Fermentation stuck or finished?

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dallasd9

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I recently brewed a Texas Cream Ale with the following ingredients:
1 LB Texas Malt 2 Row
8 oz 6 Row Malt
1.5 LB Flaked Corn
0.25 oz Sterling Hops, @ 10 minutes
0.75 oz Sterling Hops, @ 50 minutes
5 LB Pilsen Light LME
Dry Yeast - SafAle US-05
OG should be 1.050
FG should be 1.008

I mashed the partial grains at 154F for 60 minutes, sparged, then added the LME and boiled for 60 minutes. Cooled to 68F. I did hit the original specific gravity target of 1.050
and pitched the yeast. I had good fermentation going within 12 hours. It's been 7 days now and it appears that fermentation has stopped with a FG of 1.016. Not the 1.008 target.

Should I do something to get the desired FG? If I bottle now at 1.008 won't the beer be too sweet?

Note: I'm a novice. This is my 4th brew. All have been very good. Have always hit my OG/FG targets.

Thanks for your help in advance.
 
I've had some beers made with LME stop at 1.020, I just thought it was an extract thing. Also boiling the extract will produce a darker color which may or may not matter to you. Extract has already been boiled, so you can add it after flameout.
Are you fermenting in a cool basement or at regular room temperature? As Micraftbeer said, raising the temperature might help, but only if you are fermenting in a cool spot. You can also try to swirl the fermenter to rouse the yeast a little (don't shake it).
Since you've done a mini mash, perhaps get a bigger BIAB bag and re-brew an all grain version of the above and see how they compare.
 
Why do you take a reading at seven days? Just wait two weeks in total and be done with it. You can keep it at room temperature from now on. If it drops a bit further it's ok, if not then no problem either.

I never had a beer in the 5% abv region (except for diastatic strains and brett) that wasn't finished after two weeks. After the first 3-4 days, keeping temperature down is not crucial anymore, so raise it a bit if you can.
 
Why do you take a reading at seven days? Just wait two weeks in total and be done with it. You can keep it at room temperature from now on. If it drops a bit further it's ok, if not then no problem either.

I never had a beer in the 5% abv region (except for diastatic strains and brett) that wasn't finished after two weeks. After the first 3-4 days, keeping temperature down is not crucial anymore, so raise it a bit if you can.
Thanks for the reply. I'm using a "TILT" so that's how I know the gravity. Of course, that doesn't mean that the reading is accurate. I will find out in two weeks when I take a real reading with my hydrometer. I'm going to bump the temperature in the meantime.
 
Thanks for the reply. I'm using a "TILT" so that's how I know the gravity. Of course, that doesn't mean that the reading is accurate. I will find out in two weeks when I take a real reading with my hydrometer. I'm going to bump the temperature in the meantime.

I have a tilt as well . I really like it when fermenting lagers.
 
Good advice above. Raise the temp a bit if possible and let it sit a few more days.

I suspect it is probably done. It will be delicious. The vast majority of beer drinkers will not be able to the difference.
 
Good advice above. Raise the temp a bit if possible and let it sit a few more days.

I suspect it is probably done. It will be delicious. The vast majority of beer drinkers will not be able to the difference.
Cool! Thanks, I was wondering if it was going to be noticeable.
 
With the Tilt, you can't trust the actual number at the end. Sometimes it's higher, sometimes it's lower. What you can trust is that when it flatlines, it's finished converting gravity. Then give it ~3 days to clean up "other stuff", then transfer to keg or bottle.
 
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