I know, don't dump it. But...

so stupid me partial mashed a nut brown and didn't add enough 2-row to fully convert my oats and rye and others. I am now a little wiser as result. My FG SG stabalized at 1.027. Ouch! It's now in the carboy. I'm wondering if this is even worth my troubles. I've certainly never drank a beer that sweet. Would you guys want to drink something like this? I figure I'll probably gain a good ten pounds from drinking two cases of it.

jmo88 said:

My FG SG stabalized at 1.027. Ouch!

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Does this mean your Final Gravity stabalized at 1.027? What was the recipe, yeast, ferm temp, and starting gravity?

You could make a starter and while the starter is actively fermenting dump it in the carboy/bucket and see if that gets your FG down. If you just dump more yeast in there it probably won't do anything.

What were you doing with rye in a nut brown ale?

Give it a try and see; can't taste it over the interwebs. You bottle or keg? The one thing I would be worried about if you bottle is whether it IS at final, final gravity, or whether it's stuck for some other reason (to get unstuck in the bottles; BOOM!).

is this the final gravity or the starting gravity? i thought you meant starting gravity but then you said it was sweet, which would imply you were tasting it as it was done?

need a bit more info!

Most of it does not come through as sweet - sweet mostly ferments away, and thick is left - of course, you may have unconverted starch as well, which may make for haze, but won't be sweet either.

I've brewed and enjoyed things with much higher FGs.

age well, leave in fermenter at least 3 weeks if you have not, drink it and see how it tastes.

the_bird said:

What were you doing with rye in a nut brown ale?

Give it a try and see; can't taste it over the interwebs. You bottle or keg? The one thing I would be worried about if you bottle is whether it IS at final, final gravity, or whether it's stuck for some other reason (to get unstuck in the bottles; BOOM!).

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yes, well I had rye in my inventory. And I thought it wouldn't hurt. But it actually did bc now I have unconverted starch. FG was a typo. I meant specific gravity (SG). I used two packs of Windsor. The brew is definately not getting lower in gravity. It stabalized at that same reading for six days.

Dump it? DUMP IT? Step back from that ledge my friend.
First of all, a PM came out that low?
Are you sure you did not get some layering when you took the OG sample?
Did you forget to add the LME/DME?
Can you buy some DME/LME at a LHBS to bump it up?
Do some basic math to save your beer! Bring it back to life!
Worst case, add some honey and make a braggot.
Come on your a homebrewer. You have a problem, fix it
Never ever give up, and for God's sake never dump a beer unless it taste like ..............

Kauai_Kahuna said:

Dump it? DUMP IT? Step back from that ledge my friend.
First of all, a PM came out that low?
Are you sure you did not get some layering when you took the OG sample?
Did you forget to add the LME/DME?
Can you buy some DME/LME at a LHBS to bump it up?
Do some basic math to save your beer! Bring it back to life!
Worst case, add some honey and make a braggot.
Come on your a homebrewer. You have a problem, fix it
Never ever give up, and for God's sake never dump a beer unless it taste like ..............

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You are right in your sentiment not to dump it Kauai but you have misread the thread. This is not a starting gravity it is a final gravity. The OP is right that the FG is caused by starches and other unfermentables.

JMO, I bet the beer still comes out pretty tasty if you give it enough time. I have a Belgian strong in the fermenter right now that has an intended FG of 1.019. Time heals all ales. (well mostly)

I think the honey is an interesting idea. If you sample some and it just seems way too thick you could turn it into a braggot by adding some honey and let that ferment out, that should dry it out some since honey is almost completely fermentable. Also the other question I have is what was your Original Gravity?

Just see it through the entire process, and bottle it and leave it alone, and you will probably end up with the best beer you ever made, and will never be able to reproduce...When we say don't dump your beer, we're not blowing smoke up you a$$...We're talking from experience....

Your beer is no different from anyone else's...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/ne...virtue-time-heals-all-things-even-beer-73254/

If you don't like the taste, dump it. There are far to many people who would drink anything they make regardless of taste. If it's not good after it's been properly aged, flush it. My motto is don't relax and drink crappy homebrew.

wildwest450 said:

If you don't like the taste, dump it. There are far to many people who would drink anything they make regardless of taste. If it's not good after it's been properly aged, flush it. My motto is don't relax and drink crappy homebrew.

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Ha! Wow, I never expected anybody to say that on here. You have a point though. My OG was 1.056 and I stabilized at 1.027 for several days due to the starches and I am not sure that honey would help since it is in the secondary now. Or would it? Normally I think I would be happy to see it though but this was my last PM before making the switch to all grain. I now feel somewhat enlightened from my first all grain and feel like this high FG is my redheaded-step-child. Can't wait to do more AG's. I'll see it through, but I am just wondering if anyone has ever done something similar and what the aging and tasting results were.

Yes I have had a similar situation. A Sweet Stout. When I first tried it at like 4 weeks in bottles it had four distinct flavors: hoppy, maple syrup, burnt caramel, and hot fusel alcohol. It was terrible. At the time (this was 14 years ago) I had no internet to offer immediate advice so I just put the two cases in the corner of my root cellar and forgot about them. 6 months later it was one of the finest stouts I had ever tasted.

I guess the point is that such a heavyweight will need quite a bit of time to beat its individual components into submission. What's it cost you to wait? Loss of the use of two cases of bottling for a few months. A lot of people can't or won't afford that. If you can, why not see where it stands then.

I agree with revvy, what is it going to hurt you are already financially invested in the brew and you created it, so see it out. It is your immediate family now would you just dump your mom out in the yard for your dogs to get drunk on.... I didn't think so

If you like the taste - end of story
If its too heavy tasting - dilute it with water and call it a low alcohol beer.
or- make a super dry beer to blend it with.

dontman said:

You are right in your sentiment not to dump it Kauai but you have misread the thread. This is not a starting gravity it is a final gravity. The OP is right that the FG is caused by starches and other unfermentables.

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Yes, I thought the OG was the FG, but my answer still stands. See the brew through.
Do a few "quality control" samples, and if you have the space to store it keep around. Most beers really do improve with time unless it is a very light. Take notes, and you may be surprised what a few weeks to months will do. Cheers,