First AG exceeded goal on FG

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cheezydemon

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http://byo.com/recipe/1634.html

I brewed this recipe from BYO for my first AG. It went great as far as mash temps, OG, etc. All went well.

My OG actually exceeded theirs right at 1.071

I used some recycled "British Ale "yeast WL, and it seemed to work great.
It slowed down around 1.025. I rashly decided that it was of too low abv tolerance, and being recycled and left in the fridge for 2 months, might not have what it takes to finish the job.

I added 1 package of rehydrated Munton's generic dry yeast.

It settled over the last few days to 1.012.

At first I was thrilled! I would rather exceed the expected (1.017), but upon tasting my sample...DAMN it was dry and bitter.

I guess that is to be expected, and that conditioning will be key to mellow it out.

But I wanted to share what happened and take any comments anyone has. Thanks.
 
IIRC BYO recipes use something kinda low like 65% expected efficiency so if you want to hit the numbers, you have to adjust for your system.

Edit: Congrats on everything goin off great!
 
cheezydemon said:
I guess that is to be expected, and that conditioning will be key to mellow it out.
This alone should turn your dry/bitter beer into a really nice beer over the next couple of months. Be as patient with it as you can. You're not starting with a 1.030-1.040 beer, so it's going to take some time.

Sounds like you had a fantastic 1st AG. Way to go!
 
Also, did you hit the mash temp just right Mashing low will result in a more fermentable wort and lower than expected FG.
 
Thanks All, I really felt like I got lucky on it.

Yes I did hit the mash temps quite well, at least with the thermometer I had.
So lower than target temps will result in higher abv and less malt flavor? Interesting.
I am pretty sure that didn't happen, but my thermometer would only reach about 6 inches down in.
 
It's worthwhile to check your thermometer, since a 2F error makes a noticeable difference in the wort. I had one that was 6F off!
 
That british ale yeast is good stuff. I used recycled British ale WL yeast in my first AG which was a BYO recipe lol. It turned out great, I did the Rotute 66 IPA. It did the job. What did you mash in?


(lol, I thinl I was drinking and responded to myself..yikes.)
 
cheezydemon said:
That british ale yeast is good stuff. I used recycled British ale WL yeast in my first AG which was a BYO recipe lol. It turned out great, I did the Rotute 66 IPA. It did the job. What did you mash in?

:confused:
 
cheezydemon said:
Yes I did hit the mash temps quite well, at least with the thermometer I had.
So lower than target temps will result in higher abv and less malt flavor? Interesting.
I am pretty sure that didn't happen, but my thermometer would only reach about 6 inches down in.

You need to learn your system first. Keeping the mash temp the same and changing the system can easily affect attenuation significantly. Make sure you keep accurate notes and brew it again. Next time choose the mash temp 2F higher and see what you get.

Kai
 
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