I’ve mashed the past couple of beers around 152 or so in an effort to get a drier pale ale. I’ve also seen these beers with pretty low FG’s.
Is a lower FG more related to mash temp’s or better efficiency? The reason I ask is because without knowing my average efficiency at this point, I’m considering bumping up the grain bill to get a slightly higher ABV instead of relying on a lower FG and therefore higher ABV.
Justin, it should e more related to mash temps, yeast strain, and fermentation temperatures. For higher ABV, you could mash at 148 with more grain for a slightly higher FG, yet also higher ABV. By the way, what kind of FG are you finishing at?
As an example my last beer finished at 1.003 (1.050 OG). Ended up with a 6% beer on a planned 5% beer. Not a huge problem, but am just curious if I can assume a higher ABV with continued low FG.
Yes, what yeast are you using to get 94% attenuation? I regularly get 78-81 with Chico, but nowhere near that
So far it’s just been WLP 001.
Are you using any type of simple sugar? Very little specialty grains? Do you calibrate your hydrometer?
yeah 93%ADT and 6.2% for wlp001 seems crazy… does the beer have any funny tastes or smells?
Frank I think you wrote that wrong. A lower mash temp is supposed to make a more attenuative wort and a lower FG. Mashing higher is supposed to lead to a higher fg. This is still the accepted knowledge although exactly how much it matters is being challenged.
+2 - That’s lower than most of my saisons get. Either it’s infected or your hydrometer is off. I can’t see Chico getting that low on its own.
No, I just misunderstood his goal. I thought his goal was higher ABV, yet still dry with a low FG. Lower mash temp should yield lower FG, but not down to where he is already at…
Edit just cause its early