FG too high?

[Dingo_1]

I've had my sweet oatmeal stout (Buffalo Sweat clone) going for about 2 weeks. OG was 1057 and it's now down to 1025 (and has been for almost a week now). Should I repitch? I read on a NB forum that they brewer from Tallgrass suggested you don't want the FG to be below 1020. The lactose in the beer will make the OG and FG higher.

Should i repitch? Should I let it condition?

Thanks

 

[Dingo_1]

Bump

 

[rcurcio]

That seems pretty high. It looks like the max of whats expected by BJCP for a "Sweet Stout" is 1.024. So it's possible that it's a really sweet stout maybe.

Was it grain or extract? If it was grain what temperature did you mash at?
Was this the recipe http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/allgrain/AG-BuffaloSweatStout_Pro_TG.pdf ?

I don't really have an answer for you but with this additional info maybe someone more experienced will chime in.

 

[sweetcell]

after 2 weeks, you've most likely hit FG. has gravity been constant?

one option is to warm the beer a 3-5 degrees then *gently* rouse the yeast. that might get them active again.

that FG does seem pretty high. for some detailed insights/suggestions, we'll need some details... recipe, yeast used, how did you pitch it, and fermentation schedule (temps & times) are a good starting point.

 

[Dingo_1]

Well I pitched it at about 75 degrees which I know was a bit too high. It fermented at 68 degrees. I used the northern brewer buffalo sweat clone recipe. It was a partial mash. I put it into the secondary today. Do I need to make another starter?

 

[Dingo_1]

I made a starter originally as well with the Wyeast 1098.

 

[sweetcell]

pitching at 75 then lowering to 68 for fermentation isn't ideal. you want to keep temps stable, or rising - not descending.

that yeast has an attenuation range of 72-75%. that would put your 1.057 down to 1.017 @ 72%. add in the lactose, and 1.020 or a little higher makes sense... so your 1.025 isn't that far off the mark. the "missing" points are likely a flaw or two in your fermentation process, like the above-mentioned cooling.

so you could make a starter and pitch it at high krausen (peak activity) to get those last few points... but i wouldn't. i'd drink as-is.

 

[d_striker]

How much lactose did you throw in?

 

[enohcs]

Rack into a new fermenter, then back onto the original yeast cake while swirling back into suspension.

 

[flars]

Well I pitched it at about 75 degrees which I know was a bit too high. It fermented at 68 degrees. I used the northern brewer buffalo sweat clone recipe. It was a partial mash. I put it into the secondary today. Do I need to make another starter?

What was your mash temperature? If you were predominantly above 154° there would be less conversion of starches to fermentable sugars. This could result in a higher FG and sweeter taste to the beer.

 

[Dingo_1]

I e-mailed NB, and they said my FG was about right, so I just racked it to the secondary and I'm going to let it condition for a couple weeks. Maybe I'll get lucky and knock off a couple more points...

 

[sweetcell]

Rack into a new fermenter, then back onto the original yeast cake while swirling back into suspension.

this is not a good idea. way too much exposure to oxygen with all that back and forth. if you want to rouse the yeast, you're better off just gently rocking the primary until you swirl up the yeast.

 

[flars]

this is not a good idea. way too much exposure to oxygen with all that back and forth. if you want to rouse the yeast, you're better off just gently rocking the primary until you swirl up the yeast.

Thank you for beating me to the response.

 

[enohcs]

this is not a good idea. way too much exposure to oxygen with all that back and forth. if you want to rouse the yeast, you're better off just gently rocking the primary until you swirl up the yeast.

only if you're sloppy with your technique. You get no more exposure than when racking to a secondary. If not completely comfortable, purge the carboy with CO2 prior to transferring. The benefit here is you can rouse an entire yeast cake with just a few ounces of beer, then siphon the rest in. Otherwise you're left swirling a full carboy for the benefit of rousing only a small % of the flocculated yeast, likely resulting in less attenuation than desired.

 

[flars]

only if you're sloppy with your technique. You get no more exposure than when racking to a secondary. If not completely comfortable, purge the carboy with CO2 prior to transferring. The benefit here is you can rouse an entire yeast cake with just a few ounces of beer, then siphon the rest in. Otherwise you're left swirling a full carboy for the benefit of rousing only a small % of the flocculated yeast, likely resulting in less attenuation than desired.

Let it ride.