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yeasty · 04-19-2009, 07:33 PM

sooooo. got a little cocky and figured i knew what i was doing. NOT ! my "smoked porter" was in the primary 5 weeks and i had seen no activity (i swirled the bucket at 4 weeks) so i brought it into a warmer room and still no activity (airlock). i went ahead and bottled. i decided after bottling that i wanted a FG for my notes just sure it would be close to spec. not even close. it is at 1.020 and in the bottle. i know how many mistakes i made as far as procedure goes on this one so i have learned my lesson.

what do you think i have in the bottle ? a really weak porter ? or worse bottle bombs ? what should i expect ??

llazy_llama · 04-19-2009, 07:35 PM

At 1.020, I would expect several loud explosions and a hell of a clean up.

Edited: Also really sweet beer. What was your OG?

***Yooper*** · 04-19-2009, 07:43 PM

A porter might be done at 1.020. If you post the recipe, we can see if it was done or stuck.

I've had several extract batches that just wouldn't get under 1.020, no matter what I tried. It was the extract, I'm convinced.

Jumbo82 · 04-19-2009, 07:49 PM

Your beer will be on the sweet side, but it may still end up being very drinkable. I suggest you occasionally sample a beer to test for carbonation. Once you reach your desired carb level, put all the beers from that batch into your fridge. This will halt further fermentation and prevent bottle bombs.

Also, 1.020 can be a perfectly acceptable F.G. if you made a big beer or used a lot of unfermentable malts (like too much Crystal for instance). Since you said you weren't even close to your target F.G., I assume this isn't the case. In any event, good luck and let us know how it turns out!

avaserfi · 04-19-2009, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YooperBrew

A porter might be done at 1.020. If you post the recipe, we can see if it was done or stuck.

I've had several extract batches that just wouldn't get under 1.020, no matter what I tried. It was the extract, I'm convinced.

I had the same exact problem. All my extract brews finished at around 1.020. As soon as I moved to AG that problem was gone...

**beerthirty** · 04-19-2009, 08:22 PM

I have had a couple AG batches the same way. I think mostly due to high mash temps. Since dropping mash temps to the mid to high 140s my beers have been finishing at 1.010 or lower.

scinerd3000 · 04-19-2009, 08:24 PM

just because you finished off at 1.020 doesn't mean anything. You have a lower alcohol than you would have if it finished lower, and a sweeter beer...whats the recipe and the AA's of the hops?

yeasty · 04-19-2009, 08:26 PM

sorry..here are the details.

brewers best "smoked porter"

6.6 lbs light extract
1 lb crushed choc. malt
12 oz. crushed crystal 80l malt
2lb crushed smoked malt
safale S-04 yeast

fermented 5 weeks at 65 degrees

OG was 1.060 (target = 1.050-1.065)

FG was supposed to be 1.008-1.016

***Yooper*** · 04-19-2009, 08:27 PM

Did you take the FG after adding priming sugar?

**ajf** · 04-19-2009, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YooperBrew

I've had several extract batches that just wouldn't get under 1.020, no matter what I tried. It was the extract, I'm convinced.

I can believe that. According to Designing Great Beers (Ray Daniels) the fermentability (apparent attenuation) of malt extracts can vary between 50 and 80%, with most falling in the range of 55 - 65%. In other words, a beer with an OG of 1.050 would ferment down to between 1.0225 (55%) and 1.0175 (65%). It may be worth while experimenting with different brands of extract as the attenuation varies by brand.

-a.