I am 12 days into fermenting The Number 8 extract kit from Northern Brewer and my gravity is down to 1.011 with activity still going on slowly. The low end of the guidelines on this style says 1.014. Did I go wrong somewhere? It tastes delicious so I am not really worried, just wanted some input. Thanks.
RDWHAHB!
Sometimes yeast decide to ferment out of their normal boundaries. If it tastes good, you are just fine.
Dave
EDIT: Just curious. What type of yeast and what is the attenuation % at this point?
The kit said OG 1.080, my reading was 1.072 but I am not sure that the additional water and wort were mixed as well as they should have been. Yeast was Wyeast 1762.
If it tastes good, that’s all that matters. Being a little too dry on an extract BDS is a good problem to have, IMO.
And if you haven’t checked the calibration on your hydrometer, it can’t hurt to give it a check, especially if your OG looked a little low too.
Ok, checked my hydrometer and it is a little low, water was .999, so not a big deal. I think I prefer a little drier strong beer anyway. Some seem to be a bit too sweet to me.
A BDS that is strong but not heavy is one that keeps you coming back. Garrett Oliver said that was his mission for Local 2 (and that’s a big BDS that you can have several glasses of).
It may need to condition a bit after fermentation to mellow out the “hot” alcohol notes, but you’re right on track with FG to make a nice BDS.
Thanks Kyle. I have read in many of the reviews for this kit that it had a lot of the “hot” alcohol taste for a long time but then got better. I have had really good control over my fermentation temps and am very happy to say that I don’t even get those “hot” notes even now in the samples that I have tried. I will still age it in a secondary according to the instructions, but I think this one will be ready to drink as soon as it is carbonated.
I also rechecked the kit info and the stated OG is actually 1.087, so if I get down much lower than I am now, this thing is gonna pack a punch. ;D
I had a BDS that got 90% attentuation. From 1.100 to 1.010. For the first six months it was pretty hot but still very good. After that the hotness faded and it became truly outstanding.
BDS is a style that ages well.
Indeed. I have a BDS from February 2010 that is pretty magical.