Question about yeast

[RyanT]

So this is my second beer that I brewed yesterday (a Stone IPA clone). I accidentally put it a little too much malt extract, so i figured that I should RDWHAHB and just add a little more hops to balance it out.

Anyway, the recipe told me that my OG should be 1.06, and i was very diligent in mixing the wort with water for a long time, and measured an OG of 1.078. I mixed for awhile longer, took another reading, and confirmed the OG at 1.078. I sort of expected this, because by accidentally adding too much malt extract (about 10 ounces too much) my gravity should naturally be higher, because there is more sugars in there.

I am now fermenting it in a room (68-74 degrees) and i have promised myself that I will be patient and let this thing sit for 2 weeks.

I checked the Wyeast website and see that the yeast I used will attenuate 73-77%. I recalculated this attenuation with my OG of 1.078, and see that the yeast should get me to a FG of 1.021 - 1.018.

Question: Is there a risk of bottle bombs if I wait two weeks, then my final hydro reading is at 1.021 for three days in a row?

Question: I'm also going to dry hop in a secondary, so would that also bring the gravity down a touch?

Question: Do you have any further advice on this?

 

[desertbronze]

If your hydrometer holds at the same reading for three days, the beer is done fermenting, regardless of gravity. It is not unusual for high gravity beers to finish at 1.020 to 1.030.

The gravity might drop a little in the secondary. Dry hopping doesn't have anything to do with that, in my experience.

I'd tell you to be patient, but you mentioned that in your post. A high gravity beer like this will need some aging time to bring out the flavors.

 

[lordbeermestrength]

Question: Is there a risk of bottle bombs if I wait two weeks, then my final hydro reading is at 1.021 for three days in a row?

not to scare you, but there is ALWAYS a risk (infection, incorrect reading, wrong measurement of priming sugar, etc). I would say let it sit a good week with no hydrometer drop, though, before you bottle. To be on the safe side.

Question: I'm also going to dry hop in a secondary, so would that also bring the gravity down a touch?

It may. Depends on if your yeast are done or not. It usually does, a little.

Question: Do you have any further advice on this?

I would say you are fine. Secondary as normal, then bottle after a couple weeks or so (give the yeast some time to clean up flavors, you won't necessarily see airlock activity). One thing though... just because you overhopped a little doesn't mean you should add more malt to the wort. Hops drop off big time after the first month or so after you brew. But if you add too much extract you could end up with a beer that is too sweet, or have problems with your yeast(or you may underpitch), or end up with a different character than you expected. Better just to have it a little too bitter, then let it wait until you hit the sweet spot. Then drink the hell out of it.

 

[RyanT]

I understand what you mean about too much malt. I had accidentally added too much malt, realized my mistake, so i tried to compensate by adding more hops. I figured that since it is an IPA, more hops couldn't really hurt the beer.

 

[Grinder12000]

HA - better too much then not enough! I made a batch a few weeks ago and forgot 2 pounds of 2-row. I could not figure out how I could have missed my OG by so much until I started plugging in numbers in BeerSmith.

Delete the 2-row and I'm right on.

I now have a better way of preparing! Lesson learned. BTW - beer turned out OK - a little more hoppy then I was expecting but . . .overall drinkable.

As for your problem. Brewing is the perfect hobby for procrastination. The longer you put off doing something NORMALLY the better it will taste.

Better just to have it a little too bitter

+1 to that - time will take care of over hopped!