High FG opinion

[BehindtheFinBrew]

Greetings and happy Big Brew to you all! Longtime follower but don't post much.

I few weeks ago I brewed an all-grain pale ale recipe reusing some washed Wyeast 1056 (with a starter). After a week in primary the gravity had only dropped to 1.025 from 1.048. I promptly started another jar of washed 1056 and pitched at high krausen into the seemingly stuck beer. Airlock activity was decent and has reduced to primarily out-gassing a week later. The gravity is still at 1.025. I've swirled the fermenter lightly to no avail and moved it to a warmer room. I suspect its going to do all its going to do.

My recipe included 20% Carapils which I understand is at the upper end of its usage rate. The remainder was Maris and Biscuit malts. A bone-headed decision on my part to add that much, but a learning experience at the least.

I'm thinking the high FG is a result of the large amount of unfermentables. Any other possible reasons? Would you suggest adding DME/corn sugar to dry it out prior to bottling and is this too high to bottle given the amount of Carapils? Thanks!

 

[pwndabear]

probably unfermentables (and if new yeast doesnt do anything to it, then almost definitely unfermentables). what temp did you mash in at? it's happened to me before when i mashed in too high.

 

[BehindtheFinBrew]

Single infusion at 153. I came in a little high originally (160's) but added cold water quickly enough to bring it down. New system, working out the temperature kinks.

 

[pwndabear]

next time try to bring it to 151 throughout the whole thing and see if that makes a difference.

 

[Dogphish]

in the fist post, you seem to be hinting toward the idea that your grains do not have enough diastic power to convert themselves into fermentables. if that is the problem, the temperature wont matter, am i right?

i'm not sure if that blend of grain will have enough enzymes, or not.

 

[BehindtheFinBrew]

The recipe was 70% Maris Otter so I would think that it would have more than enough diastatic power to convert the starches in the mash despite it being a bit lower enzymatic base-malt.

My primary question was regarding the high usage of Carapils and whether or not that was the most likely culprit of the high FG AND whether or not it'd be safe to bottle after a week of no activity after repitching.

Thanks all for the responses.

 

[GuldTuborg]

Based on some pretty unscientific "experiments" done a while back around here, light crystal malts (like carapils) are roughly 2/3 fermentable, best case scenario. Anyway, this is from memory, so I may be a bit off. You added 2lbs, which gives you roughly .013 gravity points in a 5 gallon batch. If indeed it's 66% fermentable, that means you upped your final gravity by (very roughly) 4-5 SG points. That's significant. Biscuit malt will also add some extra unfermentables. I'd still imagine you're a bit underattenuated, but those extra 8-9 points sure didn't help.

For a dry beer like an APA, start with using 5-10% crystal and adjust from there for taste (in subsequent recipes, of course). 20% is something you'll maybe see in a sweeter amber ale, and even then these usually have a healthy dose of the less sweet medium and dark crystal malts.

 

[BehindtheFinBrew]

I'd still imagine you're a bit underattenuated, but those extra 8-9 points sure didn't help.

Would you think it's OK to bottle it then? I plan on letting it sit one more week just in case it decides to work through a bit more of those sugars.