Fermentis S-04 High Attenuation

[mdscole]

Seems odd that a yeast with an advertised attenuation of around 82% would have such a consistently high attenuation. Anyone else getting these kind of results? I like this yeast because of the high attenuation combined with the high degree of flocculation and resultant clarity.
Beer: Basic IPA (25 Gallon Batch)
45# Great Western 2 row
5# Crystal 40
4# Cane sugar

Mash Temp: 150°
Mash time: 60 minutes
Batch type sparging. Sparge water 175°

Extracted Wort: about 30 gallons total. Kettle is 26 gallons. So the last runnings from the sparge are tossed. Last 10 min - the kettle is filled to the brim to sterilize the last bit. Probably about 25 gallons make it into the fermenter. I get about 22 gallons of clear beer out of the fermenter. The rest is yeast sludge and kettle solids.
Yeast: Fermentis S-04
OG: 1.069
FG: 1.001
ABV: 8.79
Attenuation: 97.10

Controlled temperature fermentation: Target 66-68° F. Started to cold crash around the 12th once I hit 1.002. Measurements with zeroed Tilt Hydrometer. Beer is a bit strong and I'll end up diluting with a gallon of bottled water as it goes in the keg to take the ABV from 8.79% down to 7%.

 

[day_trippr]

Have you ever compared your Tilt SG readings with an actual hydrometer?

 

[AlexKay]

There's no way I would trust a Tilt on that 1.001. For FG, my Tilts are off -- sometimes really off -- more often than they're on. They're great for seeing when fermentation starts and ends, but quantitatively they're ... not so good ... once you get some yeast stuck to them. Don't add water until you've double-checked that FG with a reliable method (hydrometer or refractometer).

 

[MaxStout]

The cane sugar probably helped the yeast attenuate a few more points.

And ditto on the hydrometer.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Anyone else getting these kind of results?

No I have never had S-04 drop a beer anywhere close to 1.001.

I have moved away from using S-04, so I don't have a lot of recent data. Looking at my recipes over the past few years using S-04 the data set is not very good (milk stout, oatmeal stout w/ no FG recorded, porter with a fairly high mash temp, and an imperial stout). It looks like most times my recorded FG was a few points above the BeerSmith predicted.

 

[Gusso]

I recently used 04 A couple of times. Good attenuation but not that high. I've been using it for a White Christmas Stout where I go from 1.075 to 1.015-ish. Two times in a row with that.

 

[Dland]

How does it taste?

 

[Gusso]

How does it taste?

White Christmas Stout? It's my wife's favorite. A bit too much coffee for me. Or the OP?

 

[mdscole]

Good input about testing the tilt vs a regular hydrometer. I've only zeroed a clean tilt. Yes stuff sticks to them and that likely influences the angle of the float.

Taste: It's still in the fermenter. Just started the cold crash a couple days ago. I'll keg this weekend.

 

[Immocles]

I’ve had tilt readings be off by a ten points in either direction on occasion. Definitely take a regular hydrometer reading. My most recent was showing a FG of 1.020 for 5 days, but a hydro reading showed 1.011. More often than not, it’s pretty close but sometimes it’s way off the mark.

 

[Beenym88]

I actually always have poor attenuation with s04 (but I still like it I use it for sweet stouts) I attribute it to only using the shake method for oxygenating the wort. At the brewery I work at s04 rips hard but doesn’t over attenuate I have seen 05 hit in the 85% range several times.

 

[mdscole]

Finally had a chance to take a measurement of a different batch to compare the traditional glass hydrometer to the tilt. My graduated cylinder had cracked and had to get a different one...Not about to waste beer with a wide container!

Tilt: 1.005
Normal: 1.011

So clean an floating in water they're perfect. Floating in the initial wart - they're perfect... but with stuff stuck to them - it does impact the readings after fermentation has progressed a ways.

Still one of my favorite brewing tools. Does a great job of measuring rate of change.

 

[Sam_92]

I do really love S-04, I love how quickly and densely it flocculates and it really makes a lovely malt forward beer. That being said I rarely bother to take final gravity readings and I don't worry too much about the numbers in brewing.

 

[R-B-Y]

have you considered diastaticus?