Beer is sweet

[langdonk1]

I just brewed a Double ipa and it finished fermenting from 1.075-1.011 in 5 days. I dry hopped for 3 days and Cold crashed for 2 days. Then bottled. What happened?

 

[Callacave]

More specifics on the recipe and hops used. Could be a perceived sweetness from the hops, but that's a guess.

 

[afr0byte]

It could be that the ferment stopped with some fermentables unfermented, adding sweetness. Also, a high gravity beer will be sweeter than a low gravity beer at the same fg...not accounting for bittering

 

[AerationStation]

Was it all malt or did you use simple sugars too?

 

[langdonk1]

13 lbs 2 row
12 Oz vienna
12 Oz Carapils
12 Oz orange blossom honey
4 oz table sugar

Warrior
Summit
Cascade
Amarillo
Citra
Simcoe
Falconers flight

Smells like apricots and tangerines

 

[langdonk1]

WLP dry English ale yeast starter

 

[KepowOb]

I'm guessing the aroma is from the hops.

What was your batch size? I'm just curious because I plugged your recipe into my software and it's giving me some really high OG (for 5 gallons, or low-ish, for 10).

Your attenuation was 85%, and I don't think you'd really be able to get your FG any lower than that in general. You want some sweetness to counter the bitterness, even in an IPA or IIPA... just less than in other beers.

 

[harebearva]

interesting. I you used WLP007, it's a higher attenuating English yeast so shouldn't be an over abundance of sweetness... Especially with the Honey, it's pretty much 100% fermentable and should have dried out the beer even further. I'm thinking hop aroma as well.
Just playing devils advocate, is your hydrometer accurate and calibrated? Did you use a refractometer, which will give false FG with the presence of alcohol. Just looking for answers.

 

[langdonk1]

I used a refractometer but used a calculator online to accurately find my FG. I opened a bottle only after 6 days so maybe it's still green tasting?

 

[langdonk1]

The sweetness does balance out the bitterness but maybe should give it another week or 2.

 

[GuldTuborg]

The sweetness does balance out the bitterness but maybe should give it another week or 2.

Is it even carbonated yet? Give it a week or two and try it again.

 

[BPO]

+1
The carbonation could help.Also what hops and schedule did you use(IBUs). There should be a high BU/GU ratio. I use http://www.brewersfriend.com Most online freebees have something like this. IBUs over 75-80 should be ok. The higher the better

 

[johnnytaco]

I would guess you're getting the sweet flavor from the honey you added. Every honey beer I've made ends up with a slight honey flavor that makes it finish sweet, even if the gravity is where it's supposed to be. Next time, try bumping up the bittering hop addition by ten percent and you should get the balance you're looking for.

 

[Aa760]

I don't trust the refractometer- and- calculator combo for determining FG. I recently bottled a Belgian pale ale and checked gravity after bottling using the refractometer and northern brewer's FG calculator. After converting it gave me 1.042! I thought I was in for bottle bombs for sure. Put them in a safe place and crossed my fingers. 2 weeks later, tasted and it was crisp and dry. I went out and picked up a hydrometer to check the reading- 1.010. I love my refractometer for OG, but will only trust a hydrometer sample for FG, fwiw.

 

[langdonk1]

100 ibus. First wort .5 oz summit. 1 oz warrior at 60 for bittering. Cascade at 20. .5 summit at 10. Citra amrillo and simcoe hop stand. 2 oz citra 1 oz simcoe 1 oz Falconers for dry hop.

 

[langdonk1]

Tasted it tonight. It's been two weeks. The sweetness has subsided and the dryness has balanced out. I might let it sit in the primary for a longer period of time next go at it.

 

[kaconga]

When you add priming sugar you are adding sweetness to the beer, that sugar ferments out completely leaving you with your CO2 to carbonate the brew. If the yeast have not finished consuming the priming sugar then you will taste that. A higher alcohol beer takes longer to carbonate than a lower one. In 2 more weeks time I bet it will be back to how it tasted before bottling as far as sweetness goes.

 

[pdxal]

Tasted it tonight. It's been two weeks. The sweetness has subsided and the dryness has balanced out. I might let it sit in the primary for a longer period of time next go at it.

Then it had to have been the unfermented priming sugar you were tasting.

 

[langdonk1]

That makes sense. Almost all of my previous beers have conditioned in a week so I just assumed this one would too. This was my first double ipa.

 

[harebearva]

I'm always a hydrometer guy when it comes to FG. Just don't trust the hydrometer (except for pre fermentation of course). When in doubt, go another 5-7 days in primary. Yeast Autolysis isn't going to bite you in a month and my beers have been so much better when I give the yeasties more time to work their magic. My brews seem to hit their stride at about 3-4 weeks post bottling. Time heals all wounds

 

[langdonk1]

Why are refractometers not good to measure final gravity?

 

[Yooper]

Why are refractometers not good to measure final gravity?

Refractometers measure light refraction.

Alcohol skews that, so when alcohol is in the mix you don't get a true reading.