Get rid of some sweetness?

I made a 4 gallon batch of something I called a "winter" ale with 7# LME, 1# crystal 60 steeped for about 15 min @ 165F.

60 min 1oz columbus 12% AAU
45 min (meant to be 15 minutes) 1oz cascade 7% AAU
1 min 1oz cascade 7% AAU

First, I messed up the hop schedule, and put in my flavoring hops at the wrong time.

2nd, I used wyeast 1968 which is very flocculent and does not attenuate a ton. I have been fermenting at very low temps (for ale) - 60-62F for 3 weeks.

I haven't checked FG yet, but it smells very sweet. I am not a fan of sweet beers and obviously this is partially just part of learning what ingredients to use for my preferences, probably the wyeast was the biggest mistake.

The OG was right around 1.060

Can I do anything to alter the beer at this point or do I just have to ride it out. Can I dump in some 1056 yeast to make it attenuate a little more to get rid of some of the sweetness?

Should I try moving it to a warmer location, and if so, is swirling the carboy around enough, or should I get a spoon in there and actually slightly agitate the trub?

I was thinking of dry hopping a little to try to overcome the sweet aroma, but I don't want to just mask it.

pjcampbell said:

I haven't checked FG yet, but it smells very sweet.

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So ... you don't know if you have a problem, then?

if it smells sweet and tastes sweet, it's probably sweet.

i think by definition of the yeast and the temperatures, it's probably not attenuated much at all... I can check... but can be very sure without checking.

I'd like to know best way to get the more attenutation to eliminate sweetness. Add yeast... increase temperature+stir, etc. Not sure what is the best route.

pjcampbell said:

i think by definition of the yeast and the temperatures, it's probably not attenuated much at all... I can check... but can tell without checking.

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Sorry - it's just that you didn't say you tasted it.

I brought it to a warmer temp - 64F in my basement (60 in my house) and will give it a spin, but I guess at best case scenario I think the yeast I used is going to leave me unhappy. If it goes to 70% we are talking 5.6% ABV that is going to be a very sweet beer and probably too hoppy for the amount of alcohol.

can I pitch some wyeast 1056 or nottingham or something to get it to attenuate more? what adverse affects would that have?

Without a gravity reading, you're operating in the dark. You don't know how far it has attenuated, or how much more attenuation you want.

Also, what do you mean when you say it will be "too hoppy for the amount of alcohol?" Do you mean "too bitter?" If it tastes too sweet to you, I assume it doesn't taste too bitter at the same time. Or am I missing something?

its at 1.018 after 3 weeks from 1.06 which is 5.5% ABV, 68.8% apparent attenuation, which is more than I would have thought under sub-par conditions (probably way too cold) on a yeast that is supposed to go up to 70% at the most.

should I just keep it warmer for a few more weeks and stir up the yeast gently?

In my experience, once 1968 drops it's done. That said, I love this yeast and just made a 10% holiday ale with it, so don't sell it short.

I ran some numbers for you in Beersmith and it looks like you might have been closer to 4.5 gal if your OG was 1.060. 4 gal would be 1.068. With your hopping schedule you are looking at 90 IBU or higher; the columbus alone gives you 67 IBU.

If you didn't use a starter, I would be surprised if you get above 70% apparent attenuation, so the best you can expect is 1.019 or so. While maybe not what you were going for, beers with finishing gravities of 1.022-1.024 can still be great.

As others have said, take a gravity reading and let this beer hang out for a while in the 65-68 degree range to clean up some.

So the good news is, with all that bittering you might need a good dose of malt sweetness to balance it out. It's still going to be very far on the bitter side, but give it a shot! If it's too bitter, stash it away somewhere you will forget about it and it might be pretty tasty down the road.

pjcampbell said:

its at 1.018 after 3 weeks from 1.06 which is 5.5% ABV, 68.8% apparent attenuation, which is more than I would have thought under sub-par conditions (probably way too cold) on a yeast that is supposed to go up to 70% at the most.

should I just keep it warmer for a few more weeks and stir up the yeast gently?

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Aha! Told you not to underestimate that yeast. You can keep it warm if you want, but I think that yeast is done. It has probably been 1.018 for 2.5 weeks. Bottle it and chalk it up to recipe building experience.

Take a taste and see what you think. I think it's pobably done though. Bottle it and stash it away. Try a bottle once every week or two after the 3 weeks of carbing are up and see how it changes. The CO2 will lessen the perception of sweetness some and the aging will decrease the hops a bit.

I think malty holiday beers are pretty normal.

to hoppy? just made a Alt ESB since it ended up with 60+ IBU's and used 1968 I will know more in a few days.. OG was 1.051 but its only been in primary not even 24 hours yet..

well it's pretty bitter, for having only about 5.5%. if i had put the flavoring hops in at the right time it probably would be a little more balanced. beersmith says 78.8 IBUs.

but thanks for all of the replies, i am just going to let it sit for a few more days and bottle.

would adding 1/2 -1 lb. of sugar to the fermenter dry it out and take away some of the sweetness?

jimmythefoot said:

would adding 1/2 -1 lb. of sugar to the fermenter dry it out and take away some of the sweetness?

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UHMmmm.. i may be way off line but isnt sugar sweet? If i didn't know anything i would guess that adding sugar would sweeten what ever it was added too.. right?

HoppedIPA said:

UHMmmm.. i may be way off line but isnt sugar sweet? If i didn't know anything i would guess that adding sugar would sweeten what ever it was added too.. right?

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Nope, standard table sugar is nearly 100% fermentable and it will dry the beer out

Ok question ..Any idea how much it will change the ABV? Does it increase the yeast activity and help ferment out other fermentables?

ArtVandelay said:

Nope, standard table sugar is nearly 100% fermentable and it will dry the beer out

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