So i brewed my first 2 batches of all grain and I'm having a problem. i went to bottle and my gravity won't drop under 1.034. My OG was 1.064 on one and 1.052 on the other and both are around 1.034 now and have been sitting in my fermentation chamber for 4 weeks. the gravity hasn't changed at all since i transferred to the secondary. beer smith says i should be around 1.023 what should i do.
new to all grain i need help
- Thread starter mthenry87
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FirstAidBrewing
Well-Known Member
Can you provide more detail, such as mash time/temp and grain bill? There could be several reasons for your issue and if you can elaborate a bit, we can figure out if your issue is correctable or not
If you are measuring with a refractometer you need to do a conversion for the presence of alcohol. There are online calculators. If a hydrometer, you have problems and will have to provide more information, recipe and procedure for any accurate answer.
What temps are you fermenting at?
so i was using a refractometer and i figured it could be off so i used both. i got 1.043 with ref. and 1.034 with hydro. i will say i didn't hit my gravity on brew day and i think i is because my boil off was wrong and i was supposed to have a 5 gallon batch and i ended up with like 6.5 almost 7 gallons. so i think i figured that part out but can't figure out why I'm stuck at 1.034.
12lbs 2 row
1lbs caramel 60
1 lbs oats
9.2 oz
2 cans pumpkin
pumpkin spice
yeast US-05
12lbs 2 row
1lbs caramel 60
1 lbs oats
9.2 oz
2 cans pumpkin
pumpkin spice
yeast US-05
its very frustrating i know its my first all gain batch but i really wanted this one to turn out good. it taste great now just a little sweet but i think it's ok but i would still like to try to figure out what i did wrong
FirstAidBrewing
Well-Known Member
Agreed. At 158 you are getting a fuller bodied (ie higher FG) beer due to the lack of enzyme conversion. That might be the main culprit. A normal mash is more close to 152
ok thanks for the help i might just trash it and try again. I'm thinking about doing a few 1 gallon batches to tune my skills and learn more I'm still new to this. i really didn't think that 5 degrees would make that big of a difference but good to know
Yes temperature is probably the biggest factor in making beer and that goes for the whole process. Mash temp controls efficiency, mouthfeel, fermentability, and possible tannins extraction. Pitch temp for yeast, too hot could kill the yeast or throw off flavors. Too cold, yeast go dormant. Depending on strain, flavor changes as well. Fermentation temp will effect flavors, fermantation time, etc. The list goes on and on. This was simple break down. Use top notch thermometers, and keep your temps on spot. Plus or minus 2 degrees will usually keep things consistent. Start with prebuilt kits or do smash beers, single malt single hop. Smash beers help you learn flavors. 1 gallon will take the same amount of time, so all you gain is more batches and cheaper batches.
again thinks for the help. the real only reason for the one gallon batches is to save money and be able to do more batches. i don't have a ton of money to put into this hobby so i think one gallon is the way to go for me for now. thanks for the smash brew idea i have never heard of them before.
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