How to lower FG...?

[superfknmario]

PS

Greetings from a fellow Miami home brewer!

 

[metanoia]

I'm using a refractometer and my OG was 1.040 with the difference added by the rule of thumb 0.0001 per degree above 60. Which in my case was 1.039 + (0.0001*10) = 1.040
To get back on your calculation 1.040-1.020=.020*131=2.62% ABV which for me think is way to low ....!!!
I can't get anything more my first beer was the same thing low in alcohol ....? What did I do wrong....;(

Sorry, my bad, I was on my phone and remembered your number wrong. Yes, 1.040 to 1.020 would be 2.6% ABV. But like others have said, give it another week or two and it should hopefully go lower. Move it to a warmer location to try and get some more fermentation out, though the warmer location will also help the yeast eat the diacetyl.

 

[ArcticBear]

I'm using a refractometer and my OG was 1.040 with the difference added by the rule of thumb 0.0001 per degree above 60. Which in my case was 1.039 + (0.0001*10) = 1.040
To get back on your calculation 1.040-1.020=.020*131=2.62% ABV which for me think is way to low ....!!!
I can't get anything more my first beer was the same thing low in alcohol ....? What did I do wrong....;(

if you are using a refractometer you arent going to get accurate readings once alcohol is in play. Your best bet would be, as everyone else has said, let it ride a few days, but also pick up a hydrometer and use that for your FG readings.

I use a calibrated refractometer during brew day all throughout the boil and then switch to a hydrometer for checking fermentation and finding my FG.

That being said I usually don't touch the fermenter until it has sat for at least 2 weeks. The only thing you really gain from checking and rechecking and waiting a day and checking again is the chance of introducing an infection.

Relax, its beer making...its not science :cross:

 

[metanoia]

Higher OG means more alcohol. You will also need more yeast. I have a belgian stron golden ale(from northern brewer) and I pitched two vials of liquid yeast. I'll let you know what the FG is when it's done fermenting.

Did you buy a recipe kit or did u just create one yourself?

Please stop right now, you're giving out horrible advice.

First of all, a higher OG doesn't mean more alcohol. Yes, a higher OG provides a chance for a higher ABV since there usually are more fermentables for the yeast to eat, but if the FG doesn't get low enough, then there might be less alcohol than you'd assume. It all depends on the yeast strain, health, amount pitched, fermentation temperature, and a lot of other factors.

Second, he shouldn't automatically need more yeast. A wheat beer starting at 1.040 doesn't need that much yeast, especially not when compared to a Belgian strong ale! I don't believe that OP posted how much of a starter he made, or how long it was made/fed in advance, but a typical starter for smaller beer like a wheat should be fine even if he pitched right out of the yeast vial. As others have suggested, gently rousing the yeast may be all he needs to get fermentation finished. Or, you know, just being patient and waiting more than 10 days.

 

[Yooper]

Most refractometers don't need temperature adjustment, so don't do that for the OG. Since refractometers are useless for FG, don't use them for a final gravity. Use the hydrometer.

I have no idea what your OG or FG is (and I don't think anybody can tell, if you didn't use a hydromter for the FG) so I'd suggest taking one more hydrometer reading for the FG, and posting the recipe (so we can guestimate the actual OG) and then can give some reasonable advice. Thanks!

 

[Romeo]

Higher OG means more alcohol. You will also need more yeast. I have a belgian stron golden ale(from northern brewer) and I pitched two vials of liquid yeast. I'll let you know what the FG is when it's done fermenting.

Did you buy a recipe kit or did u just create one yourself?

I bought the extract kit from Northern Brewer American Wheat but I added Lavender in it at 15 min and some at flame out. I think i'm doing something wrong but i don't know what ..;(
I created a yeast starter 24 hours before and when i used my stir plate for 4 hours the day off yeast starter then left it over room temp. The next day (Brewing day) just before pitching i put it 1 min on the stir plate to mix everything, it took me 15 mins to reduce the wort under 90 F then because i live in miami temp is warmer took few hour to lower it at 72 and I pitch at 72 which i believe i a little bit to hight ....can i get some feed back ....

