I brewed an Old Speckled Hen Clone (with minor tweaks) on 4/29/11. I under shot my OG by 3 points as I boiled off too much initial wort and had to add some water to the ferment to get to my specified amount. I was shooting for 1.047 and ended up with 1.044 after the addition of water. I pitched a rehydrated packet of Safale US-04 and have been fermenting it at ~66'f for exactly one week today. Even though I hear a bubble ever now and then (maybe 45 seconds to a 1 min apart) the work is almost crystal clear and the sample is basically crystal clear (7.7 SRM). I took a gravity reading after one week, expecting it to be still above my 1.012 FG estimate since it wasn't a very vigorous fermentation, but got the complete opposite!! My current gravity reading is 1.008 and the beer is on the point of being very dry. I am afraid that it is going to keep fermenting well bellow this and dry the beer out beyond my liking and not make it drinkable (to my likings). What can I do?
Final Gravity is already well bellow after 1 week!!
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OSH has a little fruity/sweetness to it. My clone (granted I tweaked the recipe) is almost too dry. I don't know how much more it is going to ferment out. Since the OG was so low from the get go. I just read the recipe again and it says, "ferment for 7 days or until ferment slows and then transfer to secondary for clarification". I may got ahead and do this even though I know there will still be fermentables and it will continue to ferment regardless. It is already impressively clear, I can't imagine it being clearer even with the orignal color so light (extra light DME)
If I let the beer ferment until it is done (regardless of the FG) could I add lactose to the secondary and get back some of the "sweetness" the dryness removed and at the same time remove some of the perceived dryness? It seems this is back sweetening. According to the HBT Wiki on back sweeting they recommend 1lb per 5 gallons. How many points is this going to give me? How can I take a sample... sweet with lactose to my likings and then know how much to add to get the entire batch to that sweetness?
jvcjbl said:
As you are sweetening your sample, just keep track of how much you are adding. If you know the volume of beer you are sweetening, and how much you added, it's just a ratio. Use that same ratio for the rest of it.
Additionally, lactose will add sweetness, but not body. Maltodextrine will add body, and a little sweetness. Since you overshot your final gravity, chances are that your beer will seem thin as well.
If you insist on tinkering with it, I would pull 2 samples, and use lactose on one and maltodextrine in the other.
However, meddling with things before you know the final product often has poor results.
The final gravity estimate is just that: an estimate. The final gravity hinges in a number of factors: amount of fermentable sugar in the wort (mash temperature), fermentation temperature, amount of yeast pitched, and yeast health. The average attenuation of a strain of yeast varies a few percentage points, so the final gravity you actually end up is within a certain range, it's impossible to calculate precisely.
Furthermore, your hydrometer is probably calibrated at 60 degrees, but your beer is probably closer to 70. Did you add your correction values?
Again, it would probably be best to let it go, and try to resolve the issue in the next batch.
If you take the bellows out of the beer, it'll probably taste better.
Snide remarks aside, just give it time. It may end up a bit drier than you thought, but that doesn't mean it'll be bad. Take a taste when it's done and see what it's like. It's a bit odd to guess how that same hydrometer sample will taste once chilled and cabonated, but you'll get the hang of it after a while.
Snide remarks aside, just give it time. It may end up a bit drier than you thought, but that doesn't mean it'll be bad. Take a taste when it's done and see what it's like. It's a bit odd to guess how that same hydrometer sample will taste once chilled and cabonated, but you'll get the hang of it after a while.
If you take the bellows out of the beer, it'll probably taste better.
Snide remarks aside, just give it time. It may end up a bit drier than you thought, but that doesn't mean it'll be bad. Take a taste when it's done and see what it's like. It's a bit odd to guess how that same hydrometer sample will taste once chilled and cabonated, but you'll get the hang of it after a while.
Bellows? This is batch 50 for me. I have never over shot my FG. I always do "big" beers, this is my first "lawnmower" beer. I am scared because this current sample is already almost too dry for me. SWMBO who knows nothing about beer and what dry is, took a drink of the sample and said, "it is good, but dry." Kinda made me realize that it is indeed dry.
Yes I compensated for the temperature difference. I understand it is just an "estimate" but I usually come close ~5 points or hit it dead on.... never blew past it. I don't mind letting it go, but I want to know I can recover it instead of having a batch of undrinkable beer (to me).
jvcjbl said:
You could always bottle a few, and condition them for 3 weeks, while keeping the rest in a secondary vessel.
If, after bottle conditioning, it needs adjusted, make your adjustments. The remaining beer in the secondary will be perfectly fine waiting for several bottles to condition.
I don't have anything to bottle as I only keg. I need to figure out how much lactose to add. I agree with the previous comments, "you can't judge the taste until after it is carbed", but I don't want to carb it to find out it isn't what I want and then want to dump the batch.
Bellows.
