Final gravity issue

[Osogol]

Hi guys I am Juan from Mexico City, I just started making beer 3 months as a semi pro level.
I got the same problem on my last 3 batches during fermentation, specifically in FINAL GRAVITY

1. Recipes:
a. IPA
b. APA

2. Ingredients
a. Malt:
i. German Pilsner
ii. American Caramel 60
b. Yeast : safale s-04
c. Hops: Citra and Golding
d. Extras:
i. Burton Salts
ii. Maltodextrin
iii. Irish Moss

3. Fermenters
a. Capacity: 52.83 gallons
b. Batch size: 31.70
c. Material: HDPE tuns NEW (1st usage)
d. Fermentation time: 4 weeks in the plastic tuns (then I bottled manually)

4. Concerns
a. FG: around 1.030 – 1.040, never goes down, why?
b. Fermentation process: I never saw activity (bubbles or foam on airlock),any suggestions?
c. O2: too much oxygen in the fermentor?
d. Yeast:
i. Qty: I use 4 packs (11gms each) for 31.70 gallon batch is that enough?
ii. Starter: I do not use an starter, any problem?
iii. Yeast application: just drop the yeast packs before tuns hermetic close (I don’t dilute the yeast in water) is that an issue?
e. Beer results after 4 weeks on fermenter:
i. Odor: seems to by ok, no diacetyl or vinegar
ii. Appearance: in 2 batches a layer appears (like an espresso layer) is that a bad sign?

Your help will be highly appreciate it!

Rgds

 

[Osogol]

Hi guys I am Juan from Mexico City, I just started making beer 3 months as a semi pro level.
I got the same problem on my last 3 batches during fermentation, specifically in FINAL GRAVITY

1. Recipes:
a. IPA
b. APA

2. Ingredients
a. Malt:
i. German Pilsner
ii. American Caramel 60
b. Yeast : safale s-04
c. Hops: Citra and Golding
d. Extras:
i. Burton Salts
ii. Maltodextrin
iii. Irish Moss

3. Fermenters
a. Capacity: 52.83 gallons
b. Batch size: 31.70
c. Material: HDPE tuns NEW (1st usage)
d. Fermentation time: 4 weeks in the plastic tuns (then I bottled manually)

4. Concerns
a. FG: around 1.030 – 1.040, never goes down, why?
b. Fermentation process: I never saw activity (bubbles or foam on airlock),any suggestions?
c. O2: too much oxygen in the fermentor?
d. Yeast:
i. Qty: I use 4 packs (11gms each) for 31.70 gallon batch is that enough?
ii. Starter: I do not use an starter, any problem?
iii. Yeast application: just drop the yeast packs before tuns hermetic close (I don’t dilute the yeast in water) is that an issue?
e. Beer results after 4 weeks on fermenter:
i. Odor: seems to by ok, no diacetyl or vinegar
ii. Appearance: in 2 batches a layer appears (like an espresso layer please refer to the photo) is that a bad sign?

Your help will be highly appreciate it!

Rgds

 

[Yooper]

How are you measuring your final gravity? If you are using a refractometer, that is the problem right there. They don't read accurately once alcohol is in the mix, since the refraction of light is skewed by alcohol.

Also, don't use maltodextrine in an IPA or APA! That is a "thickener" and not appropriate for those beer styles.

 

[unionrdr]

OK, each packet of dry yeast is intended for 5 gallons of beer, so you're grossly underpitching for 31.7 gallons! If you were trying to more exactly reproduce Burton Ales, you'd use Burton salts. Those packets, again, are intended for 5 gallons of beer. For American IPA's & pale ales, you can leave the Burton salts out. They just try to simulate the hard water of the Burton Upon Trent & Sheffield area of England. OG is the Original Gravity of the wort you start with. FG is Final Gravity you wind up with at the end of fermentation. So is the 1.030-1,040 your OG?

