Not so Imperial

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Xiren

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I brewed an imperial stout last weekend. I checked the FG and it was only 1.023 while the SG was 1.072. Should I rehydrate a dry yeast packet and pitch it or should I just let it go? 3 days into primary, it was bubbling like a percolator. Looking at some of the ABV on some other stouts, mine is a little weak.
Thank you in advance. :mug:
 
At 66.2% attenuated, it's not done (unless you used a ton of non-fermentables). It really does depend on the recipe and the ingredients. What kind of yeast did you use? You should get at least down to 1.018 or so to have about 74% attenuation.
 
Yooper Chick said:
At 66.2% attenuated, it's not done (unless you used a ton of non-fermentables). It really does depend on the recipe and the ingredients. What kind of yeast did you use? You should get at least down to 1.018 or so to have about 74% attenuation.
Do you get consistent attenuations?
I have had attenuations from a mild using WLP002 that was under 60% to a Dubble that dropped from 1.064 to 1.005. I have just left the beer for 7-10 days in the primary and atleast 2 weeks in the secondary. If the gravity doesn't change in the secondary then I feel safe bottling.

1.074 doesn't sound bad for a RIS. Its on the small side of the range but still a big beer. Should be pretty tasty. I would just leave it in the primary for another week then transfer to the secondary to age for a while. No rush on a beer this big, it is going to take some time to get really good. I brewed a RIS the weekend before and I havn't even checked it yet.

Craig
 
Yooper Chick said:
At 66.2% attenuated, it's not done (unless you used a ton of non-fermentables). It really does depend on the recipe and the ingredients. What kind of yeast did you use? You should get at least down to 1.018 or so to have about 74% attenuation.
I used Northern Brewers kit HERE (second one down) I added nothing else to it. Should I swirl the beer to get some yeast back into suspension? Because I am getting no bubbles from the airlock.
 
I would probably just leave it alone for a few more days, then check the sg again. It could be gradually dropping, since it's close to finished. After looking at the yeast and ingredients you used, I'd expect it to finish around 1.020 or so.

I always get pretty good attenuation, depending on my ingredients. It's been a long time since I used extract though, and I'm sure some extracts are more fermentable than others. Still, I think right now time is all that you need. I wouldn't repitch or do anything for at least a week or so.
 
Yooper Chick said:
It's been a long time since I used extract though, and I'm sure some extracts are more fermentable than others. Still, I think right now time is all that you need. I wouldn't repitch or do anything for at least a week or so.
I bought the all grain kit.
 
hhhmmm anyone done this particular kit yet? I know there is a discussion going around about the brewers best RIS, I wonder how the two compare. I'd like to do one myself pretty soon.
 
Yooper Chick said:
Ah- what temp did you mash at?
I mashed in with 170*, but the grain pulled it down to 152*. I let it set for 60 min. I drained the wort and added some more 175* which was about 168*, and let it set for 10 min. Then I boiled for 60 min, adding my hops like it said. I used an immersion chiller to bring the temp down to 72* within 30 min and pitched my yeast. I sanitized 2 ale pale buckets and vigorously poured the wort back and forth until if I was to pour again, it would over flow. Put my airlock and let it set for a week.
 
Sounds good to me. Mashing at 152 would still make me think that you will finish around 1.020. I thought maybe you mashed really high, like at 158 and then I would expect a higher fg. I bet if you wait a week, you'll be down a couple of more points even though the airlock seems to indicate it's finished. You can never really rely on airlock activity.

Still, if it makes you feel like it might help, your gently swirling idea is a pretty good one! I'd say to recheck the sg in about a week or so and then if it's not decreasing we can start to worry!
 
Xiren said:
I used Northern Brewers kit HERE (second one down) I added nothing else to it. Should I swirl the beer to get some yeast back into suspension? Because I am getting no bubbles from the airlock.

That kit info lists Scottish Ale yeast - 69 to 73% attenuation. 71% would give a final gravity of 1.021 - right where your beer is. Swirl it and let it sit for another week - but don't be surprised if it is finished.
 
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