FG Reading

My first brew and just took my first FG reading. It says 1011-1112 (OG 1053). I believe that to be just right and ready for bottling.

The beer is a high gravity german wheat, with 3 lbs of DME (and a can). I also steeped some crystal grains.

I've had it in the primary for 15 days now. All of the members of my LHBC are telling me to rack in a secondary to clarify - all of them. I told them most members here don't bother doing that and recommend just a longer primary.

It smells really good now but is a bit too cloudy (though I don't care). Should I just go ahead and bottle ASAP or no rush, give it more time to clear up? It's been sitting on 72F all this time. Some LHBC members are telling be to rack it and bring it into my garage where it's about 40F-55F for a few days.

Could my FG get too low and introduce some bad tastes?

Thanks.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but your FG should be your FG! Meaning that if it hasn't changed in a few days that's because there isn't any nutrients left in the wort for the yeast to feed on.

I would say that it is done, but all act differently.

Has it dropped in the past few days or stayed steady at 1.011-1.012? If it hasn't dropped, yep you are ready to bottle.

I would venture a guess to say that you have achieved terminal gravity, but how long has it been.

If the people in your HBC think something, and don't have anyone to tell them otherwise, then they will probably all think the same way. Teach them something new, that a secondary insn't necessary and can actually be detrimental to the beer by not letting the yeast completely clean up all fermentation by products. Time will clear the beer, not moving it around to another vessel risking contamination and oxidation.

Some people don't use secondaries, I am one of those people. It's just a way for a large commercial brewery to make more space in the larger primary fermenting vessel, and most homebrew practices have been adopted from commercial breweries, because they're the ones that do the lab work. This particular practice is unnecessary for a homebrewer though in my opinion.

This is especially the case for a wheat beer, since the use of a secondary is to clarify the beer, and you typically don't want a wheat beer to be clear.

BarleyWater said:

I would venture a guess to say that you have achieved terminal gravity, but how long has it been.

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15 days in primary and this is my first FG reading.

BarleyWater said:

If the people in your HBC think something, and don't have anyone to tell them otherwise, then they will probably all think the same way. Teach them something new, that a secondary insn't necessary and can actually be detrimental to the beer by not letting the yeast completely clean up all fermentation by products. Time will clear the beer, not moving it around to another vessel risking contamination and oxidation.

Some people don't use secondaries, I am one of those people. It's just a way for a large commercial brewery to make more space in the larger primary fermenting vessel, and most homebrew practices have been adopted from commercial breweries, because they're the ones that do the lab work. This particular practice is unnecessary for a homebrewer though in my opinion.

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Well you guys have convinced me to give it a try. This is my first brew. One of the guys has 467 brews under his belt

I don't have enough bottles at the moment though. If I wait another week to empty more and collect some I don't think it's a big deal. Do others with more experience agree? What can go wrong?

Thanks again.

If your not going to rack to secondary I would let it sit another two weeks in the primary. just my 2 cents.....

I think you will be just fine without a secondary. I left my red pumpkin ale in primary until I bottled, and it tastes great. But, when I started the siphon into my bottling bucket I kicked up some trub and the first 10 seconds or so of siphoning was really cloudy. After that the rest of the siphon was crystal clear, but that was enough to make every bottle a bit cloudy.

Now my general approach is 2 weeks in primary, 2 weeks in secondary. Even then, there is a bit of sediment in the bottom of the secondary, but not enough to be a problem when siphoning.

Either way, you'll still probably have good beer.

Actually I just looked at the "ABV from OG-FG Chart" from the Palmer book on-line. Based on that chart I'm in the 5.5 ABV range and I was shooting for something higher. I realize I can bottle now and it will probably be good but I want to wait to empty/drink more bottles and I am willing to wait for higher ABV.

I think I should wait another week and check again. Appreciate any input.

Thanks.

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ballegre said:

Actually I just looked at the "ABV from OG-FG Chart" from the Palmer book on-line. Based on that chart I'm in the 5.5 ABV range and I was shooting for something higher. I realize I can bottle now and it will probably be good but I want to wait to empty/drink more bottles and I am willing to wait for higher ABV.

I think I should wait another week and check again. Appreciate any input.

Thanks.

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It doesn't really work that way. When beers have reached FG their done, that's it no matter how long you wait. 1.011 from 1.053 is almost 80% attenuation, and that's about the best you can hope for under normal cicumstances.

You said one of those guys has 467 brews under his belt, and that's exactly why he thinks his way is right. It's been working foir him for that long, so at this point nothing will change his mind. There's nothing wrong with doing it that way, I just see it as an unecessary, and potentially harmful, step.

BarleyWater said:

It doesn't really work that way. When beers have reached FG their done, that's it no matter how long you wait. 1.011 from 1.053 is almost 80% attenuation, and that's about the best you can hope for under normal cicumstances.

