Hello all,
I have now completed two all-grain batches, the first bottled, the second ready for bottling. But I have a potential issue. Both batches have finished at a stable FG of 1.000. My hydrometer is calibrated at 1.004 at 68F in water, and both my beers have finished at 1.004 (hence 1.000). FG readings have been taken from the top of the fermenter into a cylinder and measured at 68F.
Here were my grain bills (aiming for 2.5 gallon batches):
Recipe 1:
-3.3lbs Bohemian pilsner
-1.11lbs pale Canadian 2 row
-0.75lbs honey malt
OG = 1.030
*note: the mash temp for this first attempt was very low, so the beer has next to no body. Good ol rocket fuel.
Recipe 2:
-3.5lbs German Pilsner
-1.15 Canadian 2 row
-0.6lbs honey malt
-OG = 1.030
-added DME due to having a very low OG.
Actual OG = 1.048
*note: mash temp was held at 148F, so the beer has a nice light body to it. Much better than the first.
Both batches started with an OG of 1.030 (second batch was fixed) which was way off target, but I got the answer that this was due to using and having way too much water going into my boil in another thread (thank you). The yeast that was used for both batches was Safale US-05 and the yeast was re-hydrated before pitching. Fermentation went very well for both batches and samples were taken when the airlock had one bubble about every 2+ minutes (Total fermenting time of 2 weeks at 65F to be safe) and taken 3 days later to confirm stability.
Both beers have turned out very well in my opinion, both are very clear, and have great flavor and aroma.
My first thought for both beers was infection. However, all equipment was sanitized very thoroughly and carefully and both batches were added to the fermenter carefully to avoid contamination. Secondly, both beers do not taste sour at all, they both taste like a very nice dry, crisp beer for lack of a better explanation. Finally, there was no sign of infection in the fermenter itself. The beer looked clear and there were no bacterial films on top of the beer or on the sides on the fermenter.
Am I just getting lucky with having this low of a FG? Is it because I am mashing at a low temperature so I have a more fermentable wort? BeerSmith had a predicted FG of 1.010, so I'm not sure why I ended so low.
Any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Brandon
I have now completed two all-grain batches, the first bottled, the second ready for bottling. But I have a potential issue. Both batches have finished at a stable FG of 1.000. My hydrometer is calibrated at 1.004 at 68F in water, and both my beers have finished at 1.004 (hence 1.000). FG readings have been taken from the top of the fermenter into a cylinder and measured at 68F.
Here were my grain bills (aiming for 2.5 gallon batches):
Recipe 1:
-3.3lbs Bohemian pilsner
-1.11lbs pale Canadian 2 row
-0.75lbs honey malt
OG = 1.030
*note: the mash temp for this first attempt was very low, so the beer has next to no body. Good ol rocket fuel.
Recipe 2:
-3.5lbs German Pilsner
-1.15 Canadian 2 row
-0.6lbs honey malt
-OG = 1.030
-added DME due to having a very low OG.
Actual OG = 1.048
*note: mash temp was held at 148F, so the beer has a nice light body to it. Much better than the first.
Both batches started with an OG of 1.030 (second batch was fixed) which was way off target, but I got the answer that this was due to using and having way too much water going into my boil in another thread (thank you). The yeast that was used for both batches was Safale US-05 and the yeast was re-hydrated before pitching. Fermentation went very well for both batches and samples were taken when the airlock had one bubble about every 2+ minutes (Total fermenting time of 2 weeks at 65F to be safe) and taken 3 days later to confirm stability.
Both beers have turned out very well in my opinion, both are very clear, and have great flavor and aroma.
My first thought for both beers was infection. However, all equipment was sanitized very thoroughly and carefully and both batches were added to the fermenter carefully to avoid contamination. Secondly, both beers do not taste sour at all, they both taste like a very nice dry, crisp beer for lack of a better explanation. Finally, there was no sign of infection in the fermenter itself. The beer looked clear and there were no bacterial films on top of the beer or on the sides on the fermenter.
Am I just getting lucky with having this low of a FG? Is it because I am mashing at a low temperature so I have a more fermentable wort? BeerSmith had a predicted FG of 1.010, so I'm not sure why I ended so low.
Any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Brandon
Last edited: