Questions about FG readings

[DrunkenCanuck]

Hey guys,

Good news, after failing pretty hard with my first beer and it smelling and tasting awful, it looks like my Belgian has worked out pretty well. Hindsight though? Should have taken it out of primary a week ago because I don't think there is much sugar left. I transferred it into a bottling bucket with a racking cane, but now I am unsure of what I should be doing.

Anyway, prior to fermenting I took an OG reading that gave my beer 11% ABV, however after fermenting my hydrometer drops to the bottom of the tube. Is this normal for new brewers? What should I do with the leftover yeast in the bucket? I have read that it is good to add a little for bottling, but I am looking for some clarity in that regard.

All in all, the beer smells pretty good.

 

[kh54s10]

Well, you have a lot to learn. After primary they should be no sugar left. At bottling you add sugar for the yeast to consume that will produce carbonation in the bottles.

At OG you really have no idea what the ABV will be. That is determined by how much conversion has been done during fermentation. There are online calculators for this.

If your hydrometer is bottoming out in the tube you need more beer in the tube. It will float.

You don't need any more yeast for bottling in most cases.

You can save some yeast for the next brew but it is usually better to use yeast that fermented a low gravity brew for a higher one, not high to low.

Your beer is probably just fine. Your knowledge of the processes needs some more research.

 

[DrunkenCanuck]

Well, you have a lot to learn. After primary they should be no sugar left. At bottling you add sugar for the yeast to consume that will produce carbonation in the bottles.

At OG you really have no idea what the ABV will be. That is determined by how much conversion has been done during fermentation. There are online calculators for this.

If your hydrometer is bottoming out in the tube you need more beer in the tube. It will float.

You don't need any more yeast for bottling in most cases.

You can save some yeast for the next brew but it is usually better to use yeast that fermented a low gravity brew for a higher one, not high to low.

Your beer is probably just fine. Your knowledge of the processes needs some more research.

That I won't argue with, I got a little misconstrued when doing a lot of reading, there seem to be a lot of methods and opinions on how to make a proper beer. I am not worried about it not being strong however, since I am still new and learning. And yeah, I added some more wort to the hydrometer and it stayed floating at 5% ABV (took nearly the whole tube to do it). There is a lot of yeast in the bottom of my bucket however, I guess it's best to extract it and hang onto it for another brew rather than waste it.

 

[PADave]

I'd get it bottled if it's done. Should have left it in the primary. If your hydrometer drops to the bottom, your need more beer in the tube. No you don't need to add yeast when you bottle, there is still plenty floating around in your beer.

 

[kh54s10]

Your hydrometer will not tell you the ABV. That is potential ABV. ABV is a calculation from OG and FG.

The cake at the bottom of your fermenter is not all yeast. There are proteins, hop debris etc, in there.

At this point in your brewing I would not save the yeast. Use new yeast for your next few batches while learning. You can then decide whether to repitch on a yeast cake, use a portion, make a starter from a portion of the cake, make a starter and save some.... There are a lot of options but you need to learn the pros and cons of each.