Pitch more Yeast?

Hey everyone,

It's been a while since I've posted in this space but I've been quite an avid lurker and I appreciate all the help I've been able to get from the board (and from Mr. Papazian) for my first partial mash.

To get everyone up to speed on what I'm up to, my first brew is the american pale ale highlighted in John Palmer's online manual - http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter19-3.html - I figured it would be a good entry level for a noob.

I had no issues getting all the necissary materials (though I am thouroughly envious of you guys in the US and your humongous selection), and a little more difficulty getting all the ingredients, but eventually I had assembled everything I needed. (Thanks to canadianhomebrewing.ca & paddockwood.com).

Brew day (last saturday) went off without a hitch, though thanks to a malfunctioning probe thermometer, I was cooling my wort for almost two hours , but I'd like to think my dedication to sanitation prevented any nasties from getting in there. (OG - 1.047)

At any rate, the wort has been bubbling along for a week and friday night I transfered it to the secondary. The transfer was definitely not "quiet", I hope that doesn't become an issue. I took a gravity reading during transfer - 1.010 - so I think there's some fermenting yet to be done, but the secondary has been quiet, the bubbler sitting sadly, not acknowldging my concern. I, on the other hand, have been bubbling with worry over my apparently sick wort.

In a stroke of brilliance, i thought it may help to pitch more yeast for that last kick at the fermentation can, but before i go ahead and do that I wanted to run it by you guys. Am I being overly concerned? Is it allright that the final product have has a gravity of around 1.010? (I refered to the recipie and there was no guidance around final gravity)

As a bonus question, if it is normal for a wort not to ferment all the way to near 1.000, why? There are surely live yeasts in there no?

At any rate, appologies for the long-ish post, and thanks in advance for the help!

Your beer is done! You can calculate the attenuation this way:

%ApparentAttenuation = 100 - ((10 / 47) * 100) = 78.72


You are at over 78% attenuated. So, depending on the strain of yeast you used, you can't really expect any more!

Beer doesn't usually ferment below 1.010 no matter what the style- there are still unfermentables in there. It's not wine! And good thing it doesn't go much lower- the beer would be way too dry to drink.

Fg for your style of beer is 1.008-1.013 according to the page you linked to:
American Pale Ale
American pale ale is an adaptation of classic British pale ale. The American Ale yeast strain produces less esters than comparable ale yeasts, and thus American pale ale has a less fruity taste than its British counterpart. American pale ales vary in color from gold to dark amber and typically have a hint of sweet caramel from the use of crystal malt that does not mask the hop finish. With the resurgence of interest in ales in the United States, American pale ale evolved from a renewed interest in American hop varieties and a higher level of bitterness as microbreweries experimented with craft brewing. The Cascade hop has become a staple of American microbrewing and is the signature hop for American pale ales. It has a distinctive citrusy aroma compared to European hops and has enabled American pale ale to stand shoulder to shoulder with other classic beer styles.

OG: 1.045 - 1.055
FG: 1.008 - 1.013
25 - 45 IBUs

Lol!
First off - Yooper chick, thank you kindly for your general guidance on FG's. But more importantly, thank you for reminding me that I shouldn't do such a half-assed job of reading recipies... imagine my embarrassment on this one...

theminister said:

Lol!
First off - Yooper chick, thank you kindly for your general guidance on FG's. But more importantly, thank you for reminding me that I shouldn't do such a half-assed job of reading recipies... imagine my embarrassment on this one...

Click to expand...

No, don't be embarrassed! There is lots of information on that one page, and the f.g is not in the recipe where I would expect to see it.

Your beer should be tasting pretty good, right? (You did drink the sample you took, right?)

It is quite tasty, though it did have a mouthfeel that was a little light. All the flavours were present but muted; will two seeks in the secondary do anything to turn up the volume on the tame flavours?

Yes, you'll be much more pleased with the beer in a month! Conditioning makes a big difference- I just always sample to "make sure" things are heading in the right direction.

There will be an enormous difference in taste after a few weeks in the secondary. You will be glad you waited

Plus the carbonation will lend a better mouthfeel to the beer.

And welcome to a fellow canuck. Also you could check out these guys
in Halifax http://www.betterbrew.com/ . They may be closer to you.
If you are in Ontario then perhaps you should join in with us here
http://barleyment.wort.ca/biz/?biz=48 as we do bulk orders from time to time.

The reassurance is appreciated... I'll be sure to submit my report once the official first tasting has taken place