Black IPA fermented too low! wth

so here's my grain bill (AG):

11 lbs. domestic 2-row
1 lb. light crystal/caramel
10 oz. carafa II
5 oz. special roast
4 oz. cara-pils

+hops for an IBU count around 61

yeast is WLP001

i mashed at 151-152 for 75 minutes, OG was 1.063

my sample last night was 1.008 - WAY too dry, and it certainly tasted like it...was expecting around 1.016

what is this craziness? how did i mess this up? and why doesn't Beersmith estimate FGs correctly?

and how do i fix it - i was reading about adding maltodextrin to make up for it - how's that work?

You can't fix it, as far as I know.

I had this problem when I didn't do a mash out or start the boil right away. I had slowly cooling wort that still had all of the active enzymes. It has corrected itself since I started using a mash out.

ah - i've been skipping mash out...didn't think it'd be a big deal...DARN IT!!

so, i guess i should review some basics here - i figured with a good amount of unfermentable grain, the gravity wouldn't have a chance to get that low...what's the flaw in my thinking?

What yeast and what temp was it fermented at?

this was WLP001 - fermented at around 68F...using ice bottles and water bath

Maltodextrin will make up for the lack of body, but there's nothing you can really do about the dryness, I'm afraid.

Couldn't you add lactose or some other un - or less-fermentable adjunct at this point? I've never done this and it ain't exactly rheinheitsgetbot, but you might get the result you want. I've heard of others trying it to bulk up body and add a little sweetness.

i used to run into this a lot becuase i was afraid to raise the mash temp for fear of being cloying... i rarely mash under 154 unless i really am shooting for a dry beer. you still have close to 85% basemalt so i'm not surprised mashing at 151-152 you got that much attenuation.

If you really think you won't enjoy it as is, you could follow the suggestions above for adding either maltodextrine for mouthfeel and body, and/or lactose for sweetness. Boil them up in a little water and add them straight to the secondary/bottling bucket/keg to taste.

Style guidelines for an IPA are down to 1.010 (BTP doesn't have a black IPA yet) so you're not that far off. Add a a mashout step if you are concerned, or perhaps mash for only one hour, but at a slightly higher temp. You may also try upping your percentage of dextrinous malts in the future. As others have said, you can tinker with it--but I don't think it's too far off. While you may have been shooting for something sweeter, that WLP001 is a pretty thorough yeasty. I tend to prefer drier beers so for me that would be OK for me but to each his own.

PS-I always, always, always count on the WLP001 attenuating at around 85%. (With a huge starter, I actually got 88% one time from it)

PSS-I've been ranting to my buds lately about the SW programs and their inability to calculate dextrin formation as a function of mash temp. It would seem that this is where the 'art' of brewing begins and the 'science' part ends; at least where brewing SW is concerned

shroomzofdoom said:

... Add a a mashout step if you are concerned, or perhaps mash for only one hour, but at a slightly higher temp.

Click to expand...

+1 and +1. I was regularly drying out my beers before I started using a mashout step. And the one hour guideline is just that, a guideline. I usually start testing the mash with iodine around 40 min or so into the mash.

I start my sparge water heating before I ever mash in so that it's always ready well before I even come close to the end of my mash. I had trouble with a porter awhile back where I was testing positive on iodine but my sparge water was still a good 30-40F from where I needed it.

I am not yet set up to begin my boil before I have finished collecting my full volume of wort, but that suggestion is valid as well.

Shutting down enzyme activity once starch conversion is complete is a key factor in better body and keeping a beer (especially with an attenuative yeast like WLP001) from getting too dry

wow - i've read everyone's comments and i really appreciate the feedback...what i've learned here makes my foul up worth it...this forum rocks :rockin:

+1 on the WLP001 attenuation. If you don't have a lot of unfermentable specialty grains you should mash pretty high with wlp001. I mash my pales around 155F using wlp001 and I still get down around 1010.

Stopping those enzymes after the rest is just as important too. Especially for repeatability.

I like my IPAs dry so I tend to mash a little lower with them.

My 2 cents.

That's worth more than 2 cents to me. Thanks, Buddy.

I guess I never added it up in my head to pay careful consideration to the manufacturer's attenuation rates and what it all means. So now I know this is vital.

You could always make another batch of beer and blend the two together...

So after a taste test last night, we just decided to bottle the beer as is. It's dry, but actually has some really nice flavors coming through which actually compliment the dryness. Thanks for all the feedback - will certainly be applying it to the batches to come.

So after all the worry, we popped one open not even a week after bottling and it's turning into something fantastic. The dryness really seems to work.

Glad to hear it!!! I just started tasting my black IPA, it's been on gas for about 2 weeks. I went a bit heavier on the Carafa (1 lb) and Chocolate Malt (.75) Even with all the dextrins I still came out with 1.011. I mashed at around 150 and also didn't mash out (I generally like drier beers)

Interesting taste though; it's either a love it or hate it thing. All that Carafa gives a palate reminiscient of Starbucks French Roast with a hop wallop. I have heard it described as a 'hoppy porter' but it's not very sweet at all.

Not sure why, but this beer seems to have a hard time taking aromatics. I dry hopped with 2 oz pellets and it barely had a nose. After that I kegged it with another 3 oz pellet/whole hops and it now has some aroma.

A very odd beer indeed.

How does pale black work exactly?

It is technically a misnomer. Generally speaking, black ipa/cascadian ipa areboth misnomers IMHO.

Think character and hop profile of an IPA... Just black. Usually uses dehusked carafa for color which imparts coffee/burnt

I like my beers dry. Too much body and I feel like I'm drinking that stuff they give to old people who can't reliably swallow on their own... its like thickened water and it creeps me out. Good on ya for attenuating like a pro!