 

[kombat]

We need to know specific quantities (or at least percentages) of your malt bill, in addition to your mash procedure and temperature, how you're milling the grains, and what temperature you're fermenting at.

 

[beernutz]

The amount of yeast you pitch depends on the type of yeast and the original gravity of the wort, not so much on the volume of wort. If you are seriously a semi-pro brewer you should be using a pitching calculator like the one at Mr. Malty or on a tool like beersmith to determine how much yeast to pitch.

It is extremely hard to get too much oxygen into the wort in the fermenter. In fact, your lack of attenuation problem very well could be that you did not oxygenate the wort enough before pitching. What method did you use to add oxygen?

If I were you I'd try to rouse the yeast without further oxygenating the wort. One way to do that is connect a stainless aeration stone to the end of a stainless or plastic tube and connect that to a hose hooked up up to a C02 tank. Put the stone in your fermenter at the bottom and periodically bubble C02 through it to rouse the yeast. Make sure you "prime" the wand with C02 so you don't add oxygen and of course sanitize everything that is going to come in contact with the wort. </my $.02>

 

[mredge73]

What is your OG?

What temp are you pitching yeast?

Before pitching yeast (after cooling), do your best to add as much oxygen as possible.
After pitching yeast, do your best to keep oxygen out.

Pitch the right amount of yeast; you need 7 packs for a OG of 1.06. Hydrate your yeast for better results, use a starter to reduce the number of packs required.
To save money on yeast I would recommend that you brew a 5 gallon batch first with just one pack of re-hydrated yeast; after 3-4 days add the other 25 gallons of wort. This would be like using a very large starter.
Ferment in the temperature range noted on the yeast pack.

Your questions are odd from a semi-pro brewer...

 

[beernutz]

FWIW, he posted the exact same message with a different subject in the general beer discussion forum.

EDIT: nevermind, as it looks like the mods combined both threads.

 

[Osogol]

yes man! i am using a refractometer, any other alternative you suggest?

and also maltodextrin you do not recomend me to make the wort thickener?

 

[Yooper]

yes man! i am using a refractometer, any other alternative you suggest?

and also maltodextrin you do not recomend me to make the wort thickener?

No, you don't want a "thick" IPA. They are light bodied, dry and quaffable (easily drinkable). A full bodied ("thick") IPA would be cloying and undrinkable. Many brewers add simple sugars like dextrose in place of some of the malt to keep the body light.

As far as what to use instead of a refractometer, a simple hydrometer is the best choice once fermentation starts.

You can do some software corrections with formulas that account for alcohol in the mix, like this one: http://seanterrill.com/2012/01/06/refractometer-calculator/ but even that one is not completely accurate. It will get your close to the actual FG, though.

Your beers are finishing much lower than 1.030, don't worry! You'll see that if you do the correction software or check them with a hydrometer.

 

[Yooper]

By the way, you didn't ask for recipe help, but we are really good at recipes here on this forum. I myself love APAs and IPAs, and we could definitely help you fix up a great recipe in those styles.

Tip #1- don't use S04 for American style ales. If you must use dry yeast, than S05 is ok, or BRY97. But not S04.
Tip#2- no Burton salts!

 

[Wild1z]

How are you measuring your final gravity? If you are using a refractometer, that is the problem right there. They don't read accurately once alcohol is in the mix, since the refraction of light is skewed by alcohol.

Hahaha, WTF? No wonder my beers are stuck always at 1.03! I kept calibrating and calibrating and waiting and waiting.. Seriously didn't know that. Man I feel like a goof ball! haha, wow. I am so glad I read the forum and some of the information does get retained.

 

[Osogol]

my OG 1.060

 

[mredge73]

If you use the same refractometer to take your OG and FG readings; per the calculator your real FG is closer to 1.011 - 1.015
This is still high for a APA but should be drinkable. Cut out the maltodextrin; you want this number to come down a little more.
Get yourself a hydrometer for FG; refractometer works fine for your OG.