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Yeah I think I understand. I'm thinking that this is my first FG reading so I don't know if it's reached FG yet. Can't say I understand the attenuation thing though - I haven't read that chapter yet.

If fermentation is not done, i.e. in a day or two I get a lower FG reading, then I'm thinking if I wait I'll end up with a higher ABV brew. Isn't that correct or does the 80% attenuation mean this will not happen?

If fermentation is done, i.e. same reading over a few days, then it's done fermenting. I believe many here would still consider keeping it in primary to improve beer but I'm not sure if there's a down side to this. Wheat ales I thought are supposed to be fast.

Thanks.

ballegre said:

If fermentation is not done, i.e. in a day or two I get a lower FG reading, then I'm thinking if I wait I'll end up with a higher ABV brew. Isn't that correct or does the 80% attenuation mean this will not happen?

If fermentation is done, i.e. same reading over a few days, then it's done fermenting. I believe many here would still consider keeping it in primary to improve beer but I'm not sure if there's a down side to this. Wheat ales I thought are supposed to be fast.

Thanks.

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Well, if it's a FG reading, then it's done. FG stands for final gravity- the gravity that the beer is finished at. If you want to check the SG again in a few days (I would highly recommend that!), it may or may not be the same. However, if you're already 80% attenuated, then it's probably done. Check out the specifications on the yeast you used- all the yeast manufacturer's have that information on their website. That can help you learn what to expect for a FG.

If you want a higher ABV brew, next time make a beer with a higher OG. Beer stops fermenting when there are no more fermentables available, or the yeast have reached their attenuation limit. While it's important to give the beer some time to condition and clear a bit and let the flavors meld, when it's finished, it's finished.

YooperBrew said:

Well, if it's a FG reading, then it's done. FG stands for final gravity- the gravity that the beer is finished at. If you want to check the SG again in a few days (I would highly recommend that!), it may or may not be the same. However, if you're already 80% attenuated, then it's probably done. Check out the specifications on the yeast you used- all the yeast manufacturer's have that information on their website. That can help you learn what to expect for a FG.

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Yeah - it's probably done but I'd like to understand why better. The specs on the Fermentis web site for WB-06 don't say much (FERMENTIS - Articles) other than "Final gravity: high". Does this mean I should expect a max of 80% attenuation? If it said "gravity medium" should I expect 70-75% attenuation?

I'm a little confused about how to figure out gravity targets. My LHBS gave me this recipe after they asked what style beer I liked. I asked about gravity readings, he went on-line and said OG 1.050-1.055, FG 1.010-1.015. Where do you think he got those?

YooperBrew said:

If you want a higher ABV brew, next time make a beer with a higher OG.

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The recipe called for 3 lbs of DME. I believe this was supposed to give me a higher ABV. Maybe 5.5 ABV is higher for this recipe. My OG was 1.053 did I do something wrong? To make it higher would I just add more DME? How much?

Lot's a questions, I realize. Much appreciated help as I embark on this new hobby.

ballegre said:

Yeah - it's probably done but I'd like to understand why better. The specs on the Fermentis web site for WB-06 don't say much (FERMENTIS - Articles) other than "Final gravity: high". Does this mean I should expect a max of 80% attenuation? If it said "gravity medium" should I expect 70-75% attenuation?

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Thats probably a good guess. Most of the time you will be able to find a specific number, but your guesses are probably right on. I would say high is 75-80%, medium 70-75%, and low 65-70%. Typical beer yeasts are not going to get any higher than that.

I'm a little confused about how to figure out gravity targets. My LHBS gave me this recipe after they asked what style beer I liked. I asked about gravity readings, he went on-line and said OG 1.050-1.055, FG 1.010-1.015. Where do you think he got those?

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BJCP Style Guidelines

The recipe called for 3 lbs of DME. I believe this was supposed to give me a higher ABV. Maybe 5.5 ABV is higher for this recipe. My OG was 1.053 did I do something wrong? To make it higher would I just add more DME? How much?

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5.5% is right on the money for this recipe probably. The 3lbs of DME did increase your gravity, from about 1.026 to 1.053. Without the DME, it would have come is at about 2.5%. To make a higher ABV%, yes you can just add more DME, but that would throw off the balance between the sweetness from the malt and the bitterness from the hops. You really need a recipe program if you are going to mess with your own recipes.

Lot's a questions, I realize. Much appreciated help as I embark on this new hobby.

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No worries, that's what were here for. If you haven't yet, I would recommend reading How to Brew - By John Palmer
I use BeerSmith to make my recipes. There is also BeerTools Pro and ProMash. All three have free trial I believe. If you want something simple and free, you can go to TastyBrew.com | Recipe Calculation or The Beer Recipator 2.2 However, those sites aren't as user friandly as the other programs, and they don't allow for as many parameters and options. And, the author of BeerSmith is an active member of this forum if you have any questions with it.