European bock

I've read the wiki info, but still unsure. I brewed Brewer's Best Euro Bock and the FG was supposed to be 1.014-1.018.

I measured it a week ago and it was at 1.030. I measured it again a week later and it's at 1.030. On top of this, the brew has been in my primary now for 4 weeks as of today.

Do I bottle it with this high gravity or pitch more yeast.

I think I might have pitched the first yeast at a higher then recommended temperature. That's because, my beginners kit did not come with a thermometer! I didn't realize until I started brewing.

I did shake up the primary about a week ago and got some air bubbles in the air lock, but it did not change the gravitiy readings in one week.

Maybe the yeast failed to complete the job?

Any suggestions would be greated appreciated.
The beer smells terrific so I'm hoping to get this in the bottles soon!!

Thanks!

1.030 is going to be a little thick and kind of cloying to drink. You can try to pitch more yeast, or just bottle and improve on your next batch. Adding more yeast at this stage of the game doesn't always work as planned as the yeast quickly get stressed from the alcohol level.

A few suggestions for better attenuation on your next batches:

1. Pitch the correct amount of yeast at the correct temperature. Getting a thermometer will certainly help with that. BTW, I don't think most kits come with a thermometer, mine didn't.
2. Aerate your wort well as the yeast need oxygen in the beginning of fermentation.
3. Try to control the temperature of fermentation once the yeast is pitched. It's crucial to make the yeast as happy as possible so they can do their job. The temperature of the beer is what counts, not the ambient temperature of the room. I've found the beer can be up to +10F (probably 5 degree C, or so warmer).

Hope this helps. I say if you like the beer, to bottle it, drink it and move on.

Don't bottle yet.

What was your recipe, fermentation temperature(s), yeast, etc.?

I would at least warm the carboy up and rouse the yeast again while you gather the recipe details for us.

Thanks. A cloying beer sounds kind of unpleasant. Well, I made quite a few rookie mistakes here for sure.

I followed the recipe and pitched the amount of yeast instructed. Since I didn't have a thermometer I had to guess at the steeping temperature and the temp at which I pitched the yeast.

I did not know to aerate my wort so I missed that part.

The fermentation temp was a steady ambient 59 F. The recipe said that would be good as it was a lagering yeast. It advised the yeast could be fermented at 53-59f for lager or 64-72f for ale. Can't remember the name of the yeast.

During the 4th week I moved the fermenter to warm it to 65f and shook the primary to rouse the yeast again. However, the hyrdrometer stated at 1.030.


Recipe is below
6.6 lbs MUNICH LME
2 LBS GOLDEN LME
8 OZ MALTODEXTRIN

SPECIALTY GRAINS
8 OZ CARAMEL 120L
4 OZ CHOCOLATE
4 OZ CARAPILS

HOPS
.75 OZ BITTERING
.25 OZ AROMA

1 YEAST PACKET

Those instructions sound pretty bad, aerating the wort is crucial to help the yeast multiply in numbers. Do you know the yeast strain, or the brand of yeast? 53-72F is a wide range and I don't know many yeast that could handle those different temperatures and still ferment your beer completely.

You can try adding more yeast and seeing what happens. Maybe you'll get the beer down a few more points. At four weeks, there's not a lot of magic you can do with the yeast you already have, at least that's been my experience. You've already moved the fermenter to a warmer location and roused the yeast back into suspension.

Does it matter what kind of yeast?
and should it be liquid or dry?

Thanks!

mainecanoe said:

Does it matter what kind of yeast?
and should it be liquid or dry?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

I'd probably use a clean tasting dry yeast. The dry yeast have more cells right out of the package compared to the liquid yeast. Something like Safale US-05 might do the trick. Definitely rehydrate the yeast first, http://www.fermentis.com/fo/pdf/HB/EN/Safale_US-05_HB.pdf. I put the water in a pyrex measuring thing, bring it to a short boil in the microwave, cool the water, add the yeast, cover and let the yeast foam up (about 30 minutes), then pitch in a manner that avoids excessive splashing as you don't want to aerate/oxygenate your beer at this stage.

Thanks pieman. I'll let you know what happens.

