beer at 1020 gravity

[jaychalm]

im brewing my first brew and i have just checked what my gravity from the keg (been in there about 2 weeks and its at 1020) it was a ruby ale kit but has turned out more like a strong lager, i know i messed up the primary fermentation by following the instructions and only leaving it to ferment for 4 days (kit said 3 - 6 days is fine) the beer itself tastes fine. is it fit for consumption? everywhere i look says its best about 1040ish (my primary reading was this before fermentation)

 

[m1k3]

is it fit for consumption?

Yes, drink it.

the beer itself tastes fine.

 

[Pariah3j]

Your current reading is 1.020 ? Is that the first time you've taken a reading since it began fermentation ? I would give it another couple of days and check it again, if it's still at 1.020 then its most likely finished from what I understand.

edit:
Missed the part 'from the keg' - I was thinking carboy.

 

[jaychalm]

Thanks for the help

 

[PADave]

Was it extract? 1.020 is not unusual, do a search and you'll find plenty of discussion on this. Chalk it up as a learning experience and next time throw away the instructions.

 

[JordanKnudson]

everywhere i look says its best about 1040ish (my primary reading was this before fermentation)

1.040 is a good O.G. (original gravity, i.e. gravity before fermentation). However, it seems from your statement that you were expecting to see that number post fermentation. That would be extremely unusual outside of something like a Russian Imperial Stout.

Gravity is basically a measure of the sugar in solution. As the yeast consume the sugars (that's what fermentation is), the gravity goes down. The measure of this sugar consumption/drop in gravity points is referred to as the "attenuation."

Your beer experienced 50% apparent attenuation (based on your statement that your pre-fermentation gravity was 1.040 and it is now at 1.020, meaning that half the fermentable sugars were consumed). That is a pretty low attenuation, and it likely tastes rather sweet and thick, but you still have made beer (and alcohol). This is a result of taking it out of primary fermentation too quickly (a common mistake that we all made when we brewed our first batch or three). In the future, do not trust the timetable in your kit instructions -- they are just trying to get you through the process as quickly as possible, but they cannot predict how quickly your individual batch will finish. Instead, be patient, wait at least a week (two or three if you have the willpower), then take a gravity reading. If it has reached the predicted final gravity, you are probably good to keg it (although a bit more time on the yeast will only help). If not, leave it alone for a few more days and then take another reading.

 

[Ish]

My brew is at 1.020 but I failed to take O.G the brew has been fermenting for 2 and a half days is there any way I could estimate what the O.G would have been?

 

[Yooper]

My brew is at 1.020 but I failed to take O.G the brew has been fermenting for 2 and a half days is there any way I could estimate what the O.G would have been?

Sure! If you know the exact volume, and you know all of your ingredients, you can estimate the OG by using some brewing software. Brewer's Friend is a free one to use, and I think there is a free one on rackers.org.