Or bellow, as in a loud yell, usually in pain or anger. I was making a joke. I think the word you were looking for was "below." I still strongly support sampling before taking any other action on this batch.
jvcjbl said:
Your post is remarkably literate after 5 imperials.
Hell my posts are illiterate after 2-3 imperials, which is bad, because I'm going to a brewfest next weekend featuring 30 breweries. 2-3 beers a night after work since last Monday, until next weekend, should build up some tolerance, hopefully.
Hell, that's not bad for a week.
Blending is always an option, but a little carbonation and proper cellar temp serving goes a long way towards making a beer palatable. I suppose you could always steep some dark crystal in 1/2 gallon water or so and add it for a few extra unfermentables, but this hardly gives a consistent result. It's been a while since I've had an OSH. I seem to remember it finishing dry, but malty. It wouldn't surprise me if the commercial version were right around 1.010 FG. If you used the right base malt, you won't be far off. It's still early, at barely a week since brewing, no? Give it a bit of time.
JuanMoore
Getting the banned back together
Who said you can't still tweak it after it's been kegged? I wait until after kegging and carbing to backsweeten all of my ciders, and add just a little at a time until I get it just right. If you're sure it's going to need something, add just a little bit and then keg/carb it. One lb of lactose/5 gal will add a noticeable amount of sweetness, so I wouldn't start with anything more than that. If it still needs more after carbing, add some more.
Hell, that's not bad for a week.
Blending is always an option, but a little carbonation and proper cellar temp serving goes a long way towards making a beer palatable. I suppose you could always steep some dark crystal in 1/2 gallon water or so and add it for a few extra unfermentables, but this hardly gives a consistent result. It's been a while since I've had an OSH. I seem to remember it finishing dry, but malty. It wouldn't surprise me if the commercial version were right around 1.010 FG. If you used the right base malt, you won't be far off. It's still early, at barely a week since brewing, no? Give it a bit of time.
With them stating OG 1.047 and FG 1.012 I'd say it wouldn't be that perceived dry. With my OG 1.044 and so far current gravity 1.008 I seem to be a lot drier than recipe, hence the wanting of back sweetening. Drinking OSH from the bottle I agree it is a bit "drier" but the pub can (granted it is nitrogen canned) has the same "smoothness" as Guinness.
Who says that? The makers of OSH or the author of the clone? Nine times out of 10, when I see a recipe FG, it's just the number spit out by whatever software was used to draft the recipe, which is generally junk. No one believes for a minute that number means anything.
OK, I just looked into it a bit more. According to Michael Jackson, the original recipe had a 1.050 starting gravity. At 5.2%abv, that finishes around 1.011, no higher. But things could have changed since then, and in fact the draught/cask version has a significantly lower abv than the bottled version now. In any case, wait until your fermentation and conditioning is complete before doing anything you can't undo.
The recipe is a BYO version from the brewers I imagine. I do agree that it has been tweaked here and there. I'll take another gravity reading Sunday night and see if it has progressed any more. I am wondering if the whirlflock I added is attributing to this clarity or if it is the DME? I have never used either one before and I ended up using both.
US-04 has done this to me as well.
I used half a pack that I had used the other half of 2 months earlier (I taped it up and refrigerated it)... it got 83% attenuation and no off flavours. Too dry and thin which messed the beer up as it was 40IBU. The beer isn't great, but it was only a quick brew to watch sports with so not too bothered. Maybe a bit of aging and it'll be nice (I also dry hopped and the flavour is quite strong so it will probably come good in a month or two).
I used half a pack that I had used the other half of 2 months earlier (I taped it up and refrigerated it)... it got 83% attenuation and no off flavours. Too dry and thin which messed the beer up as it was 40IBU. The beer isn't great, but it was only a quick brew to watch sports with so not too bothered. Maybe a bit of aging and it'll be nice (I also dry hopped and the flavour is quite strong so it will probably come good in a month or two).
I have been always very impressed with US-05 so I figured I'd try US-04 this time instead of the Wyeast Irish Ale #1084 it originally called for. Now, I am kinda wishing I would have possibly not "tweaked" it and went exactly per recipe.
I wouldn't sweat it, my mash was 148f and lacking enough speciality malt and the ibu's were too high. It's a good yeast in general, had good results from using it with higher mash temp and decent amount of crystal etc which gave it good body and residual sweetness.
Just checked on the beer and its now down to 1.007. Dropped 1 point in 2 days. I tasted it again and it is different its got some kinda pizzaz in the after taste that I can't quite put my finger on as to wether I like it or not. SWMBO said "its light and a beer I would drink", even though she doesn't drink beer at all. HAHA
Beer stayed at 1.007. Kegged it Friday night and set it at 30 psi for up until 10 mins ago. Purged the head space and dialed back to 12 psi (my balanced serving pressure). About 75% carbed which I am excited about. The beer while drinkable, came out more like a Bitter than anything. It it had just a touch of sweetness it might be good. I am not sure if I want to mess around with back sweeting or what. Suggestions?
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