Gravity readings question?

[Allab8]

We just transferred to secondary for an IPA. The SG is already lower than what it should be after secondary ferment...... OG was 1.053, now it's 1.012. It's been in the primary 4 days. Does this sound normal?

 

[songe]

Some yeast eat dem sugars faster. My belgian triple went from 1.090 to 1.020 in 3 days... ive had beers that took 4 weeks to ferment out all the way before.. but it shouldn't be a problem as long as temp as been consistent and it the right level. ive had brews (mead) that fermented at higher temps than preferable. This gave me an off flavor. kinda vodka taste to it.. but after 6 weeks in secondary the off flavor where gone. I would taste the beer though... to see if you have Diacetyl taste to it. it will taste like butterscotch. if you have that. leave the brew on the yeast-cake at a higher temp to let the yeast get rid of that flavor

 

[kh54s10]

It is likely that it did ferment a touch lower than the recipe. Yeast will do what yeast will do, so a bit of a difference is of no concern.

In the future it is current thinking to wait until you have reached final gravity before transferring to secondary, if you do one at all. But that is another thread.

To determine final gravity you wait until all signs of fermentation have stopped take a gravity reading, wait 24-36 hours and take another reading. If they are the same and near predicted, it is finished.

 

[Allab8]

No butterscotch taste.... Couldn't resist testing it! It tasted lightly hoppy. Just didn't think it would happen all so quickly. Temp stayed 73-75. Now we dry hopped it in the secondary.

 

[Allab8]

We plan on leaving it in secondary for a week, I'll check again then and do your suggested 24-36. Once we transferred to secondary, it started bubbling again.

 

[songe]

if it start bulleling it may not be a sing of fermentation, but co2 released. since the brew still contain co2 from fermentation in primary.

 

[Yooper]

No butterscotch taste.... Couldn't resist testing it! It tasted lightly hoppy. Just didn't think it would happen all so quickly. Temp stayed 73-75. Now we dry hopped it in the secondary.

At those temperatures, sometimes fermentation will happen overnight! That's pretty warm, and probably a bit higher than ideal for most yeast strains. Next time, do your best to ferment at 65 degrees (beer temperature, not ambient!) and the beer will be better for it.

For now, just wait until it's clear and then dryhop (if doing a dryhop) and package 5-7 days after dryhopping. or if not dryhpping, package 5 days or so after the beer is clear.