High Attenuation Problem

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rwashko

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I recently brewed a batch of gold strong ale using Wyeast 1762 belgian abbey II. The OG was 1.072 and it fermented out to 1.002 (expected 1.018). The beer tastes great, but my (limited) understanding is that such an extreme attenuation can only mean contamination. I did ferment a little high, at roughly 75F, so I expected a slightly lower number, but this is just insane. I really like the beer I have right now, and it's been bottle conditioning for three days now, but my question is this: does anybody have any experience doing a low-temperature pasteurization in the bottle after conditioning? I'd like not to blow up my kitchen, but I'm also not too keen on dumping beer that I feel is some of the best I've tasted. As always, I really appreciate the level of advice I find here, so thanks in advance.
 
It does seem excessively low. How much sugar was in it and what was the mash temp?

If it is an infection, bottle bombs dont happen overnight. Keep tasting them and if they get over carbed or start gushing then put them in the fridge.
 
That is very low, but some Belgian styles can get down to around there. My Saison finished up around 1.008 (the woman at the LHBS was quite surprised) fermenting at temperatures of 75+ and the sample before bottling tasted great. I certainly wouldn't dump it unless things start blowing up. Maybe just wrap them up in a tarp or something like that to minimize possible mess/damage if bottles do start popping?
 
Could be wrong, but I think I've seen this movie before: how exactly did you determine the post-fermentation gravity?

Cheers!
 
Thanks for the advice. This one had 1lb 8oz of cane sugar, the mash was stepwise with 30min@120F, 30min@140F, and 30min@160F, and the final gravity was determined with a temperature corrected hydrometer reading. I actually just let my anxiety get the best of me, chilled one and drank it only 3 days after bottling. Obviously carbonation wasn't even noticeable, but still very tasty. There is nothing I love more than brewing, but it really makes me neurotic.
 
Just curious, how did it turn out over time? This exact thing just happened to me, and I'm trying to figure out if I should dump the batch.
 
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