Anyone have experience with either of these CellarScience products in the mash and noticed increased attenuation? It seems that Whitelabs is a similar product, amyloglucosides, and literature says to use in either mash or fermenter.
I’m looking for a way to increase attenuation a bit without getting the near 1.000 of enzymes in the fermenter. I’ve tried step mashing, mashing longer, pitching huge amounts of dry yeast, ramping fermentation temp , adding a portion of distillers malt etc and all my beers finish at best around 1.012. Double checked with another hydrometer. I’d love to get final gravities under 1.010 and more like 1.008 for beers like my German pils.
I had considered that. Does just sugar addition alone create more attenuation of malt sugars or is it just that the increased alchohol from the sugar addition lowers the final gravity.
I guess I’m asking how would adding sugar make the existing malt sugars which aren’t being fermented more fermentable?
He didn’t say to add table sugar - he said to substitute table sugar for some of the malt. Table sugar is 100% fermentable so for the same OG you would end up with a lower FG if part of the grist is sugar instead of malt.
IMHO, I wouldn’t worry about getting below 1.012 for a final gravity. That is pretty good. My light beers like my IPA finish in the 3 degrees Plato (1.012) to 4 degrees Plato (1.015) range. With bigger beers 5 Plato (1.020) or a bit higher is not unheard of. Only my Saison finishes lower that 2 degrees Plato.
Yes, you can substitute table sugar for some of the malt as Denny suggested, but I am not a purist concerning FG. To me it is what it is and depends on a lot of factors like yeast selection, crush, etc.
Another possibility is that you are mashing at a higher temp than you think; calibrate/check thermometers too.
Also, to answer your question, no I haven’t used enzymes other than what is present in the malt.
How long are you mashing for? Have you tried mashing a few degrees lower and/or for a longer amount of time?
In the end, it’s all about how the beer tastes. You don’t taste a hydrometer reading; you taste the beer. And I doubt I could detect the difference between a beer that finishes at 1.010 or maybe even 1.008 vs 1.012, if all else is consistent. I stopped taking FG readings years ago, and only break out my hydrometer in the rare cases I need to troubleshoot an issue, or am experimenting or making adjustments to my process that may affect attenuation in a noticeable way.
If you’re committed to those mash steps, I would try adjusting the time to a longer rest at 145 and a shorter rest at 158. I’d even stretch to 70-75 minutes at 145 and 15-20 at 158. Enzymatic activity is really slow in the low to mid 140s.
Latest batch of Pilsner finished at 1.009. I added morebeer glucabuster and Brutzyme to the mash. Everything else was my typical process and ingredients. We’ll see if it’s repeatable?