tonyolympia
Well-Known Member
I am on day 9 of fermenting a 1055 OG APA with Wyeast 1272, American Ale II. I pitched a 1 liter starter at 66F. The temp rose to 70F in 24 hours where it has held since.* My yeast fermented vigorously for a few days and then flocculated, by about day 5, I'd say.
(*There was an episode yesterday--day 8 of fermentation--where the carboy rose to 74F for about 6 hours because the room got too hot. I moved it to another room, and it returned to 70.)
Back to my story. This morning I took a gravity reading, expecting to be at FG, but I was about .005 high. I'm trying to understand why.
Here's what the Wyeast web site says about 1272:
With many of the best qualities that brewers look for when brewing American styles of beer, this strain’s performance is consistent and it makes great beer. This versatile strain is a very good choice for a “House” strain. Expect a soft, clean profile with hints of nut, and a slightly tart finish. Ferment at warmer temperatures to accentuate hop character with an increased fruitiness. Or, ferment cool for a clean, light citrus character. It attenuates well and is reliably flocculent, producing bright beer without filtration.
Origin:
Flocculation: Medium-High
Attenuation: 72-76%
Temperature Range: 60-72F, 15-22C
Alcohol Tolerance: 10% ABV
And in their brochure:
Expect good attenuation, but this will vary with grist makeup, mashing protocol, or other wort characteristics.
With an 1055 OG, 72-76% attenuation would be 1013 - 1015. This morning I'm at ~1020. My first thought was this could be fixed by a little yeast rousing, a little heat, and a whole lot of patience. I can do all that.
My second thought was that I might have already fully attenuated, based on my grist makeup and mashing protocol. My APA was mashed at 154 for one hour, and the grain bill contains .25 lbs CaraPils/Dextrin Malt, which is 5% for a 2.5 gallon batch. I purposefully chose this mash temp and grain addition to provide body and head retention. The problem is that since this is my first all grain batch, I don't understand whether, how, or the extent to which these choices might have limited the fermentability of my wort.
My specific question is this: is it possible that full attenuation in this instance could be 1020? Is it possible to get full attenuation outside of the 72-76% range cited by Wyeast?
Incidentally, the hydro sample was delicious. I don't know if I'm tasting the Munich malt (see below for my recipe) or the slight nutty flavor that Wyeast promised, but right now this APA has a wonderful hazelnut flavor. It's beguiling, really. I've been thinking about it all day.
If this beer doesn't hit 1015 after another two weeks I won't mind a bit. I just don't want to bottle when the yeast might have more work to do--I'm afraid of bottle bombs. I also see this as an opportunity to get to know the yeast better.
Any thoughts from yeast experts and experienced brewers would be welcome.
Here's the beer:
American Pale Ale
2.5 Gallon batch (3.8 gallon pre-boil, 3 gallon post-boil)
OG 1.055
~27 IBU
~8 SRM
4lb 2-Row Malt
0.75lb Munich Malt (10 L)
0.25lb CaraPils
(All crushed for BIAB)
Mash at 154 F
.25 oz loose Simcoe - FWH
.25 Simcoe - 10 minutes
.25 Simcoe - 1 minute
Boil 60 minutes
Ferment at ~68 F with Wyeast 1272, American Ale II
(*There was an episode yesterday--day 8 of fermentation--where the carboy rose to 74F for about 6 hours because the room got too hot. I moved it to another room, and it returned to 70.)
Back to my story. This morning I took a gravity reading, expecting to be at FG, but I was about .005 high. I'm trying to understand why.
Here's what the Wyeast web site says about 1272:
With many of the best qualities that brewers look for when brewing American styles of beer, this strain’s performance is consistent and it makes great beer. This versatile strain is a very good choice for a “House” strain. Expect a soft, clean profile with hints of nut, and a slightly tart finish. Ferment at warmer temperatures to accentuate hop character with an increased fruitiness. Or, ferment cool for a clean, light citrus character. It attenuates well and is reliably flocculent, producing bright beer without filtration.
Origin:
Flocculation: Medium-High
Attenuation: 72-76%
Temperature Range: 60-72F, 15-22C
Alcohol Tolerance: 10% ABV
And in their brochure:
Expect good attenuation, but this will vary with grist makeup, mashing protocol, or other wort characteristics.
With an 1055 OG, 72-76% attenuation would be 1013 - 1015. This morning I'm at ~1020. My first thought was this could be fixed by a little yeast rousing, a little heat, and a whole lot of patience. I can do all that.
My second thought was that I might have already fully attenuated, based on my grist makeup and mashing protocol. My APA was mashed at 154 for one hour, and the grain bill contains .25 lbs CaraPils/Dextrin Malt, which is 5% for a 2.5 gallon batch. I purposefully chose this mash temp and grain addition to provide body and head retention. The problem is that since this is my first all grain batch, I don't understand whether, how, or the extent to which these choices might have limited the fermentability of my wort.
My specific question is this: is it possible that full attenuation in this instance could be 1020? Is it possible to get full attenuation outside of the 72-76% range cited by Wyeast?
Incidentally, the hydro sample was delicious. I don't know if I'm tasting the Munich malt (see below for my recipe) or the slight nutty flavor that Wyeast promised, but right now this APA has a wonderful hazelnut flavor. It's beguiling, really. I've been thinking about it all day.
If this beer doesn't hit 1015 after another two weeks I won't mind a bit. I just don't want to bottle when the yeast might have more work to do--I'm afraid of bottle bombs. I also see this as an opportunity to get to know the yeast better.
Any thoughts from yeast experts and experienced brewers would be welcome.
Here's the beer:
American Pale Ale
2.5 Gallon batch (3.8 gallon pre-boil, 3 gallon post-boil)
OG 1.055
~27 IBU
~8 SRM
4lb 2-Row Malt
0.75lb Munich Malt (10 L)
0.25lb CaraPils
(All crushed for BIAB)
Mash at 154 F
.25 oz loose Simcoe - FWH
.25 Simcoe - 10 minutes
.25 Simcoe - 1 minute
Boil 60 minutes
Ferment at ~68 F with Wyeast 1272, American Ale II