Apparent vs. real attenuation, how to know if the beer attenuated well?

Hello fellow brewers!

I just brewed an IPA that started at 1.068 and finished at 1.008, measured with hydrometer (abv 7.5 +). I was aiming for a 1.012 finish (not sure why though).

Concerned about this beer having over-attenuated, I had a bit of a read about apparent and real attenuation.
Based on what I read, the real FG of this beer, taking in consideration the alcohol in it, is around 1.019.

So what do you use to asses your attenuation after you've taken all the readings? I don't know if this beer finished high @1.019 or finished low @1.008!

thanks

 

My palate.

 

Numbers thrown around are the raw numbers, not the corrected numbers. If your recipe calls for a finishing gravity of 1.012, you go off the actual hydrometer reading, not off of correcting that reading for the alcohol in the sample.

 

Well just like dialing in your brew rig, you need to keep notes on how well different yeasts attenuate in your beers so you can dial them in.

You made a beer that's a little drier than intended but in an IPA that's probably a good thing.

And yes, recipes are based on the apparent attenuation, what you see on your hydrometer.

Yeast are alive and not always consistent with what the manufacturer says. When I make starters I usually get about 5-7% more attenuation than White Labs says is the max. But with repeated brews and notes I know the % attenuation and can adjust my brews to account for this to get my desired FG.

 

Thank you for the replies

 

If my IPA finishes above 1.010 I'm not a happy camper.

You should look into adjusting the estimated attenuation per your strain of yeast. The default in most engines seems to be 70 to 72%