Part Fermented beer?

[maak]

I think I've made a bit of a school boy error, and wondered if there's anything that can be done to save the batch.

I brewed a single hopped pale, fermented to to FG, kegged, and have left to carbonate/condition however I've just tried the beer and it tastes like super sugary wort, (maybe slight banana vibes to it). I think where I went wrong was writing down that the target FG was 1.05, so checked and it was that, however I think I miss records the OG and that was 1.056. So yeah a rather silly error. I cold crashed and checked so thinking warming up and trying to get it fermenting again is out, but thinking worth trying to make sure of the beer. Can I add some yeast again and try fermenting that way, or add some other additions to try something different and experiment that way?

 

[RM-MN]

How long did you leave the beer in the fermenter? If your "FG" really was 1.050 your beer didn't do much fermenting. Assuming you have viable yeast, warming the beer will probably get the yeast going again.

 

[GoodTruble]

There is probably still yeast in there to finish. I agree with lettting it warm and see. If fermentation doesn't restart with 2-3 days, you can just add another yeast.

You can also leave it in the keg for the additional fermentation, but Remember you will need a way to let gas/CO2 out.

 

[maak]

It was fermenting for 12 days, and mostly showed signs of bubbling away.

I'll get the keg out the fridge and see about warming it up and if that helps at all. Is there a sensible way of letting out the gas/CO2 from a keg (other than manually)?

It certainly has made me look at a better way of keeping track of a brewday.

Thank you for the advice.

 

[GoodTruble]

Hmmm, 12 days would usually be enough for a pale ale.

I wonder if something else is happening.

Did you add sugar to prime/carbonate the beer in the keg?

And one way to let gas out is to just attach a gas disconnect with a tube that is open-ended leading into a jar of sanitize liquid. You could also just attached an airlock to a gas disconnect using a rubber stopper.

 

[maak]

I thought it should be. It was 1469 West Yorkshire Ale yeast I used, so I did wonder if it was past it's best, (it was in date and kept in the fridge though). Think I'll try warming, see how that goes and use new yeast if nothing happens.

It's been carbonated using gas, so no sugar or anything else. Perfectly carbonated as well now, haha.

That makes perfect sense, thank you.

 

[IslandLizard]

Your FG measured at 1.050? Using a hydrometer?
Have you checked the hydrometer in (distilled or RO) water? It should read 1.000 or close to it.

At what temperature did you ferment?
(The first time that is)

 

[DBhomebrew]

Perhaps you could take a pic of which scale on the hydrometer you are using?

 

[GoodTruble]

Did you take the FG reading after you carbed?

 

[maak]

I've not checked the hydrometer like that, will get it back out and double check it's all spot on.

I normally take a photo when I do the OG and then again at the FG, but I didn't on this brew which I'm really kicking myself about now. It is a standard one rather than one of the multi scale ones.

 

[maak]

Did you take the FG reading after you carbed?

No I took the reading before transferring it to the keg, and left it to warm up for a while.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

I'll get the keg out the fridge and see about warming it up and if that helps at all. Is there a sensible way of letting out the gas/CO2 from a keg (other than manually)?

What you’re looking for would be a spunding valve.

 

[hotbeer]

I think where I went wrong was writing down that the target FG was 1.05, so checked and it was that, however I think I miss records the OG and that was 1.056.

You checked that the recipe said the FG will be 1.050 ? If so, that's going to be a very sweet beer by any means. What recipe?

If your OG was 1.056 and your FG is 1.050 then you only had and apparent attenuation of 10% which is well below the 61 - 71% that strain of yeast is said to give.

In a later post you say you didn't use a hydrometer, so how are you coming up with these numbers?

 

[GoodTruble]

He said he hasn't tested the hydrometer in water to calibrate.

In researching 1469 West Yorkshire Yeast, multiple people suggest it may need to be roused several times during fermentation. If that was the problem, maybe you should just toss another yeast (nottingham?) in there.

 

[ncbrewer]

It could be just a measurement error - maybe check FG again.