Trying to figure out the 1.20 thing

Im on a quest to figure this out. My first few batches came out close to target. Now it seems like ive hit the 1.20 bug too. I wonder if it's because of :

Late extraction ?
Adding yeast nutrient ?
Adding wirlfloc tablet ?
Not a strong enough boil ?
Starting out to cold ?

Going to start to take out steps and see if i can figure this one out. Above are the things ive added since starting out. Just brewed my 20th batch a little while ago.

For me, when I started aerating properly, my 'stuck' fermentations stopped. How are you aerating?

Using a drill and a wine whip. On top of that everything is poured though a mesh screen "funnel,tap etc". My head space in the fermenter gets filled with a thick tight white foam "not star san foam".

Do you guys bring the boil up to 212 and hold it there or just go until it boils ?

My boil starts at 212. Just wondering if boiling hotter than 212 is even possible ?

BxBrewer said:

My boil starts at 212. Just wondering if boiling hotter than 212 is even possible ?

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It is. A hard boil will be a few degrees higher (at sea level). Use a pressure cooker and you can go up to 250F.

212 is boiling at sea level at a standard air pressure basically. Where I live it's 207. For it to be above 212 you need to be in Death Valley or NOLA, i.e., below sea level.

govner1 said:

212 is boiling at sea level at a standard air pressure basically. Where I live it's 207. For it to be above 212 you need to be in Death Valley or NOLA, i.e., below sea level.

Click to expand...

Not true...

Question: Does Hard Water Boil at a Higher Temperature?
Answer: Yes, hard water boils at a higher temperature than ordinary water. The difference in temperature usually is a degree or two. Hard water contains dissolved minerals, which causes boiling point elevation. Adding salt to water produces a similar effect.

Results of a .31 second google search.

It also works with a hard boil in normal water. I've had readings up to 214F during a HARD boil. Most cooks know this.

I at the 20 wall too. Dont know how I can fix it beyong going AG.

Im using starters. Im dumping my wort back and forth between fermenters before pitching until it foams up to the top of the fermenters. Im pitching at high 60s. Im using yeast energizer. Im keeping my fermenters at steady temps.

Its not the quality of beeer that annoys me, I still like what Im putting out. This niggleling little 5-10 gravity points issue is driving me crazy because I just cant fix it.

I'm just starting out with little technical knowledge, can someone tell me what the 1.020 wall is?

Have you calibrated your hydrometer to make sure its giving accurate readings?

After 20 or so batches, have you thought about maybe making the jump to All Grain? Save about $10 bucks a batch and put FG in your control.

Easy fix...

Use Extra Light DME that has ppg ratings close to that of real 2-row, e.g. 37 ppg. I would recommend adding about half of it at flameout.

Be extremely accurate with your recipe; weights, volumes, gravity points contributed, evaporation from the boil, etc. (it may simply be a recipe issue). Employ full volume boils with no top off water whenever possible.

Don't add too much crystal. Keep it below 7% total.

Do substitute 10-13% corn sugar at flameout in place of extract. You'll need about double what is typically seen in all grain recipes. This technique works very well but is better in pale, low to moderate bodied American ales.

Make an appropriate sized yeast starter with high attenuating yeast. Intermittent shaking is good. Stir Starters are better. Yeast nutrient and/or amalyze enzyme may help.

As someone else mentioned, aerate well before pitching the yeast.

Keep your temperature control down pat for the duration of the yeast starter & primary. For instance, with Cali Ale yeast, consistent ambient air temps in the low 60s should work very well for you (if you don't have a thermometer to measure the wort/beer more accurately).

If all else fails, look into partial mash with some real 2-row in place of extract. Mash the grain around 147 F for an hour.

And lastly, patience. Give your beer 3-4 weeks before bottling.

The one thing that bothers me the most. My first 2-3 batches before i started adding,starting with anything. Just following the directions, shaking the carboy and adding yeast seemed to ferment out better.

Ive always kept my temps in check with a fermentation chamber since day 1.