IIPA FG @ 1.022 is it done?

I brewed an iipa almost 3 weeks ago with an OG of 1.075 and the past 2 readings have been at 1.022ish. I wasn't sure if it was stuck or if the high mash temps are the cause of unfermentables and the high FG reading.

Here is the recipe.

10lbs MO
.5lbs C60
.5lbs C40
.5lbs Munich

Mashed at 155 right over 60min and added 2lbs of Light DME at the end of the boil.

Hop Schedule

1oz Warrior 60min
.5oz Centennial 45min
.5oz Centennial 30min
.5oz Centennial 15min
.5oz Cascade 5min
.5oz Cascade 0min

Yeast: Dry Packet of Nottingham

Fermentation started out pretty aggressive with a fat Krausen sitting on the wort for almost 2 weeks. When the krausen finally dropped this past weekend i took a reading and it was at 1.022 and I took another reading yesterday and its the same. The temps in my shed have been in the low 50's at night and mid 60's in the day and during the 2nd week of fermentation temps in the evening were in the upper 40's but didnt think nothing of it with a nice layer of yeasty goodness sitting on the wort.

I guess my questions are, is it stuck, if so should i attempt to stir and throw more yeast on it? I have small slurry of S05 in the fridge as well and another dry pack of Nottingham i could throw in. Should I sneak it into the house out of sight from the wife and see if the warmer temps kick up activity? Or is this bad boy done and should just keg and dry hop with the remaining 2oz of cascade i have left .

Any insights would be much appreciated. :rockin:

The Donger

Did you use only one packet of Nottingham? Also Nottingham, in my experience with it, does not attenuate out as much as I would like... I would have used 2 packets of the Notingham to start with.

Perhaps you could try adding another packet of Nottingham to it that has already been bloomed in some collected beer from the fermenter and see if that will drop you a couple points. But in many people's experience you often need a few packets do do that, and is sometimes not worth it.

I think you are a little high on the FG but not overly... I would have accepted it as done if it hit 1.018- 1.015 based on your gravity...

Also you could certainly sneak it in the house and warm it up and rouse it and pitch in the nottingham, or even that slurry of S05 if you can get it to ferment again...

Thanks for the reply Bowtie,

Yes, i only used 1 packet of Nottingham. I was hoping for an FG under 1.020 and samples of the wort are tasty but just a little too sweet and think dropping a few points would bring this from good to great.

I think i will sneak it in the house but needed some support from the HBT community to muster up the courage to get the carboy behind enemy lines. I shouldnt get to much grief from it since i just made a batch of mead for the wife.

Let me know if this is a sound game plan, drag the carboy into the house and get to room temps, then slightly stir the wort to see to if that kicks up activity. If not, make a starter, toss S05 slurry into flask and throw that into the carboy when all nice and active.

With a pound of crystal, and a mash temp of 155, I'd call it done. I mash IIPAs at 149, to get them to finish dry.

It sounds like it's almost done fermenting anyway. However, those temps sound really low and that definitely sounds like something to consider. I would sneak it into the house (or make a bargain with your wife) and make sure it's sitting at high 60's overnight. Then pitch in another packet of Nottingham. If it still doesn't do anything after three days then I would say it's done.

Yooper_Brew said:

With a pound of crystal, and a mash temp of 155, I'd call it done. I mash IIPAs at 149, to get them to finish dry.

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Definitely! I usually add sugar as well, and not as much Crystal. Warming it up might help and would be worth a shot. Cheers!!!

I'd say it's done. 1.022 is respectable for a higher OG beer for sure.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think warming it to room temp and a little stir will be my first attempt to get things going again, but do i risk anything by throwing in additional yeast (slurry or dry) other than having more dead yeast in the wort if it doesn't work when all said and done?

LongDukDong said:

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think warming it to room temp and a little stir will be my first attempt to get things going again, but do i risk anything by throwing in additional yeast (slurry or dry) other than having more dead yeast in the wort if it doesn't work when all said and done?

