OG and FG question question

[user 85995]

Hi Brewers!

I am in the middle of my 3rd brewing. I'm making a nut brown Newcastle knockoff. Recipe calls for OG of 1050 and FG of 1013. Yeast was liquid WL-002. My OG was 1050, but at 77F, so adjusts to about 1052. Airlock started in about 10 hours, stopped in about 36. After 5 days in primary I uncapped and took reading. It was 1020 at 67F. or about 1021. I recapped, and there was about 12 hours of activity, then nothing again. Today, day 7, I uncapped, took reading, 1019 at 66F, or about 1020. Still well above the 1013. I put it in the secondary, but now am worried that I should not have. My first 2 batches have each had the gravity drop in the secondary, but I read here that that should not really happen. So, did I ruin my premium beer kit?

Or should I relax and have a homebrew? (Of course, that is ALWAYS an option)

Thanks for any comments you may have!

Tony

 

[nilo]

You could have left in primary longer, perhaps the yeast would work a little bit more. 1.020 is very commom for extract recipes, so I think you have reached FG. Why are you doing a secondary?

 

[daksin]

Yup, just chill. There's plenty of yeast in suspension to chew on the remaining sugar. The reason you read that gravity shouldn't drop in the secondary is because you should wait until the gravity stops dropping to move it to secondary.

Most people around here, you'll find, will tell you to ignore your instructions and just do a long primary of at least 3 weeks and skip the secondary. No problems with off flavors or anything, before you ask, but the yeast will "clean up after themselves" by getting to work digesting some of the byproducts and metabolites of the more active fermentation. This will help reduce some of the off flavors that may or may not have been created and gives the beer some time to mature and the flavors to blend, mellow, stengthen, or improve.

Secondaries are usually reserved for dry hopping or other flavoring additions like fruit, though lots of people just toss that stuff into the primary and have no problems. As long as your gravity has stopped dropping (two readings more than a day apart which are the same), you are good to bottle, but the longer you can wait (especially in the primary) the better your beer will be.

Bottle for 3 weeks minimum at 70F, and you're good to go. As always, more time in bottles = better beer as a GENERAL rule of thumb, but 3 weeks minimum.

TL;DR: your beer is fine. Give it lots of time after the final gravity stops dropping, and then bottle/carb for as long as you can stand.

 

[sketerbuck]

How did you oxygenate your wort. I could never get much under 1.020 until I started giving the yeast more oxygen.

 

[daksin]

You could have left in primary longer, perhaps the yeast would work a little bit more. 1.020 is very commom for extract recipes, so I think you have reached FG. Why are you doing a secondary?

I disagree. His last two readings didn't match, which means there are still potentially some sugars left for the yeast to eat. It's only been 1 week, so even if the fermentation has slowed way down, if it continues to drop 1 point ever day or two, there is plenty of room to go.

Plus, the idea of extract brews getting somehow cut off at 1.020 is way overblown. You can get some caramelization which will reduce your fermentables, but overall, extract is just evaporated wort, and is going to have the same fermentables.

At 1 week of primary, the best thing for this beer is to let it sit at least another two weeks.

 

[Yooper]

I dunno- 1.020 two days ago, and 1.020 today sure seem like the same reading to me.

And I wouldn't be surprised if the beer finishes at 1.020. When I used extracts, that was common.

If the beer is still at the same SG in another week, it's fine to bottle it.

 

[daksin]

I dunno- 1.020 two days ago, and 1.020 today sure seem like the same reading to me.

And I wouldn't be surprised if the beer finishes at 1.020. When I used extracts, that was common.

If the beer is still at the same SG in another week, it's fine to bottle it.

Damn my fast reading! Didn't quite get to the whole temperature conversion part- couldn't be bothered to read those 14 extra characters:cross:. You are both obviously correct.

Anyway, the thing we all seem to agree on is that you will be good to go with some more time in your fermentor.

As usual, the message is RDWHAHB. Good luck!

 

[user 85995]

Thanks all for the comments. I feel better already!

I should clarify that my kit had grains and lme, so it wasn't just the boil and go type. Also, I use the secondary to help clarify. I do understand that the primary v secondary battle has a long and proud tradition here ;-)

One more thing, if the fg stays around 1020, should I consider adjusting (reducing) the amount of priming sugar so as to avoid bottle bombs?

Thanks guys, you rock.

Tony