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Moved to secondary too soon...

Discussion in 'Beginners Beer Brewing Forum' started by ARittner, Dec 12, 2010.

 

  1. #1
    ARittner

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Dec 12, 2010
    So, I've done a few batches with no problems, but I haven't used a secondary since my first. My current batch had an OG of 1.056 and was at 1.020 when I moved to secondary. I had a brain fart and didn't think to make sure fermentation was finished first, since I normally check that before bottling. I was expecting to hit 1.014 but it stayed at 20 even with two weeks in secondary. I went ahead and bottled, figuring there's not much else I could do. It tastes good, not too sweet or syrupy. Am I looking at two cases of bottle bombs, or just slightly lower than expected ABV?

    It's another learning experience for me, but would be nice if it didn't explode.
     
  2. #2
    Yooper

    Ale's What Cures You! Staff Member  

    Posted Dec 12, 2010
    I've had more than a couple batches that stopped at 1.020. As long as the gravity was stable, you will be fine. Some beers, especially those made from extract, just won't go below 1.020.
     
  3. #3
    ETOHonboard

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Dec 12, 2010
    I did the same thing with the same numbers and everything. Mine stayed at 1.020 for a couple weeks so I bottled it. It turned out just fine. I think yours will too.
     
  4. #4
    ARittner

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Dec 12, 2010
    It was definitely stable. It's an AHS extract kit, the Raspberry Chocolate Stout. Through no fault of the kit, this batch has been a disaster from the start. Started brewing too late at night, stove took forever to get the water boiling, broke my only hydrometer right before pouring into the primary, my wife accidentally shut off the heat in the house and it dropped into the 50's inside, etc. Just more proof that beer will come out good in spite of us, more often than not.
     
  5. #5
    Yooper

    Ale's What Cures You! Staff Member  

    Posted Dec 12, 2010
    Another thing to keep in mind that some ingredients are less fermentable, too. So, often a recipe for a stout will finish higher than a recipe for a, say, cream ale. I have an oatmeal stout recipe that will NEVER finish below 1.018. That's by design- I wanted a "thick" bodied rich stout for this beer.

    Maybe your recipe had lots of highly kilned (less fermentable) malts, unfermentable sugars like lactose, and less fermentable extract like dark LME or DME. In that case, I would expect a higher FG, even if the directions tell you otherwise.
     
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