How dry is too dry?

[kenche]

I just took a hydro reading from the primary after 10 days. It read 1.006 for both halves of the split batch

OG was 1.053

I mashed 30 minutes at 148, then
30 minutes at 158

yeast: 5 Gallons Nottingham, 5 gallons wyeast 3056
fermented at 65 f

I know that the low mash temp at during the first 30 minutes will produce a highly fermentable wort, but this seems a little extreme.

Thoughts?

 

[kenche]

hmmm, no replies. Maybe I should be more specific with my question.

Is it normal or even possible to get that kind of attenuation, or do you think that there is something else in there munching away on those sugars?

 

[Yooper]

I've had some beers finish at 1.006 or so in the past, notably the 777 brew. I mashed that at 147 for 75 minutes, though, so I knew it would be very fermentable. I used nottingham yeast.

I have had some other beers finish in the 1.008 range, but I've been purposely mashing higher to try to keep them maltier. I don't think you have to worry about an infection doing this- you just got great attenuation!

 

[budbo]

Dry yeast will generally attenuate better than liquid yeast.. I usually mash at a little higher temp or adjust the grain bill when using dry yeast. Malto dextrine can also put some body back in. I have never had one go below 1.008 but I have been told the "jet fuel" taste starts around 1.005 ish

 

[david_42]

That high an attenuation is extreme. Since both yeasts gave the same results, it was probably your mashing temperatures. I've had beers ferment down to 1.002, but they were smaller to start with. Too dry? Possibly. You should be able to get some idea of how much malt flavor is left, even though it's green.

 

[Ooompa Loompa]

You should be able to get some idea of how much malt flavor is left, even though it's green.

Agree, try it and see how it tastes to you (that's all that matters anyway). If it's too dry you might try adding some lactose at kegging/bottling time.

 

[kenche]

It tasted pretty good to me, I was just surprised to see it get so low. It is my first AG batch, and it was an 11 gallon batch. On top of that, my last batch got infected so I am a bit paranoid.

I was really wondering if people have had beers finish that low, or whether I may be dealing with another infection. I know that some bacteria can ferment out all of the available sugars.

I will wait and see.