High Grav Beer

[Travestian]

So I'm brewing a beer this weekend (my recipe) which per beersmith will start at 1.094 and end at 1.018 giving me about 10% alcohol. I'm concerned that my Windsor yeast won't be able to finish it out and it will stall high due to the high alcohol amount. I want it to finish close to 1.018 if possible to be sweet. I figure I have three options.

Let it ride with the Windsor only and hopefully it finishes the beer (to include carbonation in the bottle)

Pitch at 1.094 and see where it ends up. If it stalls I can try and pitch some US-05 I have.

Brew with a few pounds less base grain and start at 1.079, finishing at 1.015.

My concern is with either of these options is potentially overfermenting it. 1.015 is at the very edge of the range for this style of beer and I'm trying to stay true to style. I'm brewing Saturday and have no LHBS so getting new yeast isn't an option. Any suggestions?

 

[duboman]

Your desired calculation is expecting an 81% attenuation, I don't think that yeast will give you that. Regardless of the OG

You need to work backwards from the average attenuation for that strain and adjust your mash temp and grain bill to give you the desired FG, which, in reality is a best guess anyways

If the beer winds up drier than you like you can always add in a little lactose once it ferments

 

[WoodlandBrew]

It's going to be hard to hit 81% attenuation with just about any yeast let alone the high gravity. Mashing at 145°F for 90 minutes to get a highly fermentable wort will give you a good chance. If you aim for a 1.075 starting gravity it will put less osmotic pressure on the yeast. Let it ferment for a few days. If you take a few gravity readings you will be able to predict the final gravity before it completes.(1) If it looks like it will finish dry add a few pounds of DME, if it looks like it will finish sweet then add a few pounds of sugar.

(1) See here for details: http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-to-calculate-fermentation-time.html

 

[Travestian]

I went ahead and made a starter with some US-05 last night. I have another pack I will pitch in addition to the starter. I'm shooting for the total grain bill minus one pound of Pale Ale malt (my base). Any other last minute advice?