Increased Efficiency

[KZ in der Schweiz]

Hello all,
New to Homebrewtalk, first post!
The issue: I brewed a 60L batch following a slightly modified Pliny the Elder all-grain recipe from Beersmith. This was our first batch adding a false bottom and circulation pump to our pot. We followed temps and times to a tee but ended up with an OG of 1.108! Fermented with WYeast 1450 Denny’s Favorite. FG is coming in at 1.012.
Q1: The recipe assumes a 1.081 OG; could the improvements to our set up increased the conversion efficiency enough to account for such a high OG?
Q2: The yeast strain info suggests that this yeast should have succumbed at 10%. Is it common to get a higher ABV than rated?
Q3: Should I assume that the year is dead and re-pitch with a high ABV yeast before bottling?
Thanks!

 

[thehaze]

Q1: It could be many things: the improvements to the process, grain crush, pH, etc.
Q2: If you take care of the yeast, it can go higher than what the manufacturer rates it for. Not all, but some.
Q3: Adding a bit of yeast when bottling is a good idea in this instance.

Has the FG reached 1.012, or is it something you wish for or some calculator told you so?

With an OG of 1.108 and the FG, should it come down to 1.012, you will end up with a 12.6% ABV beer, which is unlikely. The apparent attenuation would be 88%, again unlikely with a lot of yeast, unless it is a specific diastaticus var. yeast, which 1450 is not. A more realistic apparent attenuation would be 75%, which in return will make for a 10.9% beer, putting the FG at 1.025. Even with 80% apparent attenuation, you are looking at an FG of around 1.020.

If you are going to bottle it, make sure to have a tight process, to preserve all that hop goodness. Oxidation will affect the aroma, flavour, mouthfeel and colour of the beer. I would keg such a monster. If bottling, it could turn into an American* Barleywine-ish kind of beer, if too much O2 gets to it.

Cheers and good luck!

 

[KZ in der Schweiz]

Q1: It could be many things: the improvements to the process, grain crush, pH, etc.
Q2: If you take care of the yeast, it can go higher than what the manufacturer rates it for. Not all, but some.
Q3: Adding a bit of yeast when bottling is a good idea in this instance.

Has the FG reached 1.012, or is it something you wish for or some calculator told you so?

With an OG of 1.108 and the FG, should it come down to 1.012, you will end up with a 12.6% ABV beer, which is unlikely. The apparent attenuation would be 88%, again unlikely with a lot of yeast, unless it is a specific diastaticus var. yeast, which 1450 is not. A more realistic apparent attenuation would be 75%, which in return will make for a 10.9% beer, putting the FG at 1.025. Even with 80% apparent attenuation, you are looking at an FG of around 1.020.

If you are going to bottle it, make sure to have a tight process, to preserve all that hop goodness. Oxidation will affect the aroma, flavour, mouthfeel and colour of the beer. I would keg such a monster. If bottling, it could turn into an American* Barleywine-ish kind of beer, if too much O2 gets to it.

Cheers and good luck!

Thank you for such a detailed reply! 1.012 was our measured FG, which is why I was confused enough to search out opinions and advice. We will take another measurement but my buddy sent me a picture of the first so that I wouldn’t ridicule him. We will re-yeast before bottling and hope for the best. It’s tasting good as is and I’ll check back in with results in a few weeks.

Thank you again!

 

[bracconiere]

This was our first batch adding a false bottom and circulation pump to our pot.

out of personal curiosity, what temps, and how long did it take you to reach each step?

 

[KZ in der Schweiz]

out of personal curiosity, what temps, and how long did it take you to reach each step?

Single Temperature Mash, 60 min at 66.7ºC
60 min Boil

 

[KZ in der Schweiz]

out of personal curiosity, what temps, and how long did it take you to reach each step?

Didn't answer your timing question; It probably took 10 minutes to zero in on the proper mash temp, with a starting temp after adding grain of 62ºC. After mash it less that 15 minutes to get from the mash temperature to full boil. Here is the BeerSmith recipe for Pliny the Elder, which was our starting point. See notes on bottom for the recipe modifications we made, which were mostly based upon what's available at our local brew shop in Switzerland. We followed everything else to a tee. We have a small heat exchanger for cooling so we went from boil to 20ºC in about 40 min.