High FG question

[teetee523]

Hi everyone, this could be a total newb question, but I just transfered a high gravity extract with grains chocolate stout to secondary. The OG was 1.092 and I just checked the gravity and it's at 1.036 right now. I'm putting it in secondary just to clear, so I'm not sure how much lower it would get.

I used about 8 lb of dry malt extract and used white labs yeast with a starter. Not sure it this gravity is fine since it had such a high OG or if I should repitch? Any help would be much appreciated, I wanted to bottle it next weekend.

 

[unionrdr]

This just blows my mind. You got a 1.092OG out of 8lbs of DME. I used 10.5 lbs of LME/DME & got 1.065,but it was 6 gallons. I finally got it finished at 1.018. I wouldn't think it would go much lower than 1.030 or thereabouts.

 

[teetee523]

It was actually 8.5 lbs, I know thats still alot less than you used. I was wondering if we had miscalculated but we triple checked. We used about 2 lbs of steeping grains and a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, but I know that wouldn't make a difference with gravity.

Anyways, thanks for the feedback, I didn't think it would really go much lower. It tastes pretty good now though, pretty thick mouthfeel but I think it'll work.

 

[Calder]

10 lbs DME in 5 gallons = 1.092. Your gravity will be lower since you used 8.5 lbs + 2 lbs of steeping grains.

Assuming you get 20 points per lb from the steeping grain (and that is a generous guess), you should have had a 1.086. If you really got higher, then your volume is low. To have a 1.092 wort, you have 4.65 gallons.

High FG: 1.036 seems high. I would recommend you do not rack to secondary. but leave it where it is and raise the temperature. If the yeast has dropped and you rack to secondary, you will be leaving all the yeast behind, and have nothing to help bring down the gravity.

Steeping grains give mostly unfermentable sugars; certainly some of the hardest for the yeast to consume. Again, assuming you got 20 points per lb, there is immediately 8 points per gallon that you cannot ferment (9 points if you only have 4.65 gallons).

Assuming 9 points per gallon in unfermentables from the steeping grains, means the yeast effectively took the extract from 1.082 to 1.027, or 67% attenuation of the extract.

Questions: 1) What yeast? If it was coopers, muntons, or Windsor, I'd say you were done, if it is a higher attenuating yeast, there may be another issue. 2) How well did you aerate? For a big beer aeration is extremely important to get the FG down. I usually aerate a big beer (over 1.080) prior to pitching and then again about 6 hours after pitching to replenish the O2 consumed by the yeast to further help with the yeast reproduction.

 

[h22lude]

How much water did you have? The normal 5 gallons? 1.092 seems really high. I would think it would be around 1.07 or so.

If the OG was really that high, then yes I would think you are right at your FG but that still doesn't seem right.

 

[unionrdr]

So,in my case,going from 6 gallons down to about 5.5 gallons should get my 10.5lbs of malts up to around the 1.080-1.085 the #3 Burton ale was said to have as an OG?...Might just try the Burton yeast next time. I pitch 4-7g packets of re-hydrated cooper's ale yeast on 6G of wort for it. 1.065 down to 1.018. It seems that to get the bit of sweetness it's said to have had,I need a higher FG. Like 1.020-.025 or so. Non of the surviving articles from the 19th century gives FG's.

 

[teetee523]

Hi everyone thanks for all your helpful responses. I also thought 1.092 was high, we had just added the water so maybe it still wasn't completely mixed, but we used 5 gallons, adding about two to our 3 gallon boil. We used White Labs english ale yeast with a starter.

I actually already put it into secondary, unfortunately. I was going to let it sit this week and then bottle next weekend. Not sure if I should do anything in the meantime?

I'm wondering if I did something wrong with measuring the gravity but I don't think I did.