OVER-attenuated Barleywine

[hiphoppotamuss]

Never thought I'd be having this discussion as my high gravity ales usually underattenuate... but I'm trying to figure out why my Barleywine attenuated so high??

90 minute mash at 152F/ pH 5.3
16 lb (83.4%) — Crisp No19 Floor Malted Maris Otter Malt — Grain — 2.9 °L
1 lb (5.2%) — Simpsons Crystal Light — Grain — 39.5 °L
8 oz (2.6%) — Simpsons Amber Malt — Grain — 24 °L
8 oz (2.6%) — Briess Aromatic Malt — Grain — 15.3 °L
3 oz (1%) — Dingemans Special B — Grain — 109.4 °L
1 lb (5.2%) — Invert Syrup — Sugar — 40 °L — Boil

Pitched onto fresh cake of Wyeast Scottish Ale 1728
fermented 2.5 weeks at 59F
OG 1.086
FG 1.014 !!!
That's a ridiculous 84% attenuation!!

Tasted it last night and there are no off flavors. Its got a great flavor, just thin and hot from the nearly 10% alcohol.
Anyone have any ideas here?

 

[Miraculix]

Never thought I'd be having this discussion as my high gravity ales usually underattenuate... but I'm trying to figure out why my Barleywine attenuated so high??

90 minute mash at 152F/ pH 7.3
16 lb (83.4%) — Crisp No19 Floor Malted Maris Otter Malt — Grain — 2.9 °L
1 lb (5.2%) — Simpsons Crystal Light — Grain — 39.5 °L
8 oz (2.6%) — Simpsons Amber Malt — Grain — 24 °L
8 oz (2.6%) — Briess Aromatic Malt — Grain — 15.3 °L
3 oz (1%) — Dingemans Special B — Grain — 109.4 °L
1 lb (5.2%) — Invert Syrup — Sugar — 40 °L — Boil

Pitched onto fresh cake of Wyeast Scottish Ale 1728
fermented 2.5 weeks at 59F
OG 1.086
FG 1.014 !!!
That's a ridiculous 84% attenuation!!

Tasted it last night and there are no off flavors. Its got a great flavor, just thin and hot from the nearly 10% alcohol.
Anyone have any ideas here?

Yes, best Idea would be to age it for a year. Congratulations, you just found out what it means to pitch a healthy portion of fresh and vital yeast. That one will be a great beer if you give it enough time.

 

[PCABrewing]

Yes, best Idea would be to age it for a year. Congratulations, you just found out what it means to pitch a healthy portion of fresh and vital yeast. That one will be a great beer if you give it enough time.

I'd go at least 6 mos. at 65 degrees.
I bet if you taste it then it will have calmed-down a lot.

 

[hiphoppotamuss]

Yes, best Idea would be to age it for a year. Congratulations, you just found out what it means to pitch a healthy portion of fresh and vital yeast. That one will be a great beer if you give it enough time.

That's what I was hoping to hear!! I have just never seen an English/Scottish yeast blow past 80% attenuation like that. The fermentation was impressive to say the least. I had a full blown jacuzzi happening in the fermenter 3 hours after pitching.

I figured contamination was unlikely given no odd tastes, also I would assume that wild yeast would take it down much further than 1.014

Good to know what happy yeast are capable of. lol

 

[Miraculix]

That's what I was hoping to hear!! I have just never seen an English/Scottish yeast blow past 80% attenuation like that. The fermentation was impressive to say the least. I had a full blown jacuzzi happening in the fermenter 3 hours after pitching.

I figured contamination was unlikely given no odd tastes, also I would assume that wild yeast would take it down much further than 1.014

Good to know what happy yeast are capable of. lol

That's what professional pitch rates do .

 

[VikeMan]

I popped your grain bill, mash specs and yeast strain into BrewCipher. It predicts 84.1% apparent attenuation.

ETA/PS: I don't think your mash pH could have been 7.3. I mean, that would have been some hellishly buffered water to do that.

 

[hiphoppotamuss]

I popped your grain bill, mash specs and yeast strain into BrewCipher. It predicts 84.1% apparent attenuation.

ETA/PS: I don't think your mash pH could have been 7.3. I mean, that would have been some hellishly buffered water to do that.

Whoops. PH 5.3 just corrected.
Hmm. Must look into BrewCipher.

 

[Whisky River]

Never thought I'd be having this discussion as my high gravity ales usually underattenuate... but I'm trying to figure out why my Barleywine attenuated so high??

90 minute mash at 152F/ pH 5.3
16 lb (83.4%) — Crisp No19 Floor Malted Maris Otter Malt — Grain — 2.9 °L
1 lb (5.2%) — Simpsons Crystal Light — Grain — 39.5 °L
8 oz (2.6%) — Simpsons Amber Malt — Grain — 24 °L
8 oz (2.6%) — Briess Aromatic Malt — Grain — 15.3 °L
3 oz (1%) — Dingemans Special B — Grain — 109.4 °L
1 lb (5.2%) — Invert Syrup — Sugar — 40 °L — Boil

Pitched onto fresh cake of Wyeast Scottish Ale 1728
fermented 2.5 weeks at 59F
OG 1.086
FG 1.014 !!!
That's a ridiculous 84% attenuation!!

Tasted it last night and there are no off flavors. Its got a great flavor, just thin and hot from the nearly 10% alcohol.
Anyone have any ideas here?

I have had the same experience when pitching onto a full yeast cake, over attenuation and thin body. There are a few folks on here who seem to refuse to believe that this is possible but our friend Google knows lots of people who have encountered the same situation. I remember hearing one recent podcast discuss the phenomenon and they stated that the attenuation range we see on the packet is only an expected or predicted range given the amount of yeast contained in the suggested pitch, and that having a greater number of healthier yeast cells could drive the attenuation further.
Sounds like you’re going to have a delicious beer in the end.
(I hope you’re going to share a few with the Rymenocerous when they are done)

 

[Komodo]

I just did a Pliny clone, and tasted a sample when measuring FG. It thought it was going to be too thin. When it carbed up it was a completely different beer. It’s fantastic now.

 

[Bobby_M]

Age it for a year. If it's still thin/hot, you can consider adding some body with some maltodextrine syrup.

 

[AlexKay]

Remember that whatever the yeast spec sheet says about attenuation, that’s for your malt. The sugar will attenuate 100%.

 

[day_trippr]

Well...until the yeast expire from alcohol toxicity. They do have a limit.
The last barley wine I did I pushed the CS additions one cycle past what the yeast could handle and the SG never dropped back down.
The art is knowing when not to make that one too many additions

Cheers!