First time BIAB brew. Brew date: 8/7. Pitched Safale 005. OG was 1.064. Noticeable slow start and no krausen. On 8/21 gravity was at 1.039. I thought it was stuck so I repitched with some WL San Diego Super. Today it's at 1.031. It's very slow and I'm thinking it's about as far attenuated as it's going to get. Question: Is it worth drinking or any other efforts? If I do keep it, keg or bottle? I'm thinking maybe some bottle conditioning may dry it out a bit more. I'm also thinking I should add more yeast if I bottle it. Thoughts? Thanks!
under attenuated IPA
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I would not bottle it at that FG, it could be dangerous. Be sure you have a calibrated thermometer, that could be your issue.
What temperature are you fermenting at and are you measuring with a refractometer?
flars
Well-Known Member
Recheck your SG with a hydrometer. Refractometers can not give an accurate reading with alcohol in the sample.
bobeer
Fermentation Specalist
+1 on this
if after a few days it's still not dropping, if it were me, I'd add some simple sugar like honey or table sugar to dry it out a bit more. Good thing about IPA's is you want them to be dry so you can keep trying to get the gravity lower until it's where you like it.
estricklin
Well-Known Member
First, check it with a hydrometer as mentioned above. If you don't have a hydrometer use your refractometer and google the correction calcuation for it, or there are a number of a websites with a free calculator you can use.
Next, if you still need to take it down some more, (and I've got a feeling you will), pitch a couple liters of REALLY active yeast. So make yourself a starter and wait until it's fermenting like crazy, then pitch the entire 2 liters. I'ts about the only way you stand of getting this to fully attuenuate. Throwing inactive yeast in at this point, is not going to help much, so that's why I mention that. Did you aerate this wort in any way? Did you rehydrate your dry yeast?
Next, if you still need to take it down some more, (and I've got a feeling you will), pitch a couple liters of REALLY active yeast. So make yourself a starter and wait until it's fermenting like crazy, then pitch the entire 2 liters. I'ts about the only way you stand of getting this to fully attuenuate. Throwing inactive yeast in at this point, is not going to help much, so that's why I mention that. Did you aerate this wort in any way? Did you rehydrate your dry yeast?
If you are using the straight reading from the refractometer, then you have an incorrect FG reading. A refractometer reads sugar content and the reading gets distorted when there is alcohol present.
Use an hydrometer to get a real reading.
Use an hydrometer to get a real reading.
sandyeggoxj
Well-Known Member
With some educated guessing and a refractometer alcohol correction calculator your FG is around 1.015. Better than 1.031! Still sweet for my taste. But if you are seeing consistent gravity then you are probably at terminal. If you sample 3 time over 3 days with no change you are probably set.
I used this calculator: http://www.brewersfriend.com/refractometer-calculator/ using part two. I guess at your OG of 15.6 brix and fg of 8 brix. I used 8 for the final because for the first part of the brix scale 1 brix is roughly equal for 4 SG points.
I could be completely off here because I don't have all the info I need. The posters above are right that the best way to measure FG is with a hydrometer. That being said, I use a refractometer. I check calibration each time with distilled water and then measure. I plug that brix into the calculator and figure out what my ABV is. I have cross checked with my hydrometer a bunch and for my purposes the refractometer is accurate enough. I would highly recommending doing it both ways to get a good feel for it.
I used this calculator: http://www.brewersfriend.com/refractometer-calculator/ using part two. I guess at your OG of 15.6 brix and fg of 8 brix. I used 8 for the final because for the first part of the brix scale 1 brix is roughly equal for 4 SG points.
I could be completely off here because I don't have all the info I need. The posters above are right that the best way to measure FG is with a hydrometer. That being said, I use a refractometer. I check calibration each time with distilled water and then measure. I plug that brix into the calculator and figure out what my ABV is. I have cross checked with my hydrometer a bunch and for my purposes the refractometer is accurate enough. I would highly recommending doing it both ways to get a good feel for it.
sandyeggoxj
Well-Known Member
Pitching the dry yeast directly into the wort is fine. The estimates I have read say that the shock to the yeast causes roughly half of the cells to die off. For your starting gravity this means you under pitched and is probably contributing to your attenuation problems. If you don't want to bother rehydrating next time just double up on the dry yeast. Safale US-05 is great yeast and will produce a great beer.
stpug
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OG: 1.064
FG brix: 8.0
Corrected FG: 1.012 (beersmith)
I've found beersmith to be the best tool for refract corrections, and are usually about a point away from my reading of a hydrometer. I've been taking dual reading on beers for about 25+ batches so far and the variance between corrected refract and hydro are a point or two. One point is totally within my margin of error on reading a hydro, and two points is negligible. The key is ending up about where you expect and the gravity has stopped dropping. I would feel confident that your beer is at or close to 1.012.
BTW, 1.012 is a respectable FG for an IPA in my book.
FG brix: 8.0
Corrected FG: 1.012 (beersmith)
I've found beersmith to be the best tool for refract corrections, and are usually about a point away from my reading of a hydrometer. I've been taking dual reading on beers for about 25+ batches so far and the variance between corrected refract and hydro are a point or two. One point is totally within my margin of error on reading a hydro, and two points is negligible. The key is ending up about where you expect and the gravity has stopped dropping. I would feel confident that your beer is at or close to 1.012.
BTW, 1.012 is a respectable FG for an IPA in my book.
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