WildKnight
Well-Known Member
I cannot seem to get my beers to ferment low in gravity.
I read articles about people who get their 8 and 9% big-bodied beer to ferment low. Triples that ferment down to 1.010 (or lower). I've seen some 10% stouts that go down to 1.018. What is the trick?
I always pitch a starter. It is active and usually contains 100ml of yeast slurry when it settles. I always aerate the carboy using a 0.5 micron stone. I've even pitched champagne yeast at the end to try and get it lower.
I generally mash low, 148-152. Sometimes I even add some cane sugar to add alcohol and get the gravity low. Most often, I mash for 90 minutes up to 2 hours.
Generally, my beers stop fermenting at 1.020-22, regardless of the recipe - 10 lbs 2-row, 15 lbs 2-row, 18 lbs 2-row. Some recipes have crystal and some have none - all end above 1.020. With a 75% attenuation yeast (i use WLP001 - 73-80%), anything under 1.080 should ferment below 1.020, which is 95% of the beers I brew.
I've only ever gotten one beer below 1.020, and it was a recipe with 9 lbs of grain, no crystal and I pitched a whole yeast cake from a previous beer. Everyone who tried it said "good flavor, but kinda light." How do you get a full bodied flavor while getting the gravity low so it doesn't taste too sweet?
Is it even reasonable to expect recipes with that average 10-12 lbs of 2-row with 1lb of crystal (plus minor percentages of other grains for color) to ferment below 1.020?
I read articles about people who get their 8 and 9% big-bodied beer to ferment low. Triples that ferment down to 1.010 (or lower). I've seen some 10% stouts that go down to 1.018. What is the trick?
I always pitch a starter. It is active and usually contains 100ml of yeast slurry when it settles. I always aerate the carboy using a 0.5 micron stone. I've even pitched champagne yeast at the end to try and get it lower.
I generally mash low, 148-152. Sometimes I even add some cane sugar to add alcohol and get the gravity low. Most often, I mash for 90 minutes up to 2 hours.
Generally, my beers stop fermenting at 1.020-22, regardless of the recipe - 10 lbs 2-row, 15 lbs 2-row, 18 lbs 2-row. Some recipes have crystal and some have none - all end above 1.020. With a 75% attenuation yeast (i use WLP001 - 73-80%), anything under 1.080 should ferment below 1.020, which is 95% of the beers I brew.
I've only ever gotten one beer below 1.020, and it was a recipe with 9 lbs of grain, no crystal and I pitched a whole yeast cake from a previous beer. Everyone who tried it said "good flavor, but kinda light." How do you get a full bodied flavor while getting the gravity low so it doesn't taste too sweet?
Is it even reasonable to expect recipes with that average 10-12 lbs of 2-row with 1lb of crystal (plus minor percentages of other grains for color) to ferment below 1.020?