Hey homebrewers. I have been brewing for a while now (all-grain) and I have recently started running into an issue with my ales. I keep winding up with high FGs, and seemingly can’t bring them down. I LOVE beer with a big body, so this isn’t a problem until I shoot for a low FG I come in