Drying Beers

I noticed that many of my beers turn out a little too sweet for my tastes.
I was wondering what tips people have on "drying" beers.
I just purchased a stir plate and will start making good sized starters to increase initial yeast, but what else can I do?

All grain? Try mashing 2-3 degrees cooler than usual, maybe your thermometer is off a bit and you're mashing higher than you think you are. That should give you a more fermentable wort and a dryer end product.

I recently purchased a calibratable thermometer and found my old one to read a few degrees low. You may be on to something there...

Are there any ill effects from the lower mash temp? Lower efficiency?

Spludge said:

I recently purchased a calibratable thermometer and found my old one to read a few degrees low. You may be on to something there...

Are there any ill effects from the lower mash temp? Lower efficiency?

Click to expand...

The lower mash temp would give you less dextrinous and more fermentable wort. Higher mash temps give you less fermentable wort.

For a beer that I want light and crisp and dry, I mash as low as 148. This gives me good cream ales, and other beers I want pretty dry. For a "thick" beer, I've mashed as high as 158 for a higher FG and thicker mouthfeel. Most of the "regular" beers I do are APAs and IPAs and I mash them at 152-153.

If your themometer has been reading a few degrees low, you may have been mashing very high and that would explain the higher FGs.

Also check the amount of specialty grains that are in your recipes. They can contribute to more less fermentable dextrins as well.

I had the problem of a miscalibrated thermometer for a few batches. It was only when I started taking FGs that I realized it. When I went to calibrate, it was 5F off!
However, all of the resulting beers have been good, and I wouldn't describe them as sweet, more thick. However, SWMBO calls them sweet. We've found we have quite different concepts of sweet.
So, my solution is 2 mash thermometers. I stick them in the boil each batch, so they get high end calibration after every brew.