Not reaching Final Gravity.

[minnesota_son]

I just started brewing. And am loving it. One thing is I have noticed though is that my beers never seem to finish out at a low enough final gravity. I have done an American Pale and a Stout, both from kits purchased at my LHBS, and also a Milk Stout and an IPA based on recipes I have found online.

I could post the recipes if need be, but basically I am using around 7 lbs. of LME bought from my LHBS, as well as steeping around 2 lbs. give or take of specialty grains. I have been measuring an OG of usually between 1.050 and 1.053.

The last 2 batches I have used Wyeast smack packs, one was an Irish Ale Yeast, one was a British Ale yeast. I am pitching the yeast at around 68F. I have been fermenting between 66F and 70F, for usually around 2.5 - 3 weeks.

I have yet to see a FG of under 1.020. In fact, the milk stout finished at around 1.022-1.024. I am bottling the beer, and after 3 weeks in a bottle the carbonation is perfect. No exploding bottles, no over carbonation.

Any thoughts?

Thanks a ton.

 

[619Brewer]

That sounds like a pretty normal FG for a milk stout. IDK about the others since it all depends on your process and grain bill.

 

[minnesota_son]

Good to know on the milk stout. It seemed to have a really low OG as well (1.050), but thats not the problem I'm currently trying to solve (one at a time right!). Thanks for the input.

Feel free to ask any questions about the grain bill or process. I would be more than happy to answer. I am currently a bit perplexed.

 

[te-wa]

try making a starter. you seem to be, at 1.05, about 75 billion cells short of a good fermentation

that's nearly 40% less that you want.

http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/

on a side note, both american stout and american pale would probably benefit from cooler ferments, around 60-62

+1 on milk stout, you want it to finish high so it remains sweet.

 

[minnesota_son]

Thanks. I'll give a starter a go on my next batch, hopefully this weekend.

 

[minnesota_son]

Also, and this might be for a new thread, but what is the difference, aside from cost, of making a starter as opposed to just pitching 2 yeast packs instead of 1?

 

[IL1kebeer]

Also, and this might be for a new thread, but what is the difference, aside from cost, of making a starter as opposed to just pitching 2 yeast packs instead of 1?

The yeast will be active and healthy instead of asleep and possibly less healthy. A starters purpose is to grow yeast, ensure that yeast are active when pitched, and revitalize them so they will be healthy.

 

[LuNchBoX1371]

what is the difference, aside from cost, of making a starter as opposed to just pitching 2 yeast packs instead of 1?

You get a higher cell count with making a starter and the yeast arent "shocked", if you will, when they get pitched to the actual wort because the starter wort was created and the yeast are used to that environment and the thrive

 

[peterj]

try making a starter. you seem to be, at 1.05, about 75 billion cells short of a good fermentation

that's nearly 40% less that you want.

http://www.brewersfriend.com/yeast-pitch-rate-and-starter-calculator/

+1. Underpitching can lead to lower attenuation.

Also a lot of malt extract contains a high amount of unfermentables. It's fairly common for extract beers to suffer from the "1.020 curse". Try replacing part (maybe 1-1.5 pounds) of the grainbill with simple sugar to counteract this.

 

[minnesota_son]

Great, thanks for all of the info. It is much appreciated. Looks like a starter is the way to go.

One question about replacing part of the grainbill with simple sugar: How or will this effect the character of the beer?

 

[IL1kebeer]

Great, thanks for all of the info. It is much appreciated. Looks like a starter is the way to go. One question about replacing part of the grainbill with simple sugar: How or will this effect the character of the beer?

The beer will have a thinner body and will generally be more dry. Obviously it will have a higher alcohol content as well.

 

[te-wa]

Great, thanks for all of the info. It is much appreciated. Looks like a starter is the way to go.

also making starters is a great way to re-use yeast. check the homepage for the article on Yeast Washing.. you'll save money in the long run since many healthy yeasts can be used several times over.

 

[peterj]

Great, thanks for all of the info. It is much appreciated. Looks like a starter is the way to go.

One question about replacing part of the grainbill with simple sugar: How or will this effect the character of the beer?

It should just make it dryer and less sweet, which is what you want.

EDIT: Whoops, didn't see the second page. IL1kebeer beat me to it!

 

[boydster]

Steeping grains will add some unfermentable sugars to your wort, and 2 lbs in a 5 gallon batch seems like a lot. If you are using 2 lbs of crystal malts, that will really up your FG.

 

[ResumeMan]

All good advice on pitching rates. But another critical component to good fermentation is adequate oxygen in the wort. How are you accomplishing that? At a minimum you need to shake the living $@@$% out of the carboy for a good couple minutes. A dedicated aeration or (better) O2 injection system is even better.

 

[Yooper]

I've found that many extract beers just don't finish below 1.020. (Look up the thread called "the 1.020 curse" for more info).

It has to do with the fermentability, or lack of fermentability I guess, of certain types of extracts.

1.020 is a very common FG for many extract batches, and I've had more than a few stay there even though the recipe projected it to be low. The beers still turned out great.

 

[minnesota_son]

Thanks all for the feedback. I feel like I learned a lot today!

I will check out the article on washing yeast. I think I could probably shake the carboy more. What I have been doing is transferring the wort between the brew pot and the fermenting bucket a few times, giving it a little shake and then pitching. I bet I could shake it more!

I am not steeping all crystal malt.....I don't think. I have used chocolate malt, roasted barley, belgian aromatic, simpson's golden promise, ect. (I don't think those are all crystal?)

The 1.020 curse, eh? Interesting.

Thanks again, all!

 

[hbtasdfg]

overcooking the specialty grains (too hot for too long) can add extra unfermentables but not much extra flavor.