NEIPA final gravity

[MN brewer]

So I’m 10 days in, had solid krausen. I take a sample for final gravity and there is so much hop bits and debris it reads way high. I cold crash it for 3 days, then my FG hits target just fine. My next batch I cool my sample for 30 minutes. Looks like trub has fallen out but my FG is still fairly high. Do I need to cold crash the sample 3 days before I can get an accurate reading? Why even bother, tastes pretty good...

 

[MN brewer]

Og 1.055, current reading 1.030

 

[Harleybrew32]

that seems pretty high, what yeast are you using?
also are you reading your sample at 68F?

 

[MN brewer]

Gravity taken at 70f. Wyeast 1318 London ale III.
First batch I cold crashed for 3 days and I assume yeasts and proteins dropped out and that lowered the gravity to target. From what I’ve read so far, no one mentions difficulty reading gravity with this style, so I’m wondering what I’m doing wrong.

 

[MN brewer]

Also, I’m following a recipe with multiple hop additions, steeped and dry hopped without bags, hops roam free.

 

[Jag75]

Yeah thats definitely too high for that OG. Something is going on for sure . You don't need to cold crash to get FG. Lots of people don't cold crash at all. I very rarely do.

 

[day_trippr]

Only because this comes up so often...is this a hydrometer reading, or a refractometer?
And if the latter, has a correction calculator for alcohol presence been applied?

Cheers!

 

[Jag75]

Only because this comes up so often...is this a hydrometer reading, or a refractometer?
And if the latter, has a correction calculator for alcohol presence been applied?

Cheers!

Shoot , this does happen quite a bit . Bet your right .

 

[MN brewer]

Hydrometer.

 

[Jag75]

Hydrometer.

Well something is up then . With that yeast it should easily get down . Was the yeast good and fresh , starter ?

 

[deuc224]

Im kind of a novice so take this with a grain of salt. Im about to brew an NEIPA and noticed the same high FG when using that yeast. Seems the attenuation isnt that great, so I went to london fog and the numbers went down a lot. Again im just going by software numbers not actual numbers but will be getting back to this thread when its done. Ill be brewing this tomorrow morning and should be in the fermenter by the afternoon , made the starter already so everything is ready except for the hop tea, ill do that tonight for it to be ready tomorrow morning.

 

[MN brewer]

Novice too. I’m going to make a starter and repitch

 

[jclark248]

Og 1.055, current reading 1.030

You should ferment longer until gravity hits mid to lower 20’s. Also your hydrometer should say on it what temp it was calibrated at, usually 60 and it should include a correction chart so you can +/- Usually on a few points one way or the other

 

[MN brewer]

I used a rescue starter and I’m getting fairly vigorous bubbling through the airlock, so it’s going again, or a weather front is going through. Lets hope for the former.

 

[Harleybrew32]

I had great success with the London fog strain, but i used Whitelabs. i did make a starter and pitched while it had a nice krausen on it. the OG was 1.066 and it got down to 1.008
good luck with it.
cheers

 

[MN brewer]

I did with my first batch too, not sure what was different this time. In retrospect I may have pitched while the wort was too warm. Second time brewing NEIPA, first time plate chiller clogged at 8-9 gallons due to all the hop bits floating in solution. I stirred during steeping this time and presumably the bits of hop particles were more centralized, making a higher rate through the chiller, with less cooling. I didn’t actually check temp after the plate chiller, when I picked up the carboy to put in my chest freezer fermenter, seemed warmer than the first time I brewed. Probably reduced the number of viable cells resulting in under pitching. My best guess with my vast experience of 3 batches.

 

[Dgallo]

Trub and hops should not impact your gravity reading as they are not dissolved into your wort. So much more information is needed from you if anyone is to help.

-what is the grainbill/recipe
-mash temps
-was lactose or another unfermentable used in your recipe.
-are you using a beer hydrometer?
- how are you taking your hydro sample? In the fermenter? In a cylinder?
-have you checked if it’s reading accurately with tap water at 1.000
- what was the age of the yeast

 

[MN brewer]

Everything was the same between 2 batches, hygrometer in column hit OG and FG for first batch, same yeast. Hit OG but initially not FG for second batch. The only difference was I stirred during the hop stand, got more of it through the plate chiller, but it still clogged at a bit over 10 gallons. Water was RO with hoppy profile electrolytes from the electric brewery. Recipe was hop candy from theelectricbrewery.com

 

[Dgallo]

None of what your mentioning will have an impact on fg, the items I list all can impact your wort fermentability and/or yeast health. The link also doesn’t get me to any recipe, so unless your willing to post it out, No one will be able to give you any insight on what caused your issue.

 

[MN brewer]

https://shop.theelectricbrewery.com/pages/electric-hop-candy-new-england-ipa-neipa
Everything being the same between the two batches besides the variables I mentioned, and two different results point strongly to the variables, not the constants (ie recipe above). Most likely I pitched when the wort was too warm second time.