waterse

Recipes 

I am about to brew my 8th beer. So far my efforts have improved with each beer and I am thankfully making beer that me and my friends and family enjoy drinking. One issue I have had is that while I have been consistantly successful hitting my expected OG, my FG has been high with every batch. Usually about .04. I have calibrated my hydrometer and accounted for a slight inaccuracy it had as well as taking temp into account but I always seem to come up a bit high. I have used dry yeast in each one. Should I just pitch an extra packet of yeast? Is there any down side to that or would it be a waste?

TeleTwanger

Recipes 

Unless you are doing all grain it might be hard to control attenuation other than using high attenuated yeast and or using some sugar to dry up the beer. Pitching proper amounts of yeast probably might help a little but I think it's more about what grains you are using. are you steeping a lot of crystal or other unfermentable malts? Post a recipe.

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Yooper

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What are your beers finishing at? I don't understand what you mean by .04. Do you mean they are finishing .004 higher than expected? Like instead of .012 you're at .016? Or something else?

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waterse

Recipes 

Sorry, yes, one 0 to few. As an example I brewed a pale ale that beersmith showed an expected value of 1.014 and I ended up with 1.020 on that one. 006 too high. The last few I have done have been partial mash so I was not steeping. And my PM version of BM's Octoberfast ale came out .003 high. Had the same issue with 2 kits I brewed as well which were extract only. Are these variances low enough that I needn't be concerned?

Beerthoven

Recipes 

The FG numbers given to you by brewing software are approximations, not specific targets. I wouldn't worry about an FG that is +.003 higher than what you were expecting based on the software. Most extract brewers, even PM brewers, often end up on the high side of FG anyway, so your experience is normal.

As to your original question, one packet of properly rehydrated dry yeast is enough. No need for two unless you are making a monster Barley Wine or somesuchthing.

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waterse

Recipes 

Thanks, time to brew another one.

DaleJ

Recipes 

Another approach is to mash your grains at a lower temperature.
This will provide a much more fermentable wort.

While the extract is coming in a little higher than you want, the wort from the grains will be lower, averaging out where, or close to where, you want.

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petep1980

Recipes 

Waterse I had the same thing happen with my 1st two batches. Like most neurotic home brewers I thought the beers were ruined. Anyways, I let them continue to ferment, bottled them and conditioned. Then when I cracked them open 3 weeks later I drank 6 of them and got drunk.

My friends helped me CRUSH the two cases over the next week and a half.

I wouldn't worry one bit. I have a feeling it has something to do with our inability to accurately control temperature or something. Who knows. I stopped worrying about it, and started drinking more.