 

[Romeo]

Please stop right now, you're giving out horrible advice.

First of all, a higher OG doesn't mean more alcohol. Yes, a higher OG provides a chance for a higher ABV since there usually are more fermentables for the yeast to eat, but if the FG doesn't get low enough, then there might be less alcohol than you'd assume. It all depends on the yeast strain, health, amount pitched, fermentation temperature, and a lot of other factors.

Second, he shouldn't automatically need more yeast. A wheat beer starting at 1.040 doesn't need that much yeast, especially not when compared to a Belgian strong ale! I don't believe that OP posted how much of a starter he made, or how long it was made/fed in advance, but a typical starter for smaller beer like a wheat should be fine even if he pitched right out of the yeast vial. As others have suggested, gently rousing the yeast may be all he needs to get fermentation finished. Or, you know, just being patient and waiting more than 10 days.

Thank you sounds good are you an all grainer,..?

 

[ArcticBear]

Thank you sounds good are you an all grainer,..?

this is true for all types of beer brewing. it makes no difference if you are an AG guy for someone who brews Extracts...

 

[Romeo]

Most refractometers don't need temperature adjustment, so don't do that for the OG. Since refractometers are useless for FG, don't use them for a final gravity. Use the hydrometer.

I have no idea what your OG or FG is (and I don't think anybody can tell, if you didn't use a hydromter for the FG) so I'd suggest taking one more hydrometer reading for the FG, and posting the recipe (so we can guestimate the actual OG) and then can give some reasonable advice. Thanks!

Here is the recipe that had use to make the beer but on top of it i added lavender at 15 and flame out.
The OG that i got was at temp 72 1.040 ....thanks for helping appreciate it.

