Lager finished at 1.010 - still very malty and sweet. Options?

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Norselord

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Recipe:
Recipe: AG Lager TYPE: All Grain
Style: Premium American Lager
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 4.8 SRM SRM RANGE: 2.0-6.0 SRM
IBU: 21.5 IBUs Tinseth IBU RANGE: 15.0-25.0 IBUs
OG: 1.049 SG OG RANGE: 1.046-1.056 SG
FG: 1.009 SG FG RANGE: 1.008-1.012 SG
BU:GU: 0.440 Calories: 151.6 kcal/12oz Est ABV: 5.2 %
EE%: 50.00 % Batch: 5.50 gal Boil: 7.90 gal BT: 60 Mins

---WATER CHEMISTRY ADDITIONS----------------


Total Grain Weight: 14 lbs 8.0 oz Total Hops: 1.50 oz oz.
---MASH/STEEP PROCESS------MASH PH:5.40 ------
>>>>>>>>>>-ADD WATER CHEMICALS BEFORE GRAINS!!<<<<<<<
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
13 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 89.7 %
1 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 2 6.9 %
8.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 3.4 %


Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 21.33 qt of water at 157.4 F 148.0 F 75 min

---SPARGE PROCESS---
>>>>>>>>>>-RECYCLE FIRST RUNNINGS & VERIFY GRAIN/MLT TEMPS: 72.0 F/72.0 F
>>>>>>>>>>-ADD BOIL CHEMICALS BEFORE FWH
Batch sparge with 2 steps (0.76gal, 4.35gal) of 168.0 F water

---BOIL PROCESS-----------------------------
Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.040 SG Est OG: 1.049 SG
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
0.75 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 11.5 IBUs
0.75 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 5 10.1 IBUs


---FERM PROCESS-----------------------------
Primary Start: 13 Oct 2016 - 14.00 Days at 54.0 F
Secondary Start: 27 Oct 2016 - 3.00 Days at 62.0 F
Style Carb Range: 2.50-2.80 Vols
Bottling Date: 30 Oct 2016 with 2.5 Volumes CO2:
---NOTES------------------------------------


I kegged this after cold crashing and fining with gelatin. When i tasted the last hydrometer sample i was counting on the CO2 taking some of the edge off the sweetness.

Everything tastes fine, looks fine, it just a bit too malty to drink more than one of. Bear in mind it is not too malty, its malty like a Marzen - where as it should be a ton drier.

Should i bring it back up to temp and re-pitch?
Should i bring it up to temp and add alpha-amylase enzyme?
 
1.010 is about as low as it's gonna go. There's probably nothing left for yeast to eat, and I definitely wouldn't mess around with enzymes.

How long has it been on the gas?
 
At this point it is what it is. I doubt that pitching new yeast are going to drop the gravity at all.

The problem with adding enzymes at this point is that they'll keep going until there are absolutely no more starches to interact with. I haven't experienced it myself, but from what I've heard you'll end up with something that tastes ridiculously dry. It would also bug the heck out of me that I couldn't heat-sanitize the enzyme before adding it.

If you have carboy and keg space, how about you make a batch that is a little more bitter and blend them? Maybe you mash a little lower on the new batch, too? Maybe by 5 degrees?

Give it some more time, the flavors might develop and it becomes more to your liking. Maybe you have some friends who prefer super malty beer? The only other suggestion I could come up with is to see how it tastes in beer bread, at least you wouldn't be dumping it.
 
Pilsner with a touch on Munich and a bittering charge of .75 oz of 4.8AA hops is gonna be pretty darn malty and that's okay. I just picked up ingredients for something similar (Pilsner and Vienna with 4.5AA Perle for bittering)
 
1.010 is about as low as it's gonna go. There's probably nothing left for yeast to eat, and I definitely wouldn't mess around with enzymes.

How long has it been on the gas?

48 hours at 30PSI.

Going to take it down to 12.5PSI in a couple of hours.

Do you think i need to cut back on the carapils?
Also a suggestion was to mash 5F lower ... that would bring it down to 143F mash...isn't that a little too low?
 
Oh - let that beer condition and lager for a while. It's too soon to make determinations about the final product.
 
This pull was my first full pull, its still not carbed right and is hazy due to its being part of the first 32oz from a new keg.

It actually tastes a little better, i might have been a little sensitive to malt yesterday.

AG Lager rev1a.jpg
 
If you still find it too sweet you can dry hop it in the keg.

Wut?!

Dry hop a lager?
Dry hopping wont actually add any bitterness. If i wanted to up the bitterness i might boil 1 quart of water for an hour with some 5% AA hop. If I add about 15oz of this solution it will raise the IBU by 5.

But my goal is not to make a bitter lager, ideally I would like to convert the sugars to ethanol, and reduce sweetness that way.

I just had a test pint, as mentioned before i should let it sit until mid January before trying it again. I have a 10.7%abv Scotch ale to tide me over:rockin:
 
Crazy, right? I think that recent tests show that dry hopping does add bitterness. I have added hops to old bottles of IPA (why not?) and it brought back some bitterness. I have also used hop tea to correct bitterness.
Yeah, I've had a lot of mistakes to correct. Almost any action is better than dumping. But you are right to wait a bit, it's easy and safe.
You could try adding a more aggressive yeast to attenuate more if you must.
 
48 hours at 30PSI.



Going to take it down to 12.5PSI in a couple of hours.



Do you think i need to cut back on the carapils?

Also a suggestion was to mash 5F lower ... that would bring it down to 143F mash...isn't that a little too low?


That temp is too low for a mash. Make sure your thermo is accurate. I don't see anything in your recipe that would be cause for high FG but I don't see the need for carapils.

+1 on leaving it for a week or so. To me green beer can taste a bit sweet, especially if it is undercarbed a bit.
 
Patience, lagers take time to"lager". Wait 4-6 weeks makes all the difference in the world. Layering on or off gas, I have not been able to tell the difference. Time lagering is .a
 
Also - i forgot to do a diacetyl rest. It has been kegged for about two weeks now. Can i pull the keg and let it sit at warmer temps and hope the yeast clean up some of the butterscotch?

I am almost incapable of tasting diacetyl, or do not process it correctly through my tastebuds.

Or do i just need to let it lager another 4-6 weeks before i resume panicking.
 
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