Using amylase enzyme

[hubbs]

My buddy recently brewed a hoppy APA and probably under pitched a smack pack of 1056. It seemed to stall out at 1.026, but he only habit on the yeast for a couple of weeks. He recently pitched it onto a US05 cake, and he told me it came down to 1.020, but seems to have stalled again.

We are wondering if he missed his mash temperatures and ended up with too many unfermentable sugars. He tasted it and says it is too sweet and he wants to try AE.

The instructions say use 1tsp, but we want to know if there is any way of controlling the amount of conversion, and subsequent fermentation. Maybe allow it to ferment till its taste is where he wants it and then chill it to stop the yeast?

Thoughts?

Thanks

 

[Patirck]

Not to hijack this thread but I am interested as well. I have a batch that is way too sweet and stalled at about 1.020 from 1.056. It is also lightly hopped and split into two fermenters, one with northwest ale and the other with ecy bug farm. The bug farm I wouldn't mind leaving for a while but the northwest ale, is carbed and way to sweet to drink. I am tempted to pull the keg and degas it then throw in some AE but I've never done it before and would like to take it down to 1.010 but not 1.001.

 

[david_42]

No, once the enzyme in in the wort, it will continue until it reaches its natural limit. Amylase's natural de-branching limit leaves some of the malt sugars intact. Generally, it won't go any further than a well-managed mash. It will leave enough malt to give the beer reasonable body.

Chilling will slow the conversion, but not stop it. The cold will make the yeast go dormant. The final result of chilling will be a sweeter beer than you wanted.

 

[passedpawn]

No, once the enzyme in in the wort, it will continue until it reaches its natural limit. Amylase's natural de-branching limit leaves some of the malt sugars intact. Generally, it won't go any further than a well-managed mash. It will leave enough malt to give the beer reasonable body.

Chilling will slow the conversion, but not stop it. The cold will make the yeast go dormant. The final result of chilling will be a sweeter beer than you wanted.

+1. Don't use Beano, it's a different enzyme that WILL take it to the center of the earth.

My AE experiences are here, FWIW: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/escape-stuck-fermentation-mountain-ae-rescue-212926/