Brew_Meister

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I recently brewed a Fat Tire clone recipe that came from BYO. Instead of using the Laaglander plain extra-light DME I used a Dutch Extra Light Malt Extract. My question deals with the Dutch Extract and gravity readings. I have heard that it may leave a sweeter and maltier flavor in the beer because of some unfermentables. My gravity reading at primaray fermentation was 1.062 and after one week in primary and some vicious bubbles from the fermentation lock I transferred to the secondary (reading was 1.037) where it has been for one week now and the bubbling has slowed to one every couple minutes. I tested today and the gravity is still pretty high at 1.033 with very little bubbling from fermentor... only once per couple minutes. Should I pitch more yeast or just wait it out to see if it ferments out by itself or is the high gravity reading because of the Dutch DME? Target OG was 1.050 and Target FG is 1.011. Here is the recipe I used... basically from the BYO recipe:


6 lbs Dutch Extra Light DME
.5 lb crystal 20L
.3 lb crystal 60L
.5 lb Carapils Malt
.5 lb Munich Malt
.5 lb victory malt
.5 lb chocolate malt
3/4 oz Willamette pellet hops
1/4 oz Fuggle pellet hops
3/8 oz Fuggle pellet hops
1 tsp Irish moss
Wyeast 1056


Thanks for the help in advance!!!

SwAMi75

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I'd let it go for a while. Maybe rouse the yeast some.

Laaglander is known to be least fermentable extract, so using the Dutch stuff shouldn't be an issue. Matter of fact, isn't Laaglander Dutch? I bet it's the same stuff.

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drexelagner

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What temperature are you brewing in? Maybe you need to jack up the temperature a little.

Brew_Meister

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The temp has been between 75 and 78 for the entire fermentation.


You may be right about the Laaglanders. In fact some research proved that it also is high in unfermentables like the Dutch DME is supposed to be. Maybe I am just being impatient with this brew. Does it sound unreasonable to expect this brew to ferment down to 1.011?

sheephrdr

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brew meister my last batch was 1.060 and fg ended up 1.012

Brew_Meister

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Ok now my brew has been in the secondary for 2 weeks and Gravity reading is still around 1.030 and temp maintained between 75 and 78 throughout fermentation. (Stared out at 1.062) I tried rousing yeast by shaking in carboy but didn't seem to do too much. I am thinking that this might not ferment down to the 1.010 range because of the Dutch DME. Or might this be a stuck fermentation?

Walker

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I had to read around about the Laaglander (yes, it's Dutch) DME when I brewed my stout. I used that brand of extract for almost of my fermentables (except a lb of brown sugar I also threw in). The gravity seemed to high.

Anyway, what I found when looking for help with this was that it was perfectly normal for your final gravity to be a full 10 to 15 points higher than the same recipe brewed with 'normal' extract.

Your target OG was 1.050.
You actually ended up with an OG of 1.062 (0.012 > target)

Your target FG was 1.011.
You are currently at 1.033 (0.022 > target)

I think you are done. Add 0.010 to the recipes estimated finaly gravity gravity due to using high dextrin DME, and add some more since you started with a gravity higher than the original recipe called for, and I think you are pretty much in range.

No harm in letting it sit longer, rousing yeast, or even pitching MORE yeast, but I personally think you are near the end of the fermentation road with this batch.

-walker

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Brew_Meister

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Thanks for the help Walker, I think that you may be right and this is probably done fermenting. I think that I am going to let her sit until this weekend just in case, besides it wont hurt it anyways. I will let you know how it goes after bottling and clarification.