Is It Done? High OG Concern

[woodsy]

So I brewed an Autumn Ale kit (midwest) 9 days ago. It was my first batch. I took a OG reading (1.058) and noted that it was taken at 74 degrees. (oops.) The range for the kit says (OG @ 1.042-1.046) - so, I'm done brewing my first extract batch ever, I'm happy, tired and tipsy, but I now have a concern.

Do some research, reading, no big deal, RDWHAHB, got it.

I remove the blowoff tube from my 5gal carboy after about 5 days, put an s-airlock on, saw bubbles for days 6 and 7 (a rare bubble, at that). Now, no bubbles for about 2 days. As well, I've checked the gravity the past three days (days 7, 8 and 9): 1.020, 1.020, 1.020. Oooookay.

The expected FG on the kit is (1.010-1.012). I don't want to prematurely bottle or anything dumb, especially because I'm not in a rush. But..

My questions are:
1) does this seem like a reasonable situation to have occurred? (High OG, 9-day fermentation, higher FG)
2) with 48 hours free from bubbles, and 3 days regular SG, am I good to bottle?
and lastly,
3) Here is what she looks like now, and for the past few days, for what it's worth. Is that loose layer on the bottom normal? If I wait further, will it settle?

Thanks!
-Woodsy

 

[gcdowd]

Assuming this was an extract batch, the OG supplied by the recipe is correct. Extract has a certain amount of sugar in it and unless you volume was way off, the OG pretty much has to be correct. Chances are, you did not mix well after adding your top off water. It happens to a lot of people.

As for the high FG, many times extract batches get stuck at the infamous 1.020. Because the extract is pre-mashed and pre-boiled, further boiling can carmelize the sugars more and make the wort less fermentable. If your gravity is stable for 3 or more days, it is likely done fermenting. I would leave it in the fermenter for at least two weeks to allow for yeast cleanup, then you can bottle.

As far as the pics, everything looks great. Every fermentation is different so time tables aren't really a good indicator of complete fermentation. I've had fermentations that went 10 days, and some that went 4 days, even 3 days!

Congrats, you made beer!!!

 

[woodsy]

It was indeed an extract batch. My first batch of anything, ever. So, there's the biggest variable

I can certainly recall not mixing well, and rushing around at the end, so I trust that's a strong possibility.

I'll leave her alone till the weekend as planned, then go from there.

Thanks gcdowd!

 

[phuff7129]

Your high OG could be you didn't add enough top off water or you did not thoroughly mix your wort when you topped it off. The latter is very common. You really have to seriously mix it up. When you think you have it mixed up, mix it up some more. If you are doing an extract batch and your OG is not close to what the kit says it should be then mix your wort some more and take another reading.

Your pictures of your fermenter looks completely normal.

It sounds like you are a victim of the infamous extract 1.020 stall. This is a real common issue in extract brewing. It is most likely a stall so your beer is not done fermenting. You didn't mention what kind of yeast you pitched and how much so it's also possible you under pitched your yeast.
Also you may have fermented on the cool side of temperatures and that helped it stall as well.

I would recommend taking a few steps to see if your fermentation can be restarted. First if your temperatures are on the low side (low 60's) then I would try warming it up to around 68-70 degrees. If I knew what yeast you used I could tell you exactly. You don't want to exceed the yeast temperature range. Definitely though, warm it up. Then give the fermenter a few gentle swirls to try to rouse the yeast up off the bottom of the fermenter. Be careful to not introduce any air bubbles while you do this. Try these 2 things, give it about 3 days and then check your gravity. If you shaved a few points off I would go ahead and condition the beer further or go ahead and bottle it. If it is still at 1.020 then go ahead and pitch more yeast, give it 3 days and check the gravity again. You should have definitely seen some movement with the new yeast. You will want to check the gravity over the course of about 3 days to make sure it is steady before you bottle it.

This has happened to me a lot of times and by using the above steps I have always been able to shave off a few more points.

 

[Yooper]

It's very common for extract batches to finish at 1.020- that's happened to me often. (We have lots of threads on this forum about this exact thing, one of which is called "the 1.020 curse" or something like that.).

At 1.020, it's done. It'll be fine. It can be bottled. Even if you did take extraneous measures and managed to drop the SG a couple of points, it wouldn't benefit the beer at this point.

Because it looks "fluffy" on the bottom, I'd probably wait a few more days at least before bottling just so that I have less gunk in my bottles in the end. But it's safe to bottle if you're impatient.

 

[Calder]

What temperature is it at? It almost looks like it is outside on a deck.

Get that puppy up to 70 F for a few days and see if there is any new action. Cold temperatures will stall yeast and they quit working.

 

[woodsy]

It's in a sort of mud-room area, technically inside, but with a door that goes out back, and the temperature has been crazy in Boston the last week or so, up, down, just wild.

I have a thermometer in there as well to check ambient room temp at carboy level near the ground, along with the stick on thermometers, all of which I check regularly, and it's been pretty constant the entire fermentation time, but admittedly perhaps slightly cold for the temp range ever since the active (amber) and VERY active (stout) periods; the temp has hovered around 66 on the stick on thermometers.

In terms of yeasts, the amber ale was the classic came-in-the-box Munton's, and the Irish Stout was a Notty packet.

I moved them into the office today and they've slowly climbed up a degree or so on their way to ambient room temp. I'll give them a little swirl later and see what happens in the coming few days.

Starting as a complete newbie, this forum has increasingly become a vital part of my routine, enjoyment, and hopefully, success!

Cheers, and thanks everyone!

 

[jCOSbrew]

I would leave it in the primary for 2-3 weeks total, check the FG, then bottle it.
7-9 days is too short IMO. Event though the bulk of fermentation is complete, you are conditioning and improving the beer.

A couple suggestions to lower FG on your next batch:
* late extract addition (half extrace at flameout)
* Good aeration
* Good healty yest.
* Consistent fermentation temps.