I brewed up an AIPA 10days ago that seems to have a lower than expected FG.
The recipe:
7lb 2 Row
4lb Pale Ale
12oz Flaked Wheat
6oz Carapils
6oz Carastan
1oz Simcoe @ 50 mins
2oz Amarillo @ 10 mins
1.5oz Equinox @ 5 mins
2oz Mosaic @ 170* steep
WLP001
I intended to mash @ 152*, but it seemed to mash at more like 150*.
I undershot my OG by a few points and started with 1.064.
I checked my sample tonight and the FG is 1.007 (7.5%)
Fermentation seems to be well and truly finished since probably Friday.
The body seems a little thin, but the flavour doesn’t seem quite as dry as I’d expect for such a low FG. (the aroma is superb, btw!)
Is there anything I can do give it a touch more body at this stage? Will carbonation make it feel even thinner? (I still need to dry hop). Should I just roll with it or any suggestions as to what to do?
Just carb it up and you’ll have a real feel for what you have. Even at a low FG the wheat and carapils will probably make the beer seem a little fuller than the numbers would indicate. I’ll bet you’re fine. I’ve had a few APAs and AIPAs finish at 1.008 that were excellent beers. Be sure to post your impressions after carbing. Good luck!
+1 and no, carb as usual, take notes on tasting and make adjustments on the second iteration, my guess is it will be fine and just need a few tweaks on process
This beer turned out pretty good considering the low FG. It was a little drier than I had hoped and I would like it to have been slightly sweeter, so a FG of 1.010 probably would’ve been perfect. The fantastic aroma that was in the carboy has more or less disappeared since it has been bottled; That was pretty disappointing. But all in all, definitely a recipe that could be very good with a little fine tuning.
I’m still a relatively new brewer and do not have the funds for kegging yet and this brings up a question I have about bottle conditioned IPA. Is it possible to make quality, flavorful, aromatic American IPA using standard bottle conditioning techniques? I’ve shied away from brewing this style because my feeling is that you’ll never preserve the aromatics like you can in a keg.
I’ve heard a lot of people say that American (and especially west coast) IPA should be consumed quite fresh. I’d probably agree with this as the best IPA I’ve had recently was the one consumed at a local brewery that was very recently made/kegged. Not a brewery known for the most fantastic IPA, but it blew me away since it was so fresh.
Yes bottle as usual. I can’t really tell any difference between my kegged and bottled versions. Try to keep the O2 to a minimum. Oxidation kills the aroma staying power. Nothing like fresh IPA! Brewing 17.5 gallons on Sat. I cant wait until mid August for that nice and fresh IPA.