Can/should you adjust the gravity after fermentation?

[BAF]

My rule of thumb is don't try to fix a whole lot. Usually it ends up making more of a mess, and it adds more variables which makes it difficult to see what exactly happened at the end of the brew day. For the most part, I roll with whatever is going on and then, after the fact, figure out what went wrong and if I need to update my equipment profile, process, or whatever, so that I can predict the next batch.

If I've got a volume issue that I can reasonably address by adjusting boil time or power, then I will, but beyond that, I don't do much. If I'm doing a big beer, I'll check my mash pH and adjust.

I don't try to correct gravity (unless it's really a volume issue) by adding water or DME or anything like that. If you're consistently off, then you need to adjust your efficiency/boil-off rate/losses/etc so that you can reliably predict your batch. Otherwise you're going to be chasing problems forever. And that's before fermentation. Once it's in the fermenter, I don't deviate from my recipe at all. It's way too late to try to fix gravity, volume, etc at that point.

So yeah, stop with the band-aids, and figure out what is going wrong. Is your mash temperature or process off? Do you need to tweak your equipment profile in whatever software you're using? Do you need to start using software to be able to adjust your recipes so you can brew them as intended?

Figure out what's wrong with your process and fix that. IMO, your goal should be to have your process and variables dialed in enough to not to have to make corrections.

(edit) I also agree with others that you probably can't really fix mediocre beer after the fact. You're just going to frustrate yourself and waste time and money and potentially make the beer worse. Either drink it or dump it and figure out how to not make the same mistake next brew.

 

[Christoff]

My rule of thumb is don't try to fix a whole lot. Usually it ends up making more of a mess, and it adds more variables which makes it difficult to see what exactly happened at the end of the brew day. For the most part, I roll with whatever is going on and then, after the fact, figure out what went wrong and if I need to update my equipment profile, process, or whatever, so that I can predict the next batch.

If I've got a volume issue that I can reasonably address by adjusting boil time or power, then I will, but beyond that, I don't do much. If I'm doing a big beer, I'll check my mash pH and adjust.

All makes sense. I was generally curious as a thought experiment. If I am not going to drink all of it, seemed like an opportunity to experiment. Some good feedback came out of this too. I've started using brewfather to help shore some of this up. Generally speaking though, I am guessing BIAB is a pretty straight forward process if you are consistent, so there really isn't much beyond what I have mentioned above. I am curious what the water report will come back with.

My last porter/hybrid stout just got some pretty good reviews from friend's of friends so I am guessing I am being harder on the beer than is actually the case.

 

[Christoff]

The only thing that the crush of your malts and other grains is going to affect is the OG you might get if your recipe is figuring the amounts at a higher efficiency. To a certain extent that does affect taste as you won't create the same amount of alcohol.

But your main issue seems to be you aren't getting no where close to your FG. I don't think grain crush will have any affect on that, unless you have been doing some things you haven't told us yet to get your OG close to the same OG of the recipe.

There was discussion earlier that my OG was very low. My eyes saw a 1.068 on brewfather so I didn't think too much of it but then it was pointed out that it should have been a lot higher. Brewfather actually said 1.088 when I looked closer, hence the conversation about the crush. I am assume on a low(ish) attenuating beer (which I was going for here) the OG is going to play a roll because more sugars will be present and the mouthfeel will be bigger? (if that's the right word)?

I still have no idea why the attenuation is so low though. Windsor is bad, but this is really bad. It's still bouncing between 1.36 and 1.037 (majority of readings at 1.037).

 

[hotbeer]

I still have no idea why the attenuation is so low though. Windsor is bad, but this is really bad. It's still bouncing between 1.36 and 1.037 (majority of readings at 1.037)

Might be something you did while mashing. Check to be certain your thermometer is accurate enough. If you had to warm up your mash, did you take temperature readings in several places?

If you are using a all-in-one vessel, then I don't know anything to say about proper procedures with them.

On the ferment side of things, under pitching and ambient temperatures taking a nose dive at critical times might be an issue.

