GrimyHoboSack
Active Member
Short version: I forgot to take an FG reading, so I bottled a brew at 1.030, what should I do with it now?
Long version: Made an oatmeal stout that started at 1.053. I was fermenting in a carboy with a heat belt hooked to a temp controller, aiming for 65°F. During the first day or 2 of fermentation the temperature probe fell off of the carboy, so the heat belt was going at full tilt until it was replaced. I don't know when the probel fell off so it's hard to say, but I doubt it was off for more than 24 hours. After replacing the probe I left the carboy for about 4 weeks in primary at what should have been 65°F (aside from the brief higher period) then bottled, but forgot to check my FG at bottling. I tried a bottle the other day and noticed the sweeter flavor, took a gravity reading and came up with 1.030. In retrospect heating up the yeast then cooling them back down would definitely be a cause for concern, but I didn't think it would have that big of an impact at the time. What's the best course of action from here? As far as I can tell my choices are to pour the bottles back into a fermenter and repitch, crack the bottles every couple weeks and recap, or throw the bottles in a couple layers of garbage bags and hope for the best then use gloves and eye protection when opening them.
Long version: Made an oatmeal stout that started at 1.053. I was fermenting in a carboy with a heat belt hooked to a temp controller, aiming for 65°F. During the first day or 2 of fermentation the temperature probe fell off of the carboy, so the heat belt was going at full tilt until it was replaced. I don't know when the probel fell off so it's hard to say, but I doubt it was off for more than 24 hours. After replacing the probe I left the carboy for about 4 weeks in primary at what should have been 65°F (aside from the brief higher period) then bottled, but forgot to check my FG at bottling. I tried a bottle the other day and noticed the sweeter flavor, took a gravity reading and came up with 1.030. In retrospect heating up the yeast then cooling them back down would definitely be a cause for concern, but I didn't think it would have that big of an impact at the time. What's the best course of action from here? As far as I can tell my choices are to pour the bottles back into a fermenter and repitch, crack the bottles every couple weeks and recap, or throw the bottles in a couple layers of garbage bags and hope for the best then use gloves and eye protection when opening them.