A familiar style made popular by microbreweries all
over the US. Like their German cousins, American wheat beers feature large proportions of malted wheat in the grain bill and are naturally cloudy in appearance. Unlike German Weizenbiers, though, American wheat beers have a bit more hop character and are fermented with a milder-tasting yeast, resulting in a more clean, neutral finish. Wyeast’s US Hefeweizen strain makes for a spritzy, refreshing warm-weather crowd-pleaser.
O.G: 1.043 READY: 4 WEEKS
2 weeks primary, 2 weeks bottle conditioning
KIT INVENTORY:
FERMENTABLES
- 6lbsWheatmaltsyrup BOIL ADDITIONS
- 1ozWillamette(60min) - 1ozCascade(15min)
YEAST
- DRYYEAST(DEFAULT):SafaleUS-05AleYeast.Optimum temp: 59°-75° F
- LIQUID YEAST OPTION: Wyeast 1010 American Wheat. Apparent attenuation: 74–78%. Flocculation: low. Optimum temp: 58°-74° F.
PRIMING SUGAR
- 5ozPrimingSugar(saveforBottlingDay)
These simple instructions are basic brewing procedures for this Northern Brewer extract beer kit; please refer to your starter kit instructions for specific instructions on use of equipment and common procedures such as siphoning, sanitizing, bottling, etc.
For more detailed extract brewing instructions, please visit www.northernbrewer.com
BEFORE YOU BEGIN ...
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
- Homebrewingstarterkitforbrewing5gallonbatches
- Boilingkettleofatleast3.5gallonscapacity
- Approximatelytwocasesofeither12ozor22ozpry-off style beer bottles
UNPACK THE KIT
- Refrigeratetheyeastuponarrival
- LocatetheKitInventory(above)–thisistherecipeforyour
beer, so keep it handy
- Doublechecktheboxcontentsvs.theKitInventory
- Contactusimmediatelyifyouhaveanyques- tions or concerns!
PROCEDURE
A FEW DAYS BEFORE BREWING DAY
1. Remove the liquid Wyeast pack from the refrigerator, and “smack” as shown on the back of the yeast package. Leave it in a warm place (70–80° F) to incubate until the pack begins to inflate. Allow at least 3 hours for inflation; some packs may take up to several days to show infla- tion. Do not brew with inactive yeast — we can replace the yeast, but not a batch that fails to ferment properly. If you are using dry yeast, no action is needed.
ON BREWING DAY
2. Collect and heat 2.5 gallons of water.
3. Bring to a boil and add 6 lb Wheat malt syrup. Remove the kettle from the burner and stir in the Wheat malt syrup.
4.Returnworttoboil.Themixtureisnowcalled“wort”, the brewer’s term for unfermented beer.
- Add1ozWillamettehops,andboilfor60minutes.
- Add1ozCascadehops15minutesbeforetheendoftheboil.
5. Cool the wort. When the 60-minute boil is finished, cool the wort to approximately 100° F as rapidly as possible.Useawortchiller,orputthekettleinanice bath in your sink.
6. Sanitize fermenting equipment and yeast pack. While the wort cools, sanitize the fermenting equipment – fermenter, lid or stopper, fermentation lock, funnel, etc – along with the yeast pack and a pair of scissors.
7.Fillprimaryfermenterwith2gallonsofcoldwater, then pour in the cooled wort. Leave any thick sludge in the bottom of the kettle.
8. Add more cold water as needed to bring the volume to 5 gallons.
9. Aerate the wort. Seal the fermenter and rock back and forth to splash for a few minutes, or use an aeration system and diffusion stone.
10. OPTIONAL: if you have our Mad Brewer Upgrade or Gravity Testing kits, measure specific gravity of the wort with a hydrometer and record.
11. Add yeast once the temperature of the wort is 78°F or lower(notwarmtothetouch).Usethesanitizedscissors to cut off a corner of the yeast pack, and carefully pour the yeast into the primary fermenter.
12. Seal the fermenter. Add approximately 1 tablespoon of water to the sanitized fermentation lock. Insert the lock into rubber stopper or lid, and seal the fermenter.
13.Movethefermentertoawarm,dark,quietspotuntil fermentation begins.
BEYOND BREWING DAY, WEEKS 1–2
14. Active fermentation begins. Within approximately 48 hours of Brewing Day, active fermentation will begin – there will be a cap of foam on the surface of the beer, and you may see bubbles come through the fermenta- tion lock. The optimum fermentation temperature for this beer is 60–72o F – move the fermenter to a warmer or cooler spot as needed.
15. Active fermentation ends. Approximately 1–2 weeks after brewing day, active fermentation will end: the cap of foam falls back into the new beer, bubbling in the fermentation lock slows down or stops.
BOTTLING DAY—ABOUT 2 WEEKS AFTER BREWING DAY
16.Sanitizesiphoningandbottlingequipment.
17. Mix a priming solution (a measured amount of sugar dissolved in water to carbonate the bottled beer) of 2/3 cup priming sugar in 16 oz water. Bring the solution to a boil and pour into the bottling bucket.
18. Siphon beer into bottling bucket and mix with priming solution. Stir gently to mix—don’t splash.
19. Fill and cap bottles.
2 WEEKS AFTER BOTTLING DAY
20. Condition bottles at room temperature for 2 weeks. After this point, the bottles can be stored cool or cold.
21.Serving.Pourintoacleanglass,beingcarefultoleave the layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Cheers!

 

[metanoia]

Thank you sounds good are you an all grainer,..?

I just started AG, so both I guess. But my advice is true for any kind of brewing.

Also, I just saw the directions that you posted. Disregard them. Pick up either Palmer's How to Brew or Papazian's Complete Joy of Homebrewing (I prefer How to Brew); either one will become your bible. Follow their directions and advice, which will produce much better beer than these directions I see the home brew shops handing out with kits. Also, browse these forums as often as you can, as they'll provide addition advice and resources that have surfaced since the latest editions of these two books. I've found that Yooper and Revvy are two of the most trusted resources here in the beginning forum.

Why I say disregard the directions you have is because the magic number of 2 weeks primary, 2 weeks bottle is very outdated and I believe mostly a ploy by the home brew shops to try and get you back in to buy a new kit sooner. Let the yeast do their work in the primary for a good 3-4 weeks; the yeasts are much more reliable than they used to be and the beer can easily sit on them for months with no ill effects.

