Low abv

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Jag75

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Brewed an American cream ale on 4-3. My first reading was 50. Now im getting 20. So its 1.050 - 1.020 x 131.25 right . That is less then 4% ? This is supoosed to be 5.25 and 5.75. Should i let it sit longer before kegging ?
 
Brewed an American cream ale on 4-3. My first reading was 50. Now im getting 20. So its 1.050 - 1.020 x 131.25 right . That is less then 4% ? This is supoosed to be 5.25 and 5.75. Should i let it sit longer before kegging ?
It depends on what you want from the beer. If you like it, then keg it. If you want more alcohol; then check to see if it's still fermenting or is it done? How does it taste?
 
Its got an odd taste . Has a slight taste of beer with a splash of vodka. Idk i was excited about this beer . Now im not so sure .
Since it's not kegged yet there's still time to adjust. Sounds like you should add something to complement the flavor you like.
 
Since it's not kegged yet there's still time to adjust. Sounds like you should add something to complement the flavor you like.

I really hate room temp beer . I had my daughter taste it and she said it really doesnt have a cream taste . Its very light . What causes a beer to not reach its projected abv?. I poured the beer from the collection ball back in and tightened the lid . The airlock started bubbling a bit . Is it possible its not done fermenting? What could i add to give it more taste?
 
Give us some more info so we can help diagnose why your gravity is still high: Grains/Malt extract used, yeast you used, temperature it's fermenting at, etc.

I poured the beer from the collection ball back in and tightened the lid . The airlock started bubbling a bit ...

I'd avoid doing this in the future. Anything that touches your wort post-boil needs to be sanitized or else you're risking infecting it.
 
Give us some more info so we can help diagnose why your gravity is still high: Grains/Malt extract used, yeast you used, temperature it's fermenting at, etc.



I'd avoid doing this in the future. Anything that touches your wort post-boil needs to be sanitized or else you're risking infecting it.

I used the Brewers Best kit. Everything was in the box . I followed it to a T. Primary for a week temps 65-72 , but mostly a steady 68*. I dumped the trudge in collection ball and secondary same temp for 1 week and 5 days as of now. How do you know if it gets infected? The collection ball didnt have hardly any trudge in it last night. Its part of the conical so i dont know how i could compromise the batch. Its a 9.5 gal fermentor with a collection ball at the bottom.
 
I just looked up the kit in question. It probably just isn't done yet. Yeast don't ferment on a schedule. They're done when they're done.
 
I really hate room temp beer . I had my daughter taste it and she said it really doesnt have a cream taste . Its very light . What causes a beer to not reach its projected abv?. I poured the beer from the collection ball back in and tightened the lid . The airlock started bubbling a bit . Is it possible its not done fermenting? What could i add to give it more taste?

Well, cream ale sure doesn't have a cream taste. It's a light beer, but not a lager. A cream ale should be a thin bodied, light lawnmower beer. It sounds like you've made what you set out to do.

It may be done fermenting if it's at 1.020, but it may go a bit lower if you wait a day or two. Check it in two or three days, and if it's still at 1.020, it's finished.
 
I used the Brewers Best kit. Everything was in the box . I followed it to a T. Primary for a week temps 65-72 , but mostly a steady 68*. I dumped the trudge in collection ball and secondary same temp for 1 week and 5 days as of now. How do you know if it gets infected? The collection ball didnt have hardly any trudge in it last night. Its part of the conical so i dont know how i could compromise the batch. Its a 9.5 gal fermentor with a collection ball at the bottom.

You never want to splash/pour anything into the fermenter. When you empty the collection ball, either save it (the yeast) or dump it after sampling.

Extract kits often stop at 1.020- the beer sounds done. Next time, ferment at a much lower temperature so that the beer never gets above 67 degrees. Since fermentation produces heat, the surrounding area shouldn't be above about 62-65 degrees. 72 degrees is way way too warm for most ales and will produce a "alcohol" or "hot" taste in many cases.
 
Hey all i really appreciate your help with this. I will let it go and check in a day or 2. Thanks for the tips.
 
Ok i have an update . I let it sit for 2 more days and i checked the FG again. This time it was at 10. So either i didnt read it right saturday or it changed . I dont think i miss read it because i did it about 10 times . So i dont know for sure . I do think it doesnt have that slight alcohly tatse to it unless i just cant tell. I steralized my keg and put it in the fridge to get cold . Then i will fill it and force carb
 
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