Issues with over attenuation

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olotti

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So I've brewed 5 beers over the last couple months and 3 were mashed at 149 for 90 min with no mash out and those beers one is a ris dropped 3-9 points low on my fg, figured it was the fact I was doing a 90 min low temp mash with no mash out and the first running was continuing to denature the enzymes while I waited for the first sparge to bring the grist to 168 and put a halt to that process. Ok so last two beers I switched to a mash of 152 for 60 min and a single sparge where I was dble sparging before. So one beer hit the fg right on but the last one I just checked and it was supposed to be 1.013 and I got 1.008. How would this be? Trying to figure out why as the lower fg beers def had a more pronounced bitterness and thinner body although thinner body is fine as I like my IPAs that way but it seemed to inject more bitterness, is this possible. Most of the beers were made with starters using my rewashed 001 yeast and peak ferment temps were 66-68 deg.
 
So I've brewed 5 beers over the last couple months and 3 were mashed at 149 for 90 min with no mash out and those beers one is a ris dropped 3-9 points low on my fg, figured it was the fact I was doing a 90 min low temp mash with no mash out and the first running was continuing to denature the enzymes while I waited for the first sparge to bring the grist to 168 and put a halt to that process. Ok so last two beers I switched to a mash of 152 for 60 min and a single sparge where I was dble sparging before. So one beer hit the fg right on but the last one I just checked and it was supposed to be 1.013 and I got 1.008. How would this be? Trying to figure out why as the lower fg beers def had a more pronounced bitterness and thinner body although thinner body is fine as I like my IPAs that way but it seemed to inject more bitterness, is this possible. Most of the beers were made with starters using my rewashed 001 yeast and peak ferment temps were 66-68 deg.

Not sure why your last gravity was low, but the higher perceived bitterness is to be expected with lower gravity (at the same BU.) That's why people worry about BU/GU (gravity unit) ratio.

Brew on :mug:
 
Not sure why your last gravity was low, but the higher perceived bitterness is to be expected with lower gravity (at the same BU.) That's why people worry about BU/GU (gravity unit) ratio.

Brew on :mug:

That's what I figured. some people may like it but it was not what I was going after so who knows this last one is a wheat IPA I wanted nice, clean, and juicy using Citra, simcoe and mosaic at 67 ibus at 1.013 so hopefully it's not to mouth puckering.
 
How much washed yeast are you pitching?

I've over-pitched a few batches over the years and those were the ones that finished thin...

Cheers!
 
How much washed yeast are you pitching?

I've over-pitched a few batches over the years and those were the ones that finished thin...

Cheers!

It's hard to tell. I use the small ball pint jars and there's maybe 1/4" of yeast if that prob less so I use two jars for a beer that's predicted per beersmith at 6% abv. I make a 2-3L starter since I don't have a stirplate I have to have a bigger starter, but I use Brewers friend to calculate starter size.
 
Who is telling you what your FG would be?

1.008 is a great FG for an IPA, IMO. I like mine dry and bitter. If you're using beersmith, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the estimated FG off by a few points more than normal. Even if you're using someone else's recipe, being off by 5 points isn't much if the final product is good.
 
What are your starter sizes and what are your steps? If you're doing .5L, 1L or 2L steps it can drastically change your growth. Also are you using a stir plate or not?lastly I wouldn't expect much difference between mashing for 90 minutes at 149 and mashing for 60 minutes at 152. People report hitting their mash completion in 10 minutes here. You also didn't say what the temps were. If you're fermenting at ambient and ambient is around 70 your beer is fermenting at about 73+ which is great for yeast growth but not beer making.

If you're over pitching batches you'll explain over attenuation. Try making the beer and using fresh yeast with a 1 liter starter with temperature control and report back with your findings.
 
Have you tested your hydrometer to make sure it's correct? And are you measuring at the proper temp?
 
Have you tested your hydrometer to make sure it's correct? And are you measuring at the proper temp?

Hydrometer is calibrated and I've triple checked my thermometer in the past and if anything it's .5-1deg low which would increase my mash temp leading to higher fg I would think.
 
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