Do 3 gravity points make a difference...?

[JonBrew]

Or more so, can you notice it in a finshed beer.

Reason being, I brewed a Christmas ale on Friday based on a Strong Scotch ale (wee heavy). Starting gravity was 1072 (as expected). FG was meant to be 1019 but after checking on Monday was showing as 1016, so i'm three points over. I'm hoping fermentation is finished (visable indications suggest it has) but I guess it could drop another couple of points.

I understand that maltodextrin can be added to increase the FG and provide better body/mouth-feel. I also understand that lactose can be used but this will actually sweeten the beer.

Given the style of the beer, do you think the final product will be lacking due to overshooting the FG? And, is it therefore worth adding something like MD to try to correct the problem?

Many thanks!

PS. I had a taste of the hydrometer sample and it was pretty good but not as sweet as i had expected/hoped.

 

[TNGabe]

Sounds like a strong ferment. If you're only complaint is that it's not quite as sweet as you expected, don't mess with it. That's probably a function of the recipe rather than getting a few more points attenuation than you'd expected. Although adding maltodextrin will raise the SG, it's not going to add much, if any sweetness to your beers. Maltodextrin isn't very sweet.

 

[Oginme]

At this point, I would not try to make any adjustment. It may not have quite the creaminess or full mouth feel that you would have with a .1019 final gravity, but should still turn out OK. The only other concern is that the higher than anticipated apparent attenuation may be due to an infection, so I would keep checking it for another few days to confirm that the fermentation has completed. My Scotch Ale usually lacks some in the initial tasting and then with age really mellows out and the flavors blend very nicely.

For the next time, if this is an all-grain recipe, I would check your thermometer for accuracy in the mash temperature. If it is off by a few degrees (reading higher than actual) you will end up with a more fermentable wort than you wanted. You can also plan on adding some maltodextrin in later part of the boil to increase the mouth feel of the finished beer.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

no. 3 gravity points is will within the tolerance of the measuring equipment we generally use. You're fine.

 

[JonBrew]

Thanks to all for responding. I didnt fancy adding anything to my beer so i'm pleased that the general response is that it wont make a major difference.

Thanks again.

 

[RPCidery]

Which yeast did you use?

 

[hou_me]

Three points??? That's crazy! No way that beer is any good, you need to send it to me for proper disposal......


-ben

 

[brewbama]

no. 3 gravity points is will within the tolerance of the measuring equipment we generally use. You're fine.

In my case, I figure three points is well within the tolerance of the measuring equipment operator.


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