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I wouldn't throw any more yeast in there. I agree with the others, in that with a pound of crystal and the High Mash temp your really close to being done. Get it up to 70* for a couple of days if you can and rouse it up. It will also let the yeast clean up any Diacetyl.

LongDukDong said:

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think warming it to room temp and a little stir will be my first attempt to get things going again, but do i risk anything by throwing in additional yeast (slurry or dry) other than having more dead yeast in the wort if it doesn't work when all said and done?

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If you are careful with sanitation, there is little risk. Of course any time we open up the beer there is SOME risk, but you should be ok.

you should be OK, the iipa recipe I got from my LHBS lists 1.075 for OG and 1.018 for FG

I agree with the majority. Give it a couple days at 70 degrees to see if that drops the gravity (I doubt it given your mash temp). Don't bother wasting another packet of Notty for a potential .001-.002 FG drop.

That's a pretty respectable FG as it is given that starting gravity. Good luck, I suspect that the beer will be just fine.

The act of moving it into the house should stir it up without you having to risk actually opening it up and stirring it, so you really have nothing to lose unless you drop it. Be careful !

Right on and thanks again everyone for the advice...i'll go with the consensus and just move the carboy in the house and see what happens over the next week and plan to keg after that.

Unless you have some Pacman, there isn't much point in adding yeast.

Looks like that bad boy is done. I would keg and enjoy. If you would like a bit drier beer next time, heres what I would suggest. Don't use DME. In my experience it tends not to be as fermentable as I would like. Increase your base malt to compensate. Use about 1# sugar, and mash around 148-150 with a LTGR of about 1.5-2 quarts per lb. My IPA's start around 1.075-.08 and finish around 1.010-.012.

mkultra-

I only have a 5gl MT that maxes out at 13lbs with an LTGR of 1.25qt/1lb. I'll definitely mash at a lower temp next time around to create more fermentables but i would have been stoked if FG was under 1.020. I kegged it almost a week ago and dry hopped it with 1oz of Cascade and an oz of Amarillo and hopefully that balances things out.

Question; I do prefer a sweeter, maltier IPA, but how do i brew it without sacrificing ABV or creating something too dry? If i mash too high i get the sweetness i want but create more unfermentables compromising target ABV, and too low will dry it out. Is it as simple as adding a little more crystal and mashing at medium 152-153ish range?

LongDukDong said:

I only have a 5gl MT that maxes out at 13lbs with an LTGR of 1.25qt/1lb. I'll definitely mash at a lower temp next time around to create more fermentables but i would have been stoked if FG was under 1.020. I kegged it almost a week ago and dry hopped it with 1oz of Cascade and an oz of Amarillo and hopefully that balances things out.

Question; I do prefer a sweeter, maltier IPA, but how do i brew it without sacrificing ABV or creating something too dry? If i mash too high i get the sweetness i want but create more unfermentables compromising target ABV, and too low will dry it out. Is it as simple as adding a little more crystal and mashing at medium 152-153ish range?

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More malt would mean more maltiness. If you can't use more than 13 pounds of grain, you could try adding some malt extract to make up some of the fermentables. I mean, 13 pounds of grain isn't a very big grain bill for a 5 gallon batch.

I know how ya feel. I did an amber 2 and a half weeks ago that died at 1.020. I thought I did everything right too, I mashed for 90 minutes at 152. Think I had too much crystal. OG was 1.070. I made a huge starter, and thought it was gonna go about 10 points lower. Still tastes good though, so I'm by no means calling it a bust. Another two weeks in primary, then into bottles. I think I'll still enjoy it.

Thanks Yooper for pointing out the uhhh- no duuuhhh advice to making the beer more maltier. I thought 2lbs of DME would be enough but i guess not. That stuff can get expensive and can see upgrading to a 10gl MT would eventually pay itself off in the long run.

Any advice on adding sweetness to a beer without sacrificing fermentables, or is that your solution to creating a sweeter beer, keeping the same amount of crystal and increasing base malt/DME?

You could always mash more grains in a thicker mash. I'll go up to 15# at 1 qt/lb for big beers. But from there, it's corn sugar and/or DME as needed.