High FG after First Fermentation

[Tim]

I'm still new at this and not sure if I did the right thing and a little to late to ask but here it goes... my starting gravity was 1.064 and my finishing gravity was 1.024 although I don't know the exact temperature as it went below the 66f listed on the side of my fermenter. It seems really high but it tasted pretty good and I transferred to the secondary fermenter anyhow.

Will the gravity reading become lower in the secondary or have I messed this up?

Thanks for any feedback/assistance.

 

[cweston]

Depending on what was in your wort, it will probably go lower than that.

How long was it in the primary, and how long did it take the yeast to really get going?

 

[Tim]

It was in the there for 5 full days and it took about 24-36 hours to get going.

 

[Janx]

Just leave it in the secondary for a couple or three weeks and bottle or keg it. It's almost certainly not quite done. Don't worry.

If it tastes good, who cares what the hydrometer says? Hydrometers have really bad taste in beer and should be disregarded by new brewers because they cause worry. A beer that tastes good and has a different FG than you anticipated is MUCH better than a beer that tastes bad but is right on according to the hydrometer

Your beer is just young. Wait a few weeks and enjoy it but don't share any with the hydrometer. Cheers

 

[cweston]

I guess the one thing the hydrometer is good for is confirming (if you're otherwise not sure) that the fermentation is done or not.

If you leave it alone for a week or more in the secondary, it;s a pretty sure bet that it'll be done, though.

If you're not sure, take a hydrometer reading and do it again a day or two later. If they're the same, then you know it's done.

 

[Janx]

It's usually not a good thing to bottle or keg your beer immediately after it has finished. All beers will benefit from a bit more time in the secondary. I almost never keg my beer before a month, so it usually spends at least 3 weeks in the secondary. At that point, most of the yeast has precipitated out and it's pretty clear. The airlock isn't moving at all. So, you can be sure it's done without a hydrometer by just letting it sit a good long time. And your beer will taste better too.

Cheers

 

[Tim]

Thanks for your answers, I guess I will keep it in the secondary for a while.

Another quick question on the same subject, does the temperature on the secondary matter as much as on the primary with respect to keeping it a steady temperature?

 

[Janx]

A nice steady cellaring temp is always a good idea. That said, I don't go out of my way to control the temps of my fermenters very much. I have too many of them to have them all inside. Out in the brew shed, temps fluctuate at the whim of nature

Cooler is better than hotter in the secondary.

This is just how I brew...I don't like to stress and my experience (lots of it) has shown me that it really doesn't make much if any difference to rigorously control fermenter temps as long as they are in a reasonable range. Obviously it's important for commercial breweries who really need to maximize production, but I just don't worry about it. My brews probably ferment in the 60s on average. Sometimes they get really hot in the summer, though.

Others will tell you hydrometers and temp control on fermenters is a good idea or even that they are necessary. That's perfectly valid, too. If you enjoy focusing on all the particulars and details, then go for it. But brewing was around long before hydrometers and temperature control. To me, the Belgians are the Yodas of brewing, and those guys make some of the world's best beer with some of the world's least sophisticated brewing equipment. They have a feel for the process without worrying about the numbers. I like that approach.

Cheers

 

[Kaiser]

I'm still new at this and not sure if I did the right thing and a little to late to ask but here it goes... my starting gravity was 1.064 and my finishing gravity was 1.024 although I don't know the exact temperature as it went below the 66f listed on the side of my fermenter. It seems really high but it tasted pretty good and I transferred to the secondary fermenter anyhow.

Did the sample have lot's of sweetness to it? If yes, this is often a sign that it is not quite done yet.

And I assume that this was a batch made from mostly extact, correct?

But I second the opinions of the others. Time in the secondary should bring down the FG.

Kai