Beer turning out like syrup..?

All in all i screwed up a batch of high gravity CDA.... Original gravity ended up being 1.109 instead of the 1.080 I was looking for. Using Wyeast American Ale II 1272 I have been able to ferment it down to 1.020. 11.71%ABV. Bubbling out of the air lock stopped.

I racked the primary into the secondary to seperate out some of the trub before kegging. At that time I usually take a few ounces as a sample.

After I siphoned it into the secondary it started bubbling again. Slowly

The sample feels like syurp. Pours really thick like hot maple syrup. Taste is spot on with what I was expecting.

What can I do to make the "syrup" feel go away/thin out?

Was it extract, PM, or AG?

That is actually a pretty low FG for a 1.109 OG beer. If that is correct, kudos to you for saving the batch. But I wonder if it is correct by your description. A 1.020 FG beer shouldn't be that viscous and syrupy.

It may end up being really sweet given that you overshot your gravity (unless of course you added more bittering hops to compensate). Once you carbonate it (perhaps go a little over what you originally intended), it should balance out better, though.

Regarding the airlock activity in the secondary, if it was very short-lived, you were probably observing CO2 coming out of suspension when you racked the beer, rather than actual CO2 production by actively fermenting yeast (although the agitation of racking might have stimulated a bit of that as well).

FlyGuy said:

That is actually a pretty low FG for a 1.109 OG beer. If that is correct, kudos to you for saving the batch. But I wonder if it is correct by your description. A 1.020 FG beer shouldn't be that viscous and syrupy.

It may end up being really sweet given that you overshot your gravity (unless of course you added more bittering hops to compensate). Once you carbonate it (perhaps go a little over what you originally intended), it should balance out better, though.

Regarding the airlock activity in the secondary, if it was very short-lived, you were probably observing CO2 coming out of suspension when you racked the beer, rather than actual CO2 production by actively fermenting yeast (although the agitation of racking might have stimulated a bit of that as well).

Click to expand...

Recipe
Amount Item Type % or IBU
10.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 62.50 %
2.00 lb Carafa III (525.0 SRM) Grain 12.50 %
2.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.80 %] (60 min) Hops 75.2 IBU
1.00 oz Cluster [6.70 %] (15 min) Hops 8.4 IBU
2.00 oz Cluster [6.70 %] (1 min) Hops 1.5 IBU
4.00 lb Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 25.00 %
2xWyeast American Ale II 1272

*NOTE* Carafa III was added to the mash tun just before sparging(I wanted the color not the flavor)

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.109 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.109 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.027 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.020 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 10.79 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 11.71 %
Bitterness: 85.1 IBU Calories: 514 cal/pint
Est Color: 63.8 SRM Color: Color

I have 4.5 gallons in the fermenter. I oxygenated the beer just before pitching 2 packets of yeast. Started fermentation at 64F slowly brought it to 72F. It is seriously viscous.

Edit-- I rechecked the FG. 1.020 on the dot.

For what its worth, I did a Russian Imperial a few months ago...when I racked into secondary it was really thick.

It seemed to work itself out (or I didnt notice it after a pint).

My second batch didnt seem as thick so I'm pretty curious about this also.

That's pretty hoppy. I bet it turns out just fine once you carb it up! Let us know.

FlyGuy said:

That's pretty hoppy. I bet it turns out just fine once you carb it up! Let us know.

Click to expand...

I hope so.... If it doesn't I'd be kinda pissed. Out of the three real high gravity brews I've made... Only one of them has turned out well.