having fermentation problems with ag bock.

I am still pretty new to brewing, as this is my 4th all grain, i've actually done my fifth already (an ipa that is almost done fermenting), but the fourth was a lager/bock so it has been going for a while now. my original gravity was 1.051 with a target gravity of 1.01.

It was fermenting for 2 weeks at 55' f before i took a gravity, which was 1.029 so i thought, i will let it go for a while longer and see what happens. a week and a half pass, i decided to do a rest, i did so and took another gravity, no change. The beer still had a very sweet taste. i did some research, and decided to add more yeast, and made a 1 liter starter, with some lager yeast from my last lager. the starter was healthy, and i pitched at high krausen. 11 days now, 1.028.

is my beer just doomed. (has very sweet taste still.)

5 lbs maris otter 2 row Pale Malt
2 lbs munich 10L
1 lb flaked Maize
1/8 lb chocolate malt
1 oz Centenial hops (bittering)
1/2 oz Libertry hops (finishing)
Wyeast #2178 Lager blend

75 minute mash at 160' - 166'
centinial hops at 60
liberty at 25
first gold at 5

any help will be appreciated,
thanks.

i'm very close to just dumping all five gallons. ( my first disappointment)

I didn't see that yeast on their website. Is it #2278? http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain.cfm

I looks like you were still in temperature range. You tried two different yeast strains and they both quit? Puzzling.

It was 2278, fat fingers and all. The second strain was just a youngs brew lager yeast, no strain title. My guess would be no fermentables left, however it is soooo sweet. Plus it tastes terrible. Any suggestions...

With a mash temp of 160-166, I would expect that there would be little fermentables in the wort. At 160, you might skate by, but if the mash actually got to 166, it would denature the enzymes needed for conversion if there for any length of time at all.

the recipe is unlike any bock I've ever seen, with flaked maize. The lager yeast strain is really important as well. so, the recipe is lacking but I really think it's the way-too-high mash temps that were the cause of such a high FG.

Thanks, i have been doing about 155 for all my others. But this recipe was supposed to be a shiner bock clone and it had four and a half stars, so i followed their directions.

However, I was originally worried about the temperature, but I didn't think it would have repercussions like you said.

Should I bin it?

cpl-america said:

Thanks, i have been doing about 155 for all my others. But this recipe was supposed to be a shiner bock clone and it had four and a half stars, so i followed their directions.

However, I was originally worried about the temperature, but I didn't think it would have repercussions like you said.

Should I bin it?

Click to expand...

It might taste less sweet once carbed up, but only you can decide if it's worth saving.

thanks, i think i will trash it. it's almost brew day, anyways....
take two.

If you've got an extra bottle or two not tied up or part of another plan, maybe bottle a couple. Best case, you only tied up a couple bottles. Worst case, you realize you dumped 90% of a brew that turned out great.

Or just dump it all. This site could use someone lamenting the fact that they dumped a beer that they thought was ruined. Don't think I've heard someone complain about that recently...

lol, thanks freisste for wanting to see my pain. jk. I think i will bottle a couple, but no use in bottling more, as the alcohol content amounts to almost nothing.

freisste said:

If you've got an extra bottle or two not tied up or part of another plan, maybe bottle a couple. Best case, you only tied up a couple bottles. Worst case, you realize you dumped 90% of a brew that turned out great.

Or just dump it all. This site could use someone lamenting the fact that they dumped a beer that they thought was ruined. Don't think I've heard someone complain about that recently...

Click to expand...

As an update. i did save a few bottles of this, and finally decided to sample.

What a Catastrophe.
not all the sugars were converted, and the sugars that were, were not all fermented. It tasted like sweet buttered coffee. although the hydrometer said there was very little alcohol, it tastes like there is none.

all in all, it looks like beer, smells like beer, however, because of the taste, i cannot honestly name it so.

I did learn a lot from this brew, and will carry the taste with me forever as a reminder.

As long as you learned something, all is not lost. Keep learning. Good luck on future batches.

Thanks,
I recently did an IPA and brown ale, both of which came out wonderfully. Posted in recipes.