Pick up a hydrometer as others have suggested, because your refractometer won't give you accurage SG once there is alcohol in the solution (which is as soon as you pitch the yeast and anytime moving forward). Use the hydrometer in a couple weeks and take your SG readings a couple days apart. Hopefully the OG will be lower when those readings are consistent across multiple days.

Also, don't use whatever stock amount of sugar they tell you to when bottling, especially if it's measured in volume and not weight. Use this calculator to find out how many volumes of CO2 you need for your style of beer and how much sugar is required to achieve that level: Carbonation calculator. Let the bottles condition for at least 2-3 weeks, then toss a couple in the fridge for a few days to a week and see how they are. Continue throwing a couple bottles in to chill until you have the carbonation that you want and the flavor has mellowed out, then chill them all for at least a week.

This is all basic advice; the more important advice is to just read read read all that you can. There are copious amounts of brewing knowledge out there, and absorbing as much as possible can only help produce better beers in the future.

Cheers, my friend.

 

[stratslinger]

Alright - plugging in that basic info into Beersmith, you should have come in with an OG around 1.043 (so your measured OG was pretty darned close), and assuming you used the default yeast for the kit - the dry US05 strain - it should ferment out to 1.010.

Now, this is important, and bears repeating as a few folks have pointed it out so far, but how exactly are you measuring FG? As in, what tool are you using? You mentioned using a refractometer to measure your OG - but those are very innacurate as soon as you try to measure an alcohol solution. There are calculators out there that will help you try to estimate the corrected value, but if you're measuring 1.020 with a refractometer, then 1.020 is not your actual gravity value.

 

[superfknmario]

How am I giving out horrible advice? I didn't give any advice to begin with. I merely stated that a higher OG will lead to a higher ABV. That is indeed a fact as you yourself stated.

The belgian strong has an OG of 1.081and it is therefore recommended to pitch two vials or at the very least, make a starter. How to Brew says as much as does anyone else who has brewed a strong beer. Never did I suggest that he pitch two vials into a 1.040 beer.

Obviously, the exact ABV will be determined by the attenuation achieved. Romeo is disappointed by the low ABV and I'm guessing he would still be disappointed by a sub 4% beer even if he did get to the typical 1.010-1.012 that I regularly achieve. Hence, why I MENTIONED the fact that a higher OG will lead to a stronger beer. If my belgian has a horrendous FG of 1.030, it will still have an ABV of over 6%. That's more than any beer with an OG of 1.040 will give you.

In short, I didn't give any advice. Do me a favor and keep the condescending tone to yourself.

 

[superfknmario]

Please stop right now, you're giving out horrible advice.

First of all, a higher OG doesn't mean more alcohol. Yes, a higher OG provides a chance for a higher ABV since there usually are more fermentables for the yeast to eat, but if the FG doesn't get low enough, then there might be less alcohol than you'd assume. It all depends on the yeast strain, health, amount pitched, fermentation temperature, and a lot of other factors.

Second, he shouldn't automatically need more yeast. A wheat beer starting at 1.040 doesn't need that much yeast, especially not when compared to a Belgian strong ale! I don't believe that OP posted how much of a starter he made, or how long it was made/fed in advance, but a typical starter for smaller beer like a wheat should be fine even if he pitched right out of the yeast vial. As others have suggested, gently rousing the yeast may be all he needs to get fermentation finished. Or, you know, just being patient and waiting more than 10 days.

I see now where my comment could have been misinterpreted. Apologies

 

[metanoia]

No, I apologize if my comments came across as condescending; I could see how that's the case. I think I'm just protective when fresh young brewers are given information that's beyond what they need at the moment; I think that we all can agree that the OP just needs to wait it out another week or two and invest $10-15 in a hydrometer and test jar.

 

[Romeo]

No, I apologize if my comments came across as condescending; I could see how that's the case. I think I'm just protective when fresh young brewers are given information that's beyond what they need at the moment; I think that we all can agree that the OP just needs to wait it out another week or two and invest $10-15 in a hydrometer and test jar.

Thank you all I really appreciate it.

 

[501irishred]

{Edit} ......

 

[superfknmario]

{Edit} ......

Is that possible from my phone? I don't see the feature although I wish I had.

Apologies again, I feel silly. And yes, I agree with that assessment.