Bottling a Beer at gravity of 1.014

[jckrenrut]

Hello,

I recently brewed my first beer, a Russian River Bling Pig IPA clone. My S.G. was 1.072, which was about 10 points higher than the high range of the S.G. that the recipe listed. I didn't think much of it. After a week in primary I tested the gravity again and it was at 1.014. I added the oak and hops per the recipe. A week later I went to bottle and the gravity was still 1.014. Not thinking much of it I added the bottling sugar from the recipe pack, and bottled the batch.

In hindsight, I'm thinking it may not ever really carbonate and instead I'm going to end up with a sweet IPA (not sweet as in cool, sweet as in sweet). Sweet meads are in the 1.020 range; I tasted this stuff, its definitely noticeably sweet. So 2 questions:

1) Will I ever get carbonated regular beer from the bottles and
2) Did I create bottle bombs because there are so much fermentable sugars still available to the brew?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Pkrd]

1.014 is pretty normal for a big beer. Thats 80% attenuation which is about as much as you expect.
RDWHAHB.

 

[dkevinb]

What Pkrd said. 1.014 is not that unusual for an FG, especially when your OG was that high. You may have to wait a while for it to carbonate, though. The yeast that is left is probably tired and not all that healthy. But just give it a few weeks.

 

[max384]

I did a chocolate oatmeal stout this spring that was 1.025 FG. As long as you got consecutive stable gravities at fermenting temperatures, I wouldn't worry.

 

[Cyclman]

A 70 IBU beer, FG of 1.014 and it is sweet?

I doubt you'll have problems carbonating, and with a stable gravity you shouldn't have bottle bombs.

I am thinking it is still too young, and that's what you're tasting.

In my experience, IPAs do need some age, they're like a wine, they top out in wonderfulness, then fade rather quickly.

 

[jckrenrut]

Excellent. Thanks for the feedback. Guess it's just patience from here. I'll report back in another week or so.

 

[jckrenrut]

The taste of these bottles has increased significantly, however the carbonation is still a bit sluggish. At 2 weeks out, I get a bit of a PSHT when I crack one open, but upon pouring into a pint glass it quickly loses most of the carbonation. Actually if I leave it in the bottle it's got much better mouth feel.

I'm headed out of town for 2 weeks in the next few days, so that should make the waiting a little easier at least. We'll see how it tastes when I get back.

 

[LovesIPA]

Beers with higher OG's can take a bit longer to carbonate. I would give them another week. You might be surprised at how much difference a week in the bottle can make.