Yeast attenuation questions

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Nightshade

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So I have been using Wyeast 1968 for some time now and am trying to figure some things out regarding what I can do as far as options go. It has been a minute since I did any reading on the subject so asking for some help (obviously).

The short question is I am trying to figure out what strains I should be looking at in order to retain a bit more residual sweetness to my beers. If this means switching types of yeast I am open to experimentation with other types within the Wyeast offerings.

So the long question is...is this attained more through pitch rate than strain? Mash temp? or a combo of the two?

It seems as if any beer I pitch ferments to an FG of 1.010 regardless of temp, SG or pitch rate.

The description is as follows:

A very good cask conditioned ale strain, this extremely flocculant yeast produces distinctly malty beers. Attenuation levels are typically less than most other yeast strains which results in a slightly sweeter finish. Ales produced with this strain tend to be fruity, increasingly so with higher fermentation temperatures of 70-74°F (21-23° C). A thorough diacetyl rest is recommended after fermentation is complete. Bright beers are easily achieved within days without any filtration.
Origin:
Flocculation: Very High
Attenuation: 67-71%
Temperature Range: 64-72F, 18-22C
Alcohol Tolerance: 9% ABV

Which seems to be one of the lower attenuating yeasts in their offerings.

What am I missing here and what should I be looking at to achieve a beer that is ore on the malty side and less on the dry side of things? Could it be a matter of over pitching?
 
Attenuation rating is only for comparing one strain to another. It is not for determining the attenuation you will necessarily get, or the sweetness of the beer. That's determined by your recipe and process.
 
Attenuation rating is only for comparing one strain to another. It is not for determining the attenuation you will necessarily get, or the sweetness of the beer. That's determined by your recipe and process.

Ok so should I raise my mash temp from 155 perhaps to say 158? Will that small a change make a big difference?

I feel like a noob all of a sudden in trying to fine tune this:(
 
What am I missing here and what should I be looking at to achieve a beer that is ore on the malty side and less on the dry side of things? Could it be a matter of over pitching?
A dry beer does not necessarily mean your beer cannot be malty. I think more of what you are looking for is a sweeter beer (a higher FG). Often times, people equate sweetness with maltiness but that is not correct. However, to answer your question, if you are looking to achieve a higher gravity, there are quite a few ways to do this. Here's a few:
-Mash at a higher temperature in order to produce more unfermentable sugars, but this will also increase the body and mouthfeel of the beer
-Add cara-malts to your recipe which will slightly raise your FG
-Use a less attenuative yeast (should be able to find attenuation ranges on the manufacturer's website)
 
OK just talked with Jess at Wyeast and he also suggested a couple things to look at so I am going to lay them out here.

Calibration of temp probe to make sure the mash is actually hitting the temps as displaying on the readout. Since this is a fixed probe I will be picking up a handheld long probe thermometer to take reads from various depths and locations in the mash during mash in.

Raise temp of mash (as we already noted)

He mentioned the yeast strain should not be the issue as already noted it is one of the lower attenuating yeasts they carry.

I am going to play around with the mash temp a bit and see what happens with the final results.

brdb- I agree a dry beer does not mean less malty, but I have an employer who equates sweet with malty and this has been an ongoing discussion between us. I am looking into this to please his tastes as it is ultimately his beer I am making, but I also want to make sure I am doing it in the best way possible and not shorting the customer by expediting the process creating a flawed beer.

Thanks for the input, I will try to check back with some updated results in this thread just to share for anyone else that may want to know.
 
Ok so should I raise my mash temp from 155 perhaps to say 158? Will that small a change make a big difference?

I feel like a noob all of a sudden in trying to fine tune this:(

That won't make a lot of difference. Maybe 160. But I think you'd be better off adding crystal or something like it. And reducing the bittering hops.
 

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