I bought the Safale US-05 yeast. Just waiting for it to hydrate. We'll see what happend. Fingers crossed

A bock is a lager and really should be done with lager yeast, fermented in the 48-50F range. The ale yeast might get the job done at this point and give you something you can bottle.

Temperature control is critical for lagers, you might knock out a few ales to get your flow and technique down...that will give you beer in the pipeline since most lagers need 6-8 weeks below 40F to lager.

I pitched the Safale US-05 yeast last night and the air lock is bubbling.

Cool, you should end up with something more drinkable after the US-05 do their job.

I agree with helibrewer's comment. For future batches, using the appropriate yeast for the beer you're attempting to make is very important. As well as using the correct amount of yeast and keeping fermentation within the yeast's temperature range.

The yeast provided to you in this kit is not appropriate for this style of beer. It seems like a very generic yeast as the temperature range is very wide. A lager yeast strain would have been the correct choice. If you don't have the equipment to keep beer at lagering temperatures, I'd recommend sticking with ales which ferment closer to room temperature. The importance of the yeast can't be underestimated, as the brewer, you make a sugary, hoppy, liquid called wort, the yeast make wort into beer. It's your job to use the right yeast, at the right amount, and keep the yeast happy by properly aerating the wort and keeping the yeast at their desired temperature. I hope you're able to salvage this batch and make a drinkable beer, but I thought it was worth mentioning this to help with future brews. Hopefully you have a home brew store that can assist you with future batches and carries a wide selection of yeast and other ingredients.

I pitched the yeast Wednesday night so it's been about 65 hours or so. I just took another reading. It's still at 1.030. The gravity has not moved even a point. I guess I'll bottle it and see what becomes of it.
Maybe it will taste like a mild brown ale? instead of a bock.

I bottled it on May 7. Tried one just to check it. Carbonated nicely, but tasted super sweet. Does anyone think this will lose some of it's sweetness by conditioning? I wouldn't think so, but I'm totally new to brewing. Any thoughts?

When things work right the first time, we don't learn as much. Next brew, try a low octane beer. Something you don't need to age out. There's this rule of thumb. One week of lagering per degree Plato. If your brew started out around 1064, that's about 16 degree Plato. 16 weeks.... Take a look at White Labs 810.

mainecanoe said:

I bottled it on May 7. Tried one just to check it. Carbonated nicely, but tasted super sweet. Does anyone think this will lose some of it's sweetness by conditioning? I wouldn't think so, but I'm totally new to brewing. Any thoughts?

Click to expand...

In my experience, the carbonation helps a little bit, but the sweetness is pretty much there to stay. It's basically unfermented sugars and they don't just disappear. Sorry man, I wish I had better news.

Thanks for the feedback. I did learn from this one. Big time.

3 weeks in the bottle and it's still super sweet or has a cloying taste; HOWEVER, it is improving. Maybe in another 3 months, it will ok,

I just started this same brew yesterday boiled it up pitched kind of warm around 75 degrees, I really hope I didn't kill it already b/c it's lager yeast. Stashed her in the basement where it's about 65 degrees right now. Question, should I keep my primary in a tub of cold water and ice packs to get temps down to a more suitable sub 60 degree range? Don't want to end up with a half finished beer.

bill72080 said:

I just started this same brew yesterday boiled it up pitched kind of warm around 75 degrees, I really hope I didn't kill it already b/c it's lager yeast. Stashed her in the basement where it's about 65 degrees right now. Question, should I keep my primary in a tub of cold water and ice packs to get temps down to a more suitable sub 60 degree range? Don't want to end up with a half finished beer.

Click to expand...

Yes, I would follow the lager instuctions if you have the same yeast as mainecanoe. Do you have additional info on the yeast that came with this kit?

You may want to consider a different yeast strain if you choose to brew this again. I don't trust a yeast that says it can be either a lager or an ale. Lager and ale yeasts are two different species of yeast.

Yeah that yeast is the same. I just tossed the bucket out in the cold to bring it down a few degrees. Hopefully I'll get lucky and a good turnout.

Two weeks in I'm hanging around 1.026 from my 1.064 OG. I was at 1.030 last week. I'm gonna stir up the bottom a bit and let it sit another week in the primary and see what I get.

Didn't detect much in the way of sweetness tasting it just now but I'm gonna let it sit till next week anyway and try it again.

We have airlock activity!