Amber Ale FG too high

Need some advice here...

My very first batch (Amber Ale extract kit) has been in the fermenter for 20 days today. OG was 1.043, should have been 1.050-1.054. Other than that everything seemed to be going well. Cracked it open tonight for the first time to take a reading. Came out at 1.028. My instruction sheet didn't list a target FG but this can't be right. Using their formula that gives an ABV of 1.9ish.

The beer looked really good and clear, smelled and tasted really good too. Room temperature stayed 62-64 during the entire fermentation. I REALLY need to bottle this on Saturday (which would be day #22). I plan to take another reading tomorrow, if I get the same reading is it okay to go ahead and bottle it?

I tried to do some searching on here and all I can figure is my yeast (Nottingham) stalled.

Thanks!

Fermentation can take a while. you are at the lower temperature range for Nottingham. My basement is @ 60 during the day and colder at night and my ciders can take a long time to finish.

Are you adjusting your readings for temperature?

Maybe your OG was this low because you added tap water to top off 5 gallons, and it didn't mix evenly.

There was a post recently where the poster ramped up the temp (70?) and roused the yeast to get it to finish out.

PT Ray said:

There was a post recently where the poster ramped up the temp (70?) and roused the yeast to get it to finish out.

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+1 works for me

I did adjust my readings for temperature. So is it just a horrible idea to go ahead and bottle this tomorrow? Would a low ABV be the only concern?

I wouldn't think it would have low ABV- I think your OG reading is off. When you make an extract batch, if you use all of the ingredients and the right amount of water, the OG has to be correct. The sugars are there in the extract, already processed and they can't disappear. Inaccurate readings are common, due to incomplete mixing of the top up water and the boiled wort. That's not a problem at all- the yeast mix it up well and you'll have beer in the end.

However, if the FG is that high, the problem wouldn't be low ABV. The problem could very well be bottle bombs.

If it starts fermenting again in the bottle, the bottles will blow up causing glass shrapnel all over your house.

What's the recipe? We can figure out what your OG was, and what a reasonable FG will be for you.

YooperBrew said:

I wouldn't think it would have low ABV- I think your OG reading is off. When you make an extract batch, if you use all of the ingredients and the right amount of water, the OG has to be correct. The sugars are there in the extract, already processed and they can't disappear. Inaccurate readings are common, due to incomplete mixing of the top up water and the boiled wort. That's not a problem at all- the yeast mix it up well and you'll have beer in the end.

However, if the FG is that high, the problem wouldn't be low ABV. The problem could very well be bottle bombs.

If it starts fermenting again in the bottle, the bottles will blow up causing glass shrapnel all over your house.

What's the recipe? We can figure out what your OG was, and what a reasonable FG will be for you.

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Here is the link to the instruction sheet/recipe I used. Followed them exactly, however with boil off I was just a hair under 5 gallons in the end.

http://www.brewersbestkits.com/pdf/1007_American_Amber.pdf

What kind/brand of yeast did you use?

YooperBrew said:

What kind/brand of yeast did you use?

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Nottingham, I dont know the batch number or anything, sorry.

The OG you had was probably correct- I come up with 1.046 with those ingredients.

DON'T bottle a 1.028 beer! With those ingredients, it should finish much lower. It isn't finished, and bottle bombs are no joke.

What you can do is to buy some fresh ale yeast- I'd recommend one like Nottingham, or S04, or S05. Run far away from Munton's.

Rehydrate the yeast according to package directions, and then add it gently to your fermenter. Keep it in the 68-70 degree range and hopefully it'll get starrted again.

Alright, I guess I will have to pass on bottling this weekend. Thanks for all the help!

Went to LHBS yesterday to get some more yeast. He recommended gently stirring first then pitching the yeast. Did that and moved fermenter somewhere a little warmer. Its now sitting at 68-70degrees. After about 15 hours there is no activity in the airlock.

Fingers are crossed, hoping its working.

Took a reading today, 11 days after repitching, got 1.010. I am happy with that and plan to bottle tomorrow.

I had moved it to a warmer area when I repitched but put back in the cooler basement for a couple of days to help clear it up. Looked pretty clear today, but not as clear as before. Also the taste of the sample wasn't quite as good but not bad either.

I am just glad that I saved(i think) the batch and I have an ESB kit waiting for my fermenting bucket to open up.

Thanks for all the help.