The beer guys know this ... especially when they're bottle conditioning/carbonating in units of months rather than weeks.

Just relax, sip on some spirits, and let nature do its thing. When it's finished you'll know you didn't add off flavors because you rushed things.

Regards,
--JB"