What about ingredients, did you use any unfermentable sugars such as maltodextrin?

And how certain are you that your wort pH wasn't too low or too high? Test strips can be difficult to read if you haven't had experience with them doing other things. For lighter colored beers, I've had good success using them to assure me I'm in an acceptable range.

However for my very dark porters I've been brewing lately they leave me in doubt as the color of the wort makes seeing the test strip color virtually impossible.

 

[Christoff]

Might be something you did while mashing. Check to be certain your thermometer is accurate enough. If you had to warm up your mash, did you take temperature readings in several places?

If you are using a all-in-one vessel, then I don't know anything to say about proper procedures with them.

On the ferment side of things, under pitching and ambient temperatures taking a nose dive at critical times might be an issue.

What about ingredients, did you use any unfermentable sugars such as maltodextrin?

And how certain are you that your wort pH wasn't too low or too high? Test strips can be difficult to read if you haven't had experience with them doing other things. For lighter colored beers, I've had good success using them to assure me I'm in an acceptable range.

However for my very dark porters I've been brewing lately they leave me in doubt as the color of the wort makes seeing the test strip color virtually impossible.

I actually just bought a new thermometer because I am not sure I can trust the one I have. I generally check it every 10 min when I mash. I used my new one today and they were not syncing. The old may have been ~5 F off however the new one is hard to read. Since I was already aiming to mash a little high this explains the attenuation. I was thinking of brewing another batch and using the other half of the yeast to see if it attenuates the same or better. I have heard of dry yeast batches being off but maybe that was something of the past?

The dark beer in question on this thread was from the BIAB process, not my solo. I am basically just brewing on the stove until it warms up

The ingredients I listed above is everything I used. Just pale ale malt, crystal, brown, wheat, and the chocolate malt. I avoid adding any additional sugars in almost everything, unless it's totally necessary for the style.

I am not certain of the pH. I think my strips are too old so I stopped using them. I have ordered a meter the other day. Beerfather says would have been 5.77 but I don't know if that is enough to create the attenuation issue.

 

[ncbrewer]

I actually just bought a new thermometer because I am not sure I can trust the one I have.

I wouldn't trust either one without calibrating against boiling water and an ice bath. (An ice bath is a lot trickier than it sounds.)

 

[Christoff]

I wouldn't trust either one without calibrating against boiling water and an ice bath. (An ice bath is a lot trickier than it sounds.)

I did boiling water when I first bought the old one and it seemed fine, but you also have to pull it out to read it so if its not in the liquid perfectly it can be tough to get an accurate reading. I haven't with the new one yet. The new one is 5 F increments however so it is hard to read. I should just bite the bullet and get a decent once. These $15 ones are finicky.

 

[ncbrewer]

I use this one - totally satisfied: ThermoWorks RT301WA Super-Fast® Pocket Thermometer

 

[Christoff]

I use this one - totally satisfied: ThermoWorks RT301WA Super-Fast® Pocket Thermometer

great. thank you.

 

[DonT]

Do you have a refractometer? If not, you should. And use it during the mash to monitor the progress. In fact, use it for all gravity checks up to the minute you pitch.
Do you use the Spike Solo for all your brews?
I would invest in some kind of fermentation temp control... And, what do you ferment in?

 

[Christoff]

Do you have a refractometer? If not, you should. And use it during the mash to monitor the progress. In fact, use it for all gravity checks up to the minute you pitch.
Do you use the Spike Solo for all your brews?
I would invest in some kind of fermentation temp control... And, what do you ferment in?

I just bought a refractometer, but haven't used it yet. So far I have only used my hydrometer.

I don't use the Spike solo for all my brews. Only when I want a bigger batch of something, or experiment with smaller batches of the same wort. I have a spike conical that I use to ferment those bigger batches, and I have the temp control package for it.

all the other batches I use wide mouth plastic fermenters or 1 gallon glass carboys. I have a small beer room that I can control fermentation temps fairly well. I just have to watch it a bit closer than the spike temp jacket.