another "high SG question" thread

i've made this specific batch of beer several times. the fg is always around 1.008, and it always ferments out in around 5-7 days. i usually let it sit in the primary for 10-14 days, then force carb, and it's delicious immedeatly. it never tastes "green" or bad from day one, it's always great.

it's been 7 days now, and the SG has been stuck at 1.014 for three days now.

i know all the usual answers about waiting itout, possibly repitching, blah, blah. my question is a bit different though.

what i want to do is just go ahead and rack it to my keg, cool it, and force carb it so that i can have it for a party this weekend. the beer tastes fine, not overly sweet at all, and tastes just about like the other several batches i've made of it.

when i cool the beer in the keg, it will kill off the yeasties, and stop/fix the fermentation, right? and then the beer should be drinkable, but just be a tad bit sweeter, and less ABV then usual i'm thinking, i just wanted to make sure there wasn't something dumb i was overlooking.

thanks,

brian

It won't kill the yeast, but they should definitely go dormant and fall out. I don't see why this wouldn't work, what was your OG? It may just be that you didn't get the same attenuation for some reason (less healthy yeast, different temps, etc).

thebikingengineer said:

It won't kill the yeast, but they should definitely go dormant and fall out. I don't see why this wouldn't work, what was your OG? It may just be that you didn't get the same attenuation for some reason (less healthy yeast, different temps, etc).

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og was 1.057 and yes, it was 2nd generation yeast, with a starter, and the temps were quite a bit colder for a bit than usual, so i thought about that. i just didn't know that that could account for that much difference in final gravity. it usually finishes at 1.008

Is it possible that your SG was higher than normal? Basically got the same attenuation, but a higher FG?

cubbies said:

Is it possible that your SG was higher than normal? Basically got the same attenuation, but a higher FG?

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no
my OG was the same as it's been the last 5 batches of this recipe.

This might not need a fix. 1.057 down to 1.008 would give you 85% attenuation while 1.057 down to 1.014 would give you 75% which is more in line with most yeast strains. With out knowing the specifics, you mention that you fermented @ a colder temp and I would guess more inline with the temp that the yeast achieves its typical attenuation. Fermenting warm is one of the factors that leads to over attenuation.

brewt00l said:

This might not need a fix. 1.057 down to 1.008 would give you 85% attenuation while 1.057 down to 1.014 would give you 75% which is more in line with most yeast strains. With out knowing the specifics, you mention that you fermented @ a colder temp and I would guess more inline with the temp that the yeast achieves its typical attenuation. Fermenting warm is one of the factors that leads to over attenuation.

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i'm kind of thinking that too. it's wyeast i forget the number but its a kolsch yeast. i've been told it "acts like a lager yeast, and prefers colder temps, but is top fermenting, and works well with ale temps".

i've always fermented it at room temp, which is usually around 70 degrees. this time though, it was hotter in the house, so i stuck it in a cold bath for a couple days, and it got down to around 60 degrees, so that may actually be a better temp for that strain of yeast and gets more where the attenuation is "supposed" to be.

Is it possible that you mashed too hot? My IPA finished at 1.016 owing to thermometer issues.

Natural variation from batch to batch is part of homebrewing. I would just shrug this off.

Now, if it happens three times in a row, then you've got the makings of a trend and something systematic is probably going on.

Until then, I would RDWHAHB.