raising abv?

i just tested my pale ale im making after 10 days in the fermenter and its only reading at 3.02 abv...

should i let it go longer or can i add anything to raise it up? it has stopped bubbling for at least 3 days now...

 

You could definitely boil up some DME or some sugar and add it to the beer to boost the ABV. What were your gravity readings? Also, how did you aerate the wort?

I've also read that ~70% of fermentation occurs in the primary and that racking to secondary allows the yeast a clean environment (and maybe a tiny amount of oxygen) in order to churn out the last ~30% of fermentation.

Let us know what you do and how it turns out

 

This is the question I have--what are the numbers?

A lot of people are no longer doing secondaries as the fermentation can complete in the primary. That's what I do, and my final gravity is typically around 1.013 or so.

I don't use a secondary and it finishes just fine.

 

I suspect incomplete fermentation, and recommend pitching additional yeast rather than adding more DME or sugar. Doing the latter will just sweeten the wort/beer if the yeast in the fermentor have already given up and don't convert the sugars. This will depend on the gravity reading, of course, as others have mentioned. If it's still in the 1.025-1.035 range, you might consider pitching a Chico strain or some wlp099 to restart fermentation.

 

I don't even know what that means. For the majority of brewers 100% of fermentation is done in primary.

 

How are you arriving at 3.02? Did you use the OG and FG plugged into this formula.. (OG-FG) X 131= ABV.

Or are you using the potential alcohol scale on the hydrometer? If so this is not useful.

 

Idk where I read that 70/30 stuff so I won't refer to it anymore. Most people just buy beer. Some people want better beer so they brew it. Even fewer people want the best beer and, according to John Palmer, in general, transferring to a secondary leads to the best results (blanket statement). However, since we are discussing the brewing of a pale ale, I'll admit I am wrong and you don't need a secondary. I'm glad I looked into it though, because now I realize my 2 week primary, 2 week secondary, 2 week bottle conditioning may be hurting my beer.

 

Don't know if you've ever run across the Brulosophy stuff, but Marshall Schott and his associates try out different kinds of variables and see what happens when they're changed.

Two of the more interesting "exbeeriments" involve racking to secondary versus just a primary, and what happens when you ferment just in primary with a bunch of trub in the fermentor.

http://brulosophy.com/2015/03/22/the-impact-of-kettle-trub-part-2-exbeeriment-results/

and

http://brulosophy.com/2014/06/02/the-great-trub-exbeeriment-results-are-in/

and

http://brulosophy.com/2014/08/12/primary-only-vs-transfer-to-secondary-exbeeriment-results/

I have the Palmer book, probably have relied on it as you have, but some of that information appears to be dated. As malts have improved, yeasts have improved, processes have improved, some of the old "conventional wisdom" has gone by the wayside. What once was important because the yeast wasn't as versatile/robust, is not so important any more.

There used to be a real emphasis on getting the beer off the yeast cake and trub, as it was though (and my well have been the case) that yeast autolysis and other factors caused off flavors--thus racking to a secondary. But unless you're leaving the beer in the primary for more than a month or so, it doesn't seem to make any difference. If you're doing a very long-stage aging of the beer, getting it off the trub and yeast does make sense.

People will do what they do, but I stopped using a secondary after my very first extract brew.

 

I am definitely under the "new brewer learning traditional (outdated) practices from older brewers" category. I'm familiar with Marshall Schott's great trub exbeeriment but I hadn't seen his secondary one. I'm definitely going to be using my carboy for primary fermentation now!

Thanks a ton for linking those sources because that was what I needed to read.

 

My OG was 1.048 using a refractometer.... I aerated my wort in my carboy and used 1 package of Us-05 dry yeast... controlled fermentation around 68 degrees for 10 days... my reading on my hydrometer today was 1.018...

 

It is darker than you expected? I've scorched wort before and ended up with beer much darker, sweeter, and with a FG much higher than expected. If that's the case, I'm not sure if it can be brought any lower. Just an idea

 

It's within range but it could be scorched never thought of that..

 

Keep it at or above your current temperature, and check it again in 3 days or so to see if it is done. Obviously, keep using the hydrometer for post-fermentation checks.

Also, have you tested your refractometer against your hydrometer? Do they read the same thing at different gravities? Was the OG what you expected it to be, or was it off?

 

A 1.048 beer isn't going to be super alcoholic. If you mashed high or used lots of additional malts, you may be done. I wouldn't worry about abv. Good beer is good beer. If you want abv, get vodka. Otherwise, make higher gravity brews.

 

ill check it again in a few days... i havent checked my refractomater against the hydrometer either... the OG is a little higher then expected... beersmith is saying should be around 1.012 or so...

 

i go for taste obviously but a little added buzz is always good... im thinking more malt or more yeast could be my issue

 

I noticed yesterday that I still have bubbles coming from air lock too lol