So,
I've been homebrewing for about six months now. I'm on batch five.
My first batch was NB's Caribou Slobber; as expected, my first beer came out passable but not anything to brag about. Final Gravity was around 1018. (Predicted was 1012). OG was 1046.
Next I did NB's Milk Chocolate Stout; predicted was about 1018. Mine came out to about 1022. OG was 1046.
Then I made a Pale Ale; this FG also came in a little high, at 1016. (Predicted was 1010, OG was 1054)
At this point I started to wonder if I was doing something wrong. I was particularly concerned that I was measuring the beer's SG incorrectly. So I bought a Refractometer. I also started a different method of pitching my yeast, namely, rehydrating it in the fashion recommended in How To Brew, and I started to use the books recommended "Churn" method.
When I bottled my Honey Weizen, I tested the beer using my Refracto (I had the original gravity handy), and then did the "adjustment" calculations, and my beer came out to 1008. I was delighted; I thought to myself, man , I'm really glad I bought that book, it finally got me down to to the "magic" number I've been hearing so much about.
Then I cracked one open and drank it yesterday. "Man... this is... sweet." I thought, just a little too sweet for being at 1008. So I poured some of the beer into a cylinder, waited for the gas to bubble out, and then dropped in the hydro.
1018???
I understand that OG and FG , as far as recipe kits are concerned, are merely guidelines. The OG readings don't much concern me; I mean, sugar in, sugar out. It's the FG readings that do, because my own observations have been that all four of my batches have been slightly sweeter in taste than they should have been, and it's starting to get to the point where I can't really ignore it anymore.
Ok. So I have a few questions:
Most important:
1) What could I be doing wrong that is resulting in such a high FG? Do I need to make a Yeast Starter for all of these here batches? I've done both secondary conditioning (with the first three batches) and one-stage conditioning (with the weizen), and I still seem to be coming up short. All beers were in their tanks for 4-5 weeks before bottling. I used Safale US-05 and Safale S-04. All batches were hovering sweet at 65 degrees Fahrenheit during the primary fermentation phase and secondary phases. I understand the rules of apparent attenuation, but I used US-05 on the second and third batches ( the Stout and the Ale ), which I understand (quoting my friend) is a "balls-out booze yeast". So I'm kinda curious as to why the results are consistent across different yeasts w/different attenuations.
(For example, 16 / 54 for the PA would be about 71% attenuation, which is low for US-05, which people report 73-77 , even 80 attenuation for)
2) Am I just hallucinating? Is this not a problem? Is everything going according to plan?
Side questions:
1) What do I trust more, the Hydro or the Refracto?
2) What exactly goes into those adjustment calculations with the Refractometer? Is something assumed?
I've been homebrewing for about six months now. I'm on batch five.
My first batch was NB's Caribou Slobber; as expected, my first beer came out passable but not anything to brag about. Final Gravity was around 1018. (Predicted was 1012). OG was 1046.
Next I did NB's Milk Chocolate Stout; predicted was about 1018. Mine came out to about 1022. OG was 1046.
Then I made a Pale Ale; this FG also came in a little high, at 1016. (Predicted was 1010, OG was 1054)
At this point I started to wonder if I was doing something wrong. I was particularly concerned that I was measuring the beer's SG incorrectly. So I bought a Refractometer. I also started a different method of pitching my yeast, namely, rehydrating it in the fashion recommended in How To Brew, and I started to use the books recommended "Churn" method.
When I bottled my Honey Weizen, I tested the beer using my Refracto (I had the original gravity handy), and then did the "adjustment" calculations, and my beer came out to 1008. I was delighted; I thought to myself, man , I'm really glad I bought that book, it finally got me down to to the "magic" number I've been hearing so much about.
Then I cracked one open and drank it yesterday. "Man... this is... sweet." I thought, just a little too sweet for being at 1008. So I poured some of the beer into a cylinder, waited for the gas to bubble out, and then dropped in the hydro.
1018???
I understand that OG and FG , as far as recipe kits are concerned, are merely guidelines. The OG readings don't much concern me; I mean, sugar in, sugar out. It's the FG readings that do, because my own observations have been that all four of my batches have been slightly sweeter in taste than they should have been, and it's starting to get to the point where I can't really ignore it anymore.
Ok. So I have a few questions:
Most important:
1) What could I be doing wrong that is resulting in such a high FG? Do I need to make a Yeast Starter for all of these here batches? I've done both secondary conditioning (with the first three batches) and one-stage conditioning (with the weizen), and I still seem to be coming up short. All beers were in their tanks for 4-5 weeks before bottling. I used Safale US-05 and Safale S-04. All batches were hovering sweet at 65 degrees Fahrenheit during the primary fermentation phase and secondary phases. I understand the rules of apparent attenuation, but I used US-05 on the second and third batches ( the Stout and the Ale ), which I understand (quoting my friend) is a "balls-out booze yeast". So I'm kinda curious as to why the results are consistent across different yeasts w/different attenuations.
(For example, 16 / 54 for the PA would be about 71% attenuation, which is low for US-05, which people report 73-77 , even 80 attenuation for)
2) Am I just hallucinating? Is this not a problem? Is everything going according to plan?
Side questions:
1) What do I trust more, the Hydro or the Refracto?
2) What exactly goes into those adjustment calculations with the Refractometer? Is something assumed?
