Low ABV ~ 1 Month in Fermenter

[RugerBrew]

Hi Folks....

I am fermenting a batch of Mr. Beer Amber Ale - published ABV = 5.9% with an IBU of 30

After 1 month in the fermenter (at 72 degrees) the ABV I am calculating is only about 3.6% AND it hasn't changed in a week:


OG 1.044; FG 1.017 ........ (OG - FG) * 133 = 3.6% AND it tastes very sweet.

So.... I'm thinking the yeast didn't / isn't doing its job for whatever the reason. The question is, given a month of fermentation, can I expect any further changes if I just leave it in the fermenter?

What do you think?

And THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE HELP!

 

[CJ-3]

More than likely it isn't going to do any more on it's own. What you may want to try:
1) give it a stir with a sanitized spoon to bring the yeast back into suspension and see if they can eat any more sugars.
Or
2) get a fresh packet of yeast and add it to your fermenter.

However, no guarantee it is going to get a lot lower. There is a thread here dedicated to Mr. Beer, you may want to give it a read to see if anyone there has had a similar issue.

 

[Calder]

Yes, that is a high FG. Did you use a refractometer or an hydrometer? Not sure what to say about your FG.

But ....... with an OG of 1.044, you are never getting to an abv of 5.9%

 

[kh54s10]

Forgive me but MrBeer is about the lowest quality beer brewing kit that you can get. Bottle it and proceed...

Now but a quality kit, brew it and if you have any questions, return to this forum for more information. Better yet, read up before taking the next step........

 

[aeviaanah]

I would add more yeast, wait a week then bottle. Check FG again before bottling

 

[C-Rider]

If it is a kit and your volumes are correct then your OG is what ever the kit says it should be. You could just have a bad mix of Wort and Water.

 

[aprichman]

Hi Folks....

I am fermenting a batch of Mr. Beer Amber Ale - published ABV = 5.9% with an IBU of 30

After 1 month in the fermenter (at 72 degrees) the ABV I am calculating is only about 3.6% AND it hasn't changed in a week:


OG 1.044; FG 1.017 ........ (OG - FG) * 133 = 3.6% AND it tastes very sweet.

So.... I'm thinking the yeast didn't / isn't doing its job for whatever the reason. The question is, given a month of fermentation, can I expect any further changes if I just leave it in the fermenter?

What do you think?

And THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE HELP!

There's no way you're going to get a 6% beer if the OG was 1.044. If your beer has been in the fermentor for a month it's ready to go!

 

[RugerBrew]

Thanks Folks!

Ever hear the quote "you're never too old to learn?" Well.... I am 71 and this beer brewing deal is an excellent example of that old axiom.

Thanks all.....

 

[brewprint]

Your final gravity would literally have to get to .999. Which I believe would be impossible with extract no matter what kind of yeast you used. I've never seen .999 but I've heard of it for Imperial Saisons.

The lowest that I've done is 1.007 on the Centennial Blonde recipe but that's doing all grain BIAB.

 

[eluterio]

I agree with who ever said just bottle it up. No reason to waste more time after a month. Enjoy it and get another kit!

 

[Calder]

I tried looking the kit up on Mr. Beer. I assume you are doing the Bewitched Amber Ale.

It says it is a 5.5% beer, not 5.9%

Apart from that it doesn't give any OG or FG guidelines. Process is to dilute extract in hot water, then add cold water and stir. If you go reading a lot of threads you will find that it is difficult to fully mix extract batches, and often there are errors in OG readings. I suspect that was true in your case; the denser sugars dropped to the bottom, and you measured from the top.

No worries, the yeast will still find the sugars and mix it all up for you.

I'm thinking your OG was probably supposed to be closer to 1.055, with an expected FG of somewhere around 1.013, which would give you 5.5%. 1.017 seems to be a little high even for a Mr.Beer kit. It will probably taste a little sweet, but otherwise should be fine.

If my guess at expected OG is correct (and it really is just a guess based on what I would expect the recipe to be designed to), you would be at 5% abv.

Now you have had some practice, start looking at something different from Mr. Beer. Mr. Beer doesn't have the greatest reputation, and the kits are pretty expensive. I agree, Mr. Beer is simple, no-boil, just add water and yeast and done.

 

[m00ps]

What yeast did you use? That will play a large role in the attenuation %, as well as the pitch rate and health of the yeast

The mash temp and grain bill may also give some clues

@brewprint: aside from using brett/sour bugs, my last clean saison got to 0.998. Wasnt exactly supposed to be imperial but it got past 8%...