High Final Gravity

[rbankert]

I brewed an ESB 11 days ago, with an OG of 1.060. I took a reading 3 days ago and it was at 1.025, today i took the reading and it only went down to 1.022, which still seems pretty high.
Is it ok to bottle at this point, or should i let it go another few days to see if it drops any more?

 

[uwmgdman]

Let it go! Wait until the gravity doesn't change over a 24-48 hour period, that's when fermentation is complete. A few things to consider:

1) Temperature, if it's on the low end the yeast range, try increasing the temperature slightly.

2) Yeast flocculation, if it is Wyeat 1968 or another very high flocculating yeast, try shaking the fermentor to rouse yeast back into suspension.

3) What is the expected atttenuation of your yeast? At 1.022 your apparent attenuation is 63.3%, likely a little low, but something to check.

4) Poor aeration of wort might result in a beer that will not ferment as much as it would normaly.

Bottom line, don't bottle until the gravity stops chaning or you'll have glass gernades.

 

[RoaringBrewer]

Don't bottle at 1.022.

It's obviously dropping and will probably continue to drop unless you have stunted the fermentation somehow (temp drop, etc.).

Patience, grasshopper.

Also, what about going to secondary prior to bottling? It would definitely help the overall flavor (because it will be aged longer) and appearance (clearer) beer. Doesn't appear you plan to use one, but 95-98% of people use them for a reason.

It may even be a good idea to rack to a secondary if its really slowed down at 1.022 and see if you can't stir up the yeast a little during the process. It could ferment down another .010 in the secondary or something possibly... but you need to give it time!

 

[TheJadedDog]

Just give it some more time, it can never hurt to leave it sitting a little longer to see what develops. Personally I don't even look at the gravity until it has been at least 2 full weeks (usually I wait until it's time to bottle at week 3).

 

[treehouse]

I to am in the middle of an ESB right now and I'm seeing the same things as Rbankert. I got good fermentation and things seemed to be winding down so I just racked off into my secondary. When I did a reading it came in with a gravity of 1.022 which surprised me a little. My OG was similar to Rbankert with a 1.058 reading. Not sure what yeast you are using but mine was the Wyeast 1968 and I think it is a bit of a "bozo" yeast (don't mean that in a bad way) in that it does not really attenuate as well as some of the others which is the way it is supposed to work. I show its attenuation rate as 67-71% and it is very floculant. Its a slow worker which is what I want.

I have not done a gravity check as it is quietly and happily clicking over in my secondary so why bother? I'm guessing by the looks of things maybe 16 to 18 right now.

When its done its done. Can't rush these things and the beauty of a glass secondary is there is no worry. Money in the bank so to speak.

 

[uwmgdman]

You shouldn't rack until the gravity stops moving, even if it is more than 1 week. Racking off the yeast cake prior to completion can lead to a beer that does not ferment down as much as it would have otherwise. I know some people need to rouse that yeast (1968) back into suspension due to its very high flocculation to reach terminal gravity........just a couple thoughts for the next ESB.

 

[Onescalerguy]

Wait er' out.Keep checking every 2or3 days,it will drop.Experienced same thing recently.Rather wait a few days than risk bottle bombs .
Cheers

 

[rbankert]

alright, my original post was about a week ago, and I took the advise of racking it to a secondary, which seemed to kickstart a little activity.
today i just took a reading, and guess what? it's still at 1.022. so i'm thinking of bottling because i'm giving some of it away for christmas. should i use less corn sugar to bottle with, or keep it the same.

thanks for all your input, i'm guessing that maybe i fermented it at a lower temperature, being winter and all it's probably only between 60-65 deg inside, so maybe that had an affect on the yeast.
guess it's all a learning process!

 

[david_42]

Two difficult lessons we all have to learn: 1. yeast is alive and really cares about temperature, 2. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

 

[UTDoug]

I got the same result with 1964 in my 1 week old ESB. I think the 1/2 lb of maltodextrin the recipe called for might throw it off that much, since that stuff doesn't ferment.