Imperial IPA stuck at 1.030

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IHateMayonnaise

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Hello!

Was wondering if I could get some advice on my current batch of beer. It's an Imperial IPA, my goal was something similar to the dogfishhead 90 min IIPA. So had a 90 min boil continuously hopped with Amarillo, Columbus, and Nugget. I added an appropriate amount of DME and LME according to the recipe that I used from the local brewshop, and also added a bit more sugar near the end of the boil. I used a yeast starter. The OG was 1.110 (!)

Was in primary for 2 weeks; I just racked it into my secondary fermenter, a 5 gal carboy with three ounces of whole leaf hops. The FG was 1.030, so the ABV = (1.110-1.030)*130=10.4%.

My question: should I be worried that my FG isn't down more? I think the alcohol level is fine, much more than what I have now and I would be verging on a barley-wine, which is not really what I want. On the other hand, having a FG of 1.030 would indicate that I still have quite a bit of sugar still present in the wort, and I'm wondering if I should worry more about getting this down rather than keeping the alcohol level reasonable.

I was thinking of keeping it in my secondary for one week, or perhaps two, but I wouldn't imagine that the gravity would change much while in the carboy. Should I add a little more yeast? Should I wait longer? Should I not worry about it? Thoughts?

Thanks yall

IHateMayonnaise
 
keep it in the secondary a week or so and take another reading, if it doesn't go down don't worry 1.030 isn't bad for an imperial IPA.
 
I would wait another week or four, and warm it up (if its below 75 or so). In the future, dont rack off the yeast until you reach FG. I have never dropped more than a point in secondary. With an OG that big, and using extract, you may in fact be done. What yeast did you use? How much crystal malt (if any) was in the recipe? Its best not to rush a big beer like this, so dont be in a hurry to do anything. Its probably going to be kinda hot for a couple months anyway.
 
What yeast did you use? What was the recipe? What percentages of extract vs table sugar.. Etc, Etc, Etc

A 70% apparent attenuation for an extract batch is acceptable, depending on yeast and wort composition.
 
Thanks for the replies!

The yeast was White Labs California Ale liquid yeast. I used 6 lb Gold Liquid Malt and 4 lb Gold Dry Malt. I instituted 1.5 lbs of clear candi sugar during the boil.

What does it mean to be "hot"? Yes, perhaps I should have waited a bit longer..
 
Hot means rocket-fuel tasting. Big beers need some time to mellow out. If you bottle now and drink in 3 weeks, you will taste hot for yourself :).

Do yourself a favor and save a few, to see how they progress over time.
 
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