Getting my FG lower with this grain bill?

Sorry for the noob question but just started using hopvilles beer calc to do my recipes. Doing a IIPA and it is giving me a FG of only 1.022 and would like it under 1.020.... whats the deal, is this software good to use? Pic attached

Any pointers would be great!

Alot goes into predicting your final gravity. What yeast are you using? What is the attenuation levels that yeast typically exhibits.

The grain bill looks ok. Remember the more specalify malts you add the less change you have of hitting high attenuation as those yield more unfermentable sugars... But your combination of maris otter and base seems pretty good to me.

Also make sure you create a starter. For an IPA probably throw a smack pack into a 2L starter to get correct pitch rates.

Predicting final attenuation is a bit tricky. There are ways you can come close but at least dont shoot yourself in the foot by having a top heavy specality grains % and under pitching.

Also consider your mast temp. Dont mash as 154 156 etc. You want to be closer to 150-152. It will give you a more fermentable wort.

My two cents.

OK thanks for your reply!

Im only using two pkts of US-05, worked fine for my last IIPA, im guessing the software is a guide. Yes will be mashing at 152. I guess its all trial and error.

in general, the recipes I've done and entered into hopville, the FG has been higher than my finished actual FG on my beer..take it with a grain of salt, as ferm temp, yeast strain etc has a lot to do with it. (as imperialipa stated above)

It is a good calculator but not a substitute for actual experience

Replace some of that Golden Promise with some cane/beet sugar. Simple sugars help dry it out.

You have 17% caramel malts, hence the high FG. Cut the total crystal below 10% and you will be good to go.

PissyFingers said:

OK thanks for your reply!

Im only using two pkts of US-05, worked fine for my last IIPA, im guessing the software is a guide. Yes will be mashing at 152. I guess its all trial and error.

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Generally brewing software assumes apparent attenuation of US-05 in the 75% range, while my experience is that it's usually more than that (sometimes >80%). My guess is that hopville is just putting in 73% as attenuation regardless of your recipe or mash temp.

For an IIPA, I like to mash lower (149) and add some sugar -- especially since (as another poster pointed out) you're using 17% crystal malts. If you want it more dry, you might also want to reduce the crystal some, but then I like mine very crisp.

But yeah, with US-05 and that recipe as it sits now, you'll easily finish under 1.022.

bwarbiany said:

Generally brewing software assumes apparent attenuation of US-05 in the 75% range, while my experience is that it's usually more than that (sometimes >80%).

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Definitely. I just brewed a Blonde Ale with US-05 which attenuated to 82%. It was a big enough surprise that I checked to make sure my hydrometer was reading correctly.