Should I bottle?

[Anti-Hoppist]

Hi, this Is my first brew. And I messed up the mash, mashing for most of time in the 80C range. So, OG came out higher than expected (1.049 instead of 1.040). I used dry Voss (Lellemand) and It's now stuck at 1.023, same as 3 days ago.
With like 50% attenuation we're very far from the legendary kveik AA, but considering my mash I don't think there's much sugar in this wort to begin with, and I pitched at more than 40c. I suppose It could be very possible that the yeast finished in 4 days with such low sugars, also considering that kveik doesn't like low OG wort.

So, do you think what I think? Should I bottle or It's still top risky?

 

[DBhomebrew]

Refractometer or hydrometer?

 

[Protos]

Welcome to the forum! I like your nickname, I'm an "antihoppist" too (in the sence I despise the current trendy fad of making each and every beer style hoppy as hell).

You've messed up quite a lot of things, to be honest. 80C for mashing and 40C for pitching (even for pitching Kveik yeast) are a bit extreme. Many would tell you you've killed your converting enzymes at 80C, but you haven't: I've made mashes at 84C (I did that intentionally, to get low-attenuated beers) and still had 55% apparent attenuation. Anyway, at that high temp you get a wort, poorly fermentable by the cultured yeast (however still easily fermentable by the wild bugs).

So, now you have your beer at somewhere 3.5%ABV and 53% attenuation. I wouldn't recommend bottling such a brew.
What I may suggest is pitching Saison yeast to your brew and make a lighter Saison or a Grisette, however you prefer to call it.

Then re-run your Kveiky project anew, paying thorough attention to your mashing temperature. I wish you good luck with it!

May I add also, that 1.040 or 1.049 isn't the gravity you want for a Kveik. Norwegian Farmhouse Ale (aka "Kveik") is a strong, malty, very chewy beer, so no lower than 1.068 at least. Lower than that, and you have a bastardized brew out of any style.

 

[Anti-Hoppist]

Refractometer or hydrometer?

Hydrometer

Welcome to the forum! I like your nickname, I'm an "antihoppist" too (in the sence I despise the current trendy fad of making each and every beer style hoppy as hell).

You've messed up quite a lot of things, to be honest. 80C for mashing and 40C for pitching (even for pitching Kveik yeast) are a bit extreme. Many would tell you you've killed your converting enzymes at 80C, but you haven't: I've made mashes at 84C (I did that intentionally, to get low-attenuated beers) and still had 55% apparent attenuation. Anyway, at that high temp you get a wort, poorly fermentable by the cultured yeast (however still easily fermentable by the wild bugs).

So, now you have your beer at somewhere 3.5%ABV and 53% attenuation. I wouldn't recommend bottling such a brew.
What I may suggest is pitching Saison yeast to your brew and make a lighter Saison or a Grisette, however you prefer to call it.

Then re-run your Kveiky project anew, paying thorough attention to your mashing temperature. I wish you good luck with it!

May I add also, that 1.040 or 1.049 isn't the gravity you want for a Kveik. Norwegian Farmhouse Ale (aka "Kveik") is a strong, malty, very chewy beer, so no lower than 1.068 at least. Lower than that, and you have a bastardized brew out of any style.

I learnt about the problem with kveik and low alcohol only after buying It and It's the only yeast in the house. I already have plans to adjust everything, and probably change yeast (thinking of safbrew Abbey. I'd like something that I can Just let go without too much worries of temperature for now and that doesn't require too much maturation to "calm" the flavor, and let's me do some low alcohol beer).

But for now, I'm stuck with this.

(PS: that's exactly my thought about the hop trend)

 

[Anti-Hoppist]

I might do a little test and bottle one plastic bottle to see how It goes, but I'm afraid of leaving everything in the fermenter for too long.

 

[Protos]

Safbrew Abbey is a good choise. You can make a lot of great styles with it.
Kveik yeasts are only for Norwegian Farmhouse Beers. Using Kveiks in each and every style is another trendy fad, no better than the Hop Craze.

Well, if you have no other yeast, then you may do what a Norwegian farmhouse brewer would: just add some sugar (preferably, Dextrose) up to 15% of the grist by weight and let the fermentation to go on. You won't get a real Kveik, but you'll fix the underattenuation and probably render your batch more drinkable.

but I'm afraid of leaving everything in the fermenter for too long.

Don't be afraid. Unless it's infected, it will stay in the primary at least for a month with no problems.

 

[Anti-Hoppist]

You know what, I think I'll wait a few days. Because, while FG hasn't decreased, there's a citrusy, sharp taste that wasn't there 3 days ago (although I admit that It makes the beer more pleasant). Might be the kveik, might be because I ended up with too much hops (ironically! and It tastes sort of "green"), but might also be infection.

I'll see in the weekend of things have changed.

 

[hotbeer]

Four days isn't unusual for any of the common ale yeasts I've used to reach FG.

However reaching FG doesn't mean it's ready to bottle/keg and drink. There are other things that take place after fermentation is over. Flavor and aroma's change, usually for the better if given time. And the excess yeast and other crud suspended in the beer that also can add undesirable flavors will settle to the bottom of the FV. So don't be in a hurry. Let it sit in the FV and it'll become the best that it can be.

Figure out how to control better the things you let go awry and start thinking about that next batch of beer.

 

[Anti-Hoppist]

I report back just to give an end to the story.

Tested again today, nothing changed on gravity but taste Is greatly, immensely improved, so the biggest thing I learnt is to let the beer rest a bit after fermentation. It's lemony sweet, and actually way more drinkable than expected! This lemony sweet taste really reminds of a craft lager I drank awhile ago.
In the end It was wise to stick to a simple Pilsen-Vienna-Hallertau recipe.
I'll bottle tomorrow. This one would benefit from a moderate/high carbonation but being my first priming I'll stay a bit low.

 

[seatazzz]

With that high (1.023 if I'm reading correctly) of a FG, you will want to be VERY careful with those bottles. Definitely go on the low end for priming sugar. You want to avoid what we call bottle bombs. Don't look that up on the googles, it's ghastly. Let the bottles sit in a lidded tub for about 5 days, then refrigerate (once again handling VERY carefully) one for 24 hours, and test. Carbonation will almost completely stop once the beer reaches about 45°. If your sample bottle is where you want it carbonation-wise, refrigerate ALL of them. If you don't have room to do so, keep them in that lidded tub and try not to stub your toe on it.

Not trying to frighten the daylights out of you, but flying shards of glass are nothing to mess with. For your next brew, definitely watch your mash temperatures. You got fermentable sugars even at 176°F mashing temperature (yes I had to ask google to convert C to F for me). I've mashed as high as 160° and gotten decent beer out of it.

 

[beren]

Hey could also add some enzyme to convert the sugars, but it will be a dry beer...