high OG yeast

[broomee]

Is there a trick to getting high OG brews to fully ferment?

Every time I try to brew a nice strong batch around 1.055 OG or higher they always struggle to ferment out to a FG below 1.020.

I would really like to do more high OG brews so would appreciate any tips with regards to yeast to get them to a lower FG.

Cheers

 

[stpug]

Oxygen, table sugar, low mash temps, proper pitching amounts.... those would help.

If you're doing extract batches then subbing some malt extract for table sugar (small portion) will help along with proper pitching amounts and well oxygenated wort.

More about your process would help us help you

 

[broomee]

Doesnt seem to make any difference which method I use. I have tried extracts and biab techniques using varying methods over the years. It just seems to be whenever I have that higher OG.

The only oxygenating I do is giving it a bloody good whip up with the paddle, have heard of guys using fish tank air rators tho.

Im thinkin that maybe I just need to add more yeast. I have always just used one packet ranging anywhere from 7g to 11g. Tried all sorts of different ones but generally get the same result ferment wise.

Have been weary of adding to much yeast and creating a bomb.

 

[stpug]

One technique when using malt extracts is to add most of them about 5 minutes before the end of your boil. This helps to keep the color of beer lighter as well as keeping the sugars more fermentable (i.e. keeps the sugar from carmelizing too much).

Proper yeast amounts is a good thing, never a bad thing . Although, one sachet (11g) of dry yeast per 5 gallons of 1.055 wort should be enough/plenty, especially if you rehydrate it. I understand the reasoning for rehydrating and believe that it makes a significant difference, which ISN'T to say that you can't get good beer from direct sprinkling on the surface of the wort, just that you are giving the optimal chance for the individual yeast cells to survive in the wort.

Prior to oxygen, I used to shake the sh*t out of my carboy and had good fermentations. I would not say that oxygen has made my beers better - just less effort. But I would really get a good shake, as best I could, for a few minutes. At the end of shaking I would have inches (that's lots of centimeters for you metric folk ) of foam prior to pitching yeast.

There are a lot of posts on here of folks to get stuck at about the 1.020 mark (if you search for 1.020). I bet reading through those threads would give you plenty of ideas to try on your next brew.

 

[broomee]

Will have a look. Thanks for the advice.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

What about throwing some Champagne yeast in? Bad idea?

 

[Leadgolem]

Malt extract isn't supposed to be 100% fermentable. Table sugar, being very simple, is 100% fermentable. Leftover sugars from something like malt extract contribute to the flavor of the finished brew. 100% fermentable sugars contribute to the alcohol content only. Though many might disagree, I think adding table sugar to boost the alcohol content without altering the flavor is perfectly fine.

Most strains of yeast have a stated alcohol tolerance. That tolerance is under ideal circumstances. Since most home brewers setups are less then idea, you can assume that most strains will stall about 10% short of the stated alcohol tolerance. So if a strain has a tolerance of 7%, you can say that it should be good for fermenting beers up to about 6.3%. Over that, you can get it to produce alcohol, but it will take a lot of special care. If you really want a fairly high gravity beer to ferment dry, use a yeast that has a much higher alcohol tolerance then your OG would call for. IE, use champagne yeast for a 7% potential alcohol content brew when it has a 15% alcohol tolerance.

Happy brewing.

 

[beergolf]

Every time I try to brew a nice strong batch around 1.055 OG or higher they always struggle to ferment out to a FG below 1.020.

1.055 is not that strong, so you should have no issues fermenting out lower than 1.020. Make sure your extract is fresh. Like mentioned a few posts up, add some of the extract near the end of the boil. Make sure to aerate well and control the ferment temps and you should have no issues fermenting lower. I did a lot of extract brews when I was starting out and never had a problem with them not finishing where they should.

Give us an example of the recipes that you are having problems with because it may be recipe related.

 

[Calder]

Most yeasts will be fine. Some have low attenuation. Notty is a good one, but stay way from Windsor, Muntons and Coopers. S-05 is another good one.

Replace about 10% of the extract with plain table sugar. It can end up lowering your FG by .004 to .005 in a batch that normally ends about 1.020. The sugar ferments 100%; it will have an apparent attenuation of greater than 100%, effectively helping bring the rest of the brew lower.

Aerate the heck out of the wort. Whatever you can do. Put the lid on the bucket and shake it like crazy. Get plenty of froth generated. Once you have aerated it as much as you think you can, do it again. This is an extremely important step in the health of the yeast.

If you can do it, close to the end of fermentation, raise the temperature. A good 5 or more degrees will help. This will get the yeast more active and generally finish lower. It also helps clean up undesirable fermentation by-products.

Partial mash will also help. Try and keep the mash temperature about 148/150 to get a very fermentable wort. Higher temperatures = less fermentable wort.

Good luck.

 

[Leadgolem]

Why do I always think Pasteur champagne has an 18% alcohol tolerance? That's premier cuvee. Fixed my post.