Many of my beers do not finish as low as the expected FG called for on my store bought recipe sheet. For example if the recipe calls for an expected FG of 1.014 I finish around 1.016. If the recipe calls for 1.015 I finish around 1.017 and so on. I just started the trial version of Beersmith and entered many of my past recipes into it and guess what? it shows a FG a point or two higher than the recipe FG on almost all of my brews, and that is exactly where I have been finishing! which is correct and why is there a difference? it looks like I have been worried about high FG's and don't really have high FG's whats up with this? Oh yeah, by the way Beersmith is a great toy/tool.
Do I believe Beersmith or store recipe?
- Thread starter nasmeyer
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RCCOLA
Well-Known Member
There are too many variables in brewing to be sweating a .002 diff. in final gravity. A different brand of extract is sometimes enough to swing it even further than that--different yeast, ferm temps, aeration, etc. all play a role in FG.
Also, the temp of your grav. sample and how you look at the hydro(ie:meniscus effect) In all-grain brewing there are even more variables. I'm happy to come that close to my expected FG.
Also, the temp of your grav. sample and how you look at the hydro(ie:meniscus effect) In all-grain brewing there are even more variables. I'm happy to come that close to my expected FG.
RCCOLA
Well-Known Member
When you taste the beer and think that it's too thin or too sweet. I don't believe I could taste a .002 FG difference in 2 beers.
Personally, When I'm trying to get a hydro reading, and the scale always spins to the opposite side I'm trying to read, bobbing around, sticking to the side of the flask, meniscus effect to deal with. Is the temp w/in range? Is residual CO2 creating x-tra lift?
For all of these, I couldn't tell you that the reading I get is absolutely 100% within .001. So +/- .001 for me at the start.
Keep in mind that the FG is a product of many factors- ingredients, fermentability of those ingredients, yeast strain, yeast health, etc. A FG target is only an estimate. Some beers, like sweet stout, might finish at 1.026, while a cream ale might finish at 1.008.
The beer is at FG when it's at an acceptable SG, and it's no longer changing. What I mean is if the beer is at 1.030 and not changing, it's probably not at FG, it's probably stuck! But if it's at 1.020 or less, and it's not changing at all, it's done.
Most of the yeast strains I use have an attenuation of 70-75%. So, I can make a guess as to the probable finish of my recipe. Beersmith isn't accurate at all at estimating your FG- it doesn't take into account that some things like corn sugar are more fermentable than malt extract. It just gives you a basic estimate.
The beer is at FG when it's at an acceptable SG, and it's no longer changing. What I mean is if the beer is at 1.030 and not changing, it's probably not at FG, it's probably stuck! But if it's at 1.020 or less, and it's not changing at all, it's done.
Most of the yeast strains I use have an attenuation of 70-75%. So, I can make a guess as to the probable finish of my recipe. Beersmith isn't accurate at all at estimating your FG- it doesn't take into account that some things like corn sugar are more fermentable than malt extract. It just gives you a basic estimate.
