Overpitching?

Last 2 batches I have made, partial boil w extract and steeped grains, have come in w a FG lower than anticipated. I have started using a starter, and the beers taste great, but I am just curious if maybe I am overpitching. Any ideas?

You didn't include any information that could help determine if you are over pitching such as: Gravity, Volume, starter size, type of yeast, Ale vs. Lager, # of vials/packs, stir-plated or not, or oxygenation.

If your beers taste great then you are doing OK. Have you used Mr. malty's yeast pitching rate calculator. That is a good place to start.

Mrmalty.com

It is more difficult to over pitch than under pitch.

Ok, sorry, that was a rushed post. Here is some more information, last beer was an American Pale Ale kit but I pitched Wyeast Abbey for some Belgiany goodness. OG was a bit off, but I attributed that to not mixing the best, the FG was targeted at 1.012 and I got 1.007. I used a weird method for my starter, made the starter wort like normal 100 grams of DME per liter, but split it into two 1 liter flasks and split the vial also. ended up w a starter of about 1.6 liters. Pitched at full krasuen. I did not use Mr.malty becasue last time it told me I needed 8 smack packs of Pacman for an IPA of average gravity based on the date of the yeast! The yeast was not overly old and stored well. I did the same starter method and beer was fantastic, best brew I have done so far.

Some of those Beglian yeasts attenuate like crazy. 3787 always gets that low for me, even on large beers. If you make proper starters, aerate really well, pitch at proper temps you will have good attenuation on almost every brew.

You didn't add any types of refined sugar or honey did you? If so that can greatly dry out your FG.

Nope, added nothing. Not super concerned, just a few points off, just trying to figure out why. Beer tastes really nice, sampled at gravity reading, been on the cake for 3 weeks now, going to cold crash it on Sunday and then rack to keg.

I think maybe your answer lies in your fermentables. As in, you ended up with not many unfermentable sugars in that wort and your high attenuating yeasts went to town on it. What temperature did you steep that grains at? I've never done the partial-boil with steeping grains method. My instinct would be that you mashed at a low temp.

Carter5112 said:

I think maybe your answer lies in your fermentables. As in, you ended up with not many unfermentable sugars in that wort and your high attenuating yeasts went to town on it. What temperature did you steep that grains at? I've never done the partial-boil with steeping grains method. My instinct would be that you mashed at a low temp.

Click to expand...

Your avatar is bitchin'.

solbes said:

Some of those Beglian yeasts attenuate like crazy. 3787 always gets that low for me, even on large beers. If you make proper starters, aerate really well, pitch at proper temps you will have good attenuation on almost every brew.

You didn't add any types of refined sugar or honey did you? If so that can greatly dry out your FG.

Click to expand...

solbes is right. Some Belgian yeasts really do chow through the fermentables and finish low.