All my beers finish at 1.020. Help!

So I've been brewing with LME, dried yeast, and steeped specialty grains. I've got about 8 beers under my belt and ALL of them have finished at 1.020 (plus/minus .002). Did the math and that means that my big beers are getting 50-60% attenuation but my small beers only get about 30%. Why do all my beers finish at the same gravity? I've been using the generic bulk LME (dark and amber) from my LHBS and dried yeast. Nottingham, Windsor, and Doric all end about the same. I like my beers and for porters and stout 1.020 is OK but if I want to brew a lighter beer it ends up too sweet. What do I do?

Make starters and aerate!

Is it calibrated properly???

I had this problem also, try using a different LME. Order a kit from an online store and see if their LME does a better job. There could be too much dextrins and unfermentables in your LME which would keep your final specific gravity higher than what you would like.

I've seen/heard that some LME's have different finishing OGs. Guess I'll have to go name brand and see if that makes a difference. Maybe next time I'm in the brick and mortar store I'll grill the owner about what brand his "bulk" LME is.

_99, I've checked my hydrometer against tap water and it's VERY close to 1.00. Is there any other calibration checks to make?

Toot- I've been using dried yeast. I rehydrate in warm water according to the directions. Do you make a starter with dry yeast too or just liquid?

Thanks all.

If they all go down to 1.02, there's a good chance it's the LME. The DME I was buying from my LHBS only went down to 1.025 no matter what I did to it. A few Beano later, it went to 1.012. A great reason to go AG!

Are you using Laaglanders DME?

onecolumbyte said:

Toot- I've been using dried yeast. I rehydrate in warm water according to the directions. Do you make a starter with dry yeast too or just liquid?

Click to expand...

I've only used dried yeast once, but I don't see how it could hurt.

Starters are not necessary with dried yeast--an 11g packet of dried yeast has many time more yeast cells than a vial or smack-pack of liquid yeast.

Onecolumbyte: are you doing full boils? If you aren't, what are you using for top-off water? Poor aeration could be one explanation for poor attenuation.

Also, are you fermenting in very cool or vary unstable temperatures?

No I'm not doing full boils. I boil about 3 gallons and top off with tap water. So far I've only shaken to aerate.

I don't ferment cold (I live in CA) but unstable could describe my conditions. I generally just hide the fermentor away in the closet. Haven't had good temp control till just recently (new HVAC). Will unstable temps disrupt the yeast? The temp certaily never got much below 60 though.

2+ gals tap water plus shaking should be fine for aeration, and I think the yeasts you've been using should be pretty tolerant of temps down to around 60, although any yeast will prefer a stable temp.

I'd be more inclined to look at changing LME brands as others have suggested.

BierMuncher said:

Are you using Laaglanders DME?

Click to expand...

What brand DME are you using?

onecolumbyte said:

_99, I've checked my hydrometer against tap water and it's VERY close to 1.00. Is there any other calibration checks to make?

Click to expand...

That check (1.000) should be at 60F.

Is that an hour and 20 minutes? that's about the time I finish too ;-) lol couldn't help myself, had a couple HBs tonite.

I've been having the same exact problem. No matter what i do, i can't get the FG below 1.02. My first batch, i racked to secondary after 1 week following the 1-2-3 rule. The second batch, i kept stirring up the yeast sediment and left the beer in the primary for 15 days. No change after the first 6.

I used Windsor Dry Ale Yeast and i did a partial boil of AHS English Ale for the first and AHS Nut Brown Ale for the second. Both basically came with a white bucket with the various DME's and other ingredients. Both also had some steeping grains.

For top off water, i used bottled and i strained out the pellet hops with a strainer. I heard this really aerates the wort. I shook the second in the fermenter more to try to aerate.

Unstable temp could be a big problem, you can shell shock the yeast and they will not do there job like there are suppost to do. BUT I think that your DME is very good place to make a change and see what happens. Also a little O2 could not hurt anything.