Attenuation?

Well I have read two books and have read a lot on this forum, but I still have a few questions. I think the right word for how far the SG drops is called attenuation of the yeast.

Either way, is there a certain percent of drop that is good? I have done two batches now and I haven't got either to drop under 1.010. The first batch got to 1.012 and I didn't take a OG. It was a simple ale that I just got advice on what to buy to make it.

The second is a hefeweizen that started at 1.048 and is now at 1.010 after 10 days in primary.

Is there a formula that I can use to determine how far it needs to drop before it is ideal?

Thanks for any help on this.
-Jay

That sounds about right for a hefe. It all depends on the style and yeast you use. If you go to Whitelabs and Wyeast website they tell you attenuation rates. Also remember that a low atten. yeast will leave more unfermented sugars resulting in a sweeter brew, like some english yeast varieties whereas nottingham has high attentuation and leaves the brew crisp, and dry.

Awesome! I used a Whitelabs WP300 for the hefe. I will check their website out.
Thanks!

No problem. Just out of curiosity, what temp did you ferment at? I've heard nothing but great things about WP300.

I pitched at 74 and held the temp to 68 during fermentation.

BTW- I went to whitelabs and got this formula (which is a general formula that would apply to attenuation of any yeast)

To calculate attenuation percentage, the following equation can be used:
[(OG-FG)/(OG-1)] x 100

They also said that a good attenuation percent would be between 65-85%.

Given that formula, my hefe has an "apparent" attenuation rate of 77%. It is awesome to learn more about what I am doing!

Thanks Dave!

And the WP300 went nuts within 10 hours and I got some serious blow off. I am also making 2.5 gallon batches and it was made in a 3 gal carboy. I will be using wp300 again!

Cool. I fermented a hefe in 2 seperate fermenters at 2 different temps. and got completely different beers. Yeast = Amazing. How would you describe the flavors in your hefe? subdued banana/clove balance? banana? clove?

That is a good question. I have only tasted it twice- once as unfermented wort (when I took the OG reading) and it tasted like a sweet tea. It was actually something I would drink chilled I think!
Tonight I tasted it when I took the SG reading and it was totally different. Not fruity, but somewhat of a clove taste and very smooth and a touch sweeter than a pale ale I made. I am still new to all this so my descriptions are somewhat limited.

I got the recipe from HOOTER, who responded to one of my post.

oh, i thought you had it bottled. Trust me, hydro samples can be deceiving, at least my wheat was.