Gravity a bit high at end of fermentation

[nathank]

Hey guys, so I've gotten to day 14 of my second all-grain brew fermentation.

The batch is a hazy ale using a full packet of Lallemand Windsor yeast with an OG of 1050 (1052 was recipe), with an expected final gravity of 1014 but it's sitting at around 1020 right now. The recipe says to ferment at 21~ degrees Celcius and admittedly it has been more around 18-20 Celcius for most of it because it's Winter here in Australia.

At this point do I just give it another week and see where it's at? Should I start wrapping my fermenter in a towel/blanket to keep it a bit warmer in future?

 

[schmurf]

Windsor sometimes isn't the best attenuating yeast. You could try rouse your fermenter a bit a couple of times to wake it up again and raise the temperature somewhat. But it could be it's done too and it won't go any further.

 

[nathank]

Rouse as in just give it a bit of a mix up? I'll also move it into a warmer room for a few days see if that helps.

 

[RM-MN]

When you brew all grain your mash temperature controls the final gravity as the enzymes responsible for changing starches to sugars act differently at different temperatures. Once that fermentability is set, then your choice of yeast further adds to the final gravity as some yeasts, Windsor being one of them, cannot ferment some of the sugars produced. Your final gravity that you expect is simply an estimation based on some parameters that you may not have followed. Warming the beer may encourage the yeast and yield a lower FG but at day 14 I doubt you will see much change by doing that.

Keeping the beer warmer during the active fermentation may lead to the temperature climbing higher than desired and leave you with some off flavors. I do bring my beer's temperature up at the end of a week because by then any off flavors will already have been produced and the warmer temps won't change that.

If you want a beer with a lower FG, change the yeast to one that gets there.

 

[DBhomebrew]

All of the above is true. Out of curiosity, how are you measuring gravity?

 

[nathank]

When you brew all grain your mash temperature controls the final gravity as the enzymes responsible for changing starches to sugars act differently at different temperatures. Once that fermentability is set, then your choice of yeast further adds to the final gravity as some yeasts, Windsor being one of them, cannot ferment some of the sugars produced. Your final gravity that you expect is simply an estimation based on some parameters that you may not have followed. Warming the beer may encourage the yeast and yield a lower FG but at day 14 I doubt you will see much change by doing that.

Keeping the beer warmer during the active fermentation may lead to the temperature climbing higher than desired and leave you with some off flavors. I do bring my beer's temperature up at the end of a week because by then any off flavors will already have been produced and the warmer temps won't change that.

If you want a beer with a lower FG, change the yeast to one that gets there.

This is the first time I've used this yeast since it was just in the recipe, I'll try something else next time I try the recipe.

All of the above is true. Out of curiosity, how are you measuring gravity?

Just using a store bought hydrometer.

 

[DBhomebrew]

hydrometer.

Carry on!

 

[schmurf]

Rouse as in just give it a bit of a mix up? I'll also move it into a warmer room for a few days see if that helps.

A slight rousing movement to possibly wake up yeast that settled on the bottom. I don't really know how much it benefits from that, but it's what I do when things seems to stop prematurely.