pwkblue

Recipes 

based on your question...I'd guess you are NOT doing All Grain....so the constant stream of "mash lower" answers don't mean much (if you are doing all grain you probably learned that already)

The best answer so far was a request for your recipe... The recipe could suggest: using a different yeast? using less specialty grains like crystal? Perhaps changing to Light or Pilsner LME or DME if you are using darker extracts

Process changes could include: using a yeast starter? adjusting or controlling fermentation temperature? allowing more time for fermentation? or the ever popular: mash at a lower temp.

A brief description of your process, and recipe...will provide much more informed answers from the crowd

Seedly

Recipes 

To be fair, this is in the AG forum

mabrungard

Recipes 

+1 on that sentiment. Sulfate can have a profound effect on the drying quality of the finish. If the brewer's water has low sulfate and they are not enhancing it for brewing, then that could be an issue.

__________________
Martin Brungard, P.E. D.WRE
Carmel, IN
BJCP National
Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI)

Brewing Water Information at:
https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/

pwkblue

Recipes 

whoops! Yes, I failed to see the forum category. I was reading new posts.

Without knowing anything about the OP's process or recipe....I will still give my own 2 cents:

My preference in almost every style is to err on the dryer end of the acceptable range. To give myself a little margin of error, I calculate my recipes assuming the low end of attenuation for the yeast.

Nike_Eayrs

Recipes 

I have listed my most recent IPA recipe below. I just started doing all grain for the ability to better tweak recipes like this. I added some sugar to the recipe listed below (about 3 cups if I recall). The OG was 1.062, and it finished at 1.01. This recipe turned out well (it took forever to bottle condition) but I wish it was dryer. Thanks to all who have lended advice to a newbie when it comes to all grain brewing! Cheers!

10lbs Rahr 2-row Pale
.75 Belgian Carmel Pils
.25 Briess Carmel

1oz Chinook 60min
.5oz chinook at 10min
.5oz at 1min

SpeedYellow

Recipes 

The good news is that it will be very simple to make a drier beer -- simply use less caramel / crystal malt. 10% is really high; I'd never go that high myself. But isnt this kind of obvious? Just wondering why you didn't immediately conclude this.

Nike_Eayrs

Recipes 

I was not aware of that information until I posted the original question, but am happy that it will be an easy fix. Is this true for all adjuncts, or just the two listed in the recipe? This was my first all grain attempt (I have made a couple others since) and just ordered a kit from Northern Brewer. Thanks!

Yooper

Recipes 

If you like drier pale ales, then leaving out (or greatly reducing!) the caramel malt will help. I like some pale ales with 5% or so crystal malt, but if I use more crystal malt I increase the bittering hops to help balance it. Balance is really the key.

I made a beer today with 1 pound of crystal and 11 pounds of base malt. I mashed at 150, and hopped it up. It should finish at 1.008-1.009.

If you find that you are finishing at 1.010, but the beer still has a sweet finish, the first thing I would do is eliminate carapils and reduce crystal malt. Use a different specialty grain- .25 pound of victory is nice. Use some flaked wheat for head retention. Mash at 150 for 60-75 minutes, and use enough bittering hops to balance the beer. That should really help.

For an IPA, more hops would be helpful as well as eliminating or greatly reducing the crystal/cara malts. For an IPA, I might go something like:
11 pounds US two row
.25-.5 pound victory malt (or amber malt, or toasted malt, or aromatic malt, or some crystal if you must)
.5 pound flaked wheat (for head retention)
1 pound corn sugar
1 ounce bittering hops 60 minutes
1 ounce flavor hops 15 minutes
1 ounce aroma hops 5 minutes
dryhop with 1-2 ounces

Use a very neutral US yeast, like WLP001 or S05 and ferment at 65 degrees.

__________________
Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

SpeedYellow

Recipes 

being brand new to all grain, you'll find there's quite a bit to learn about grains, so you'll want to do some reading. Big picture, you have base malts (2 row or 6 row) that make up the bulk of your grist, then crystal/dextrine/caramel/cara malts which have a lot of unfermentables thus adding to sweetness. I keep these 0-5% but up to 10% if I really want a sweet beer like a pumpkin beer. Then there are sort of hybrid malts like Munich and Vienna that have characteristics of both. Then odd ball unmalted stuff like roasted barley. Suffice it to say, there's lots to learn!

But this is critical stuff, because poor recipes is, in my experience, the leading cause of bad batches.

FlyDoctor

Recipes 

In addition to grain bills with less caramel, mash temp, some simple sugars if needed, and sufficient healthy yeast, on also should be sure to properly aerate or oxygenate the wort prior to pitching. While I am not impressed by the yeast books assertion that pure o2 is needed, e data presented there does show a 1-2 degree Plato difference, which will definitely be the difference between a sweet and dry beer.