Just cold crashed my Regal Pale Ale and my FG is quite lower than the recipe called for. I’m sure I used the correct amount of grain…what else could cause this? I didn’t really want a higher ABV, but I guess there are worse things!
Recipe- OG- 1.056, FG- 1.014 (5.5% ABV)
My Brew- OG- 1.057, FG- 1.008 (6.4% ABV)*
*This is an 85% apparent attenuation.
Mash temp and mash time are the first things that come to mind. I’m sure there are other variables.
Final gravities in recipes are an estimate.
You used a hydrometer and corrected for temperature ? Remember, FG estimates from recipes or software are just that - estimates. Several factors figure into your FG - yeast strain/quantity/health, mash temp, your grain bill.
I say this over and over…just ignore it when a recipe tries to predict FG. It’s so inexact as to be worthless. If the recipe is correct, it’s more luck than anything.
Yup
Then what Denny said. FG estimates are worthless.
My first mash thermometer was a basic kitchen digital thermometer. I checked it one day against a better thermometer and it was almost 10 degrees low. So when I thought I was at 155 I was really around 145. That would dry your beer out!
might be a little more dry than you like and little less mouth feel…but its beer and all things considered, that’s at worst a small challenge to tackle and overcome in next batch.
I pretty confident in my Thermapen, something to think about though.
It could be something as basic as differences in the malt you used vs. the “typical” malt used in the FG prediction. Seriously, just ignore that in the future.
There was the whole “Caravienne” misunderstanding at my LHBS. It was only 5 ounces though, apparently what I got was something closer to a crystal grain.
mash temp-what was it?
If you added water after you measured post-boil gravity, then maybe. 1.008 is low, but not crazy low. Have you calibrated your hydrometer in water? Mine reads .04 pts high, so I always know to compensate for that.
That’s an idea…let me check it.
should read 1.00 in distilled…not tap water.
you either had very good attenuation for the yeast strain (also can be over pitch issue), mash temp was lower than read (doesn’t seem like that’s your issue with thermopen) or your hydrometer is off.
Well I did pitch the starter w the krausen going. Not sure if a factor.
Mine reads 1.004 in both.
I check my hydrometers each time now. I have 2 that read accurately for years, but over time the damn paper scales slipped, and one reads .02 high, the other almost .04 high. As long as you know your correction factor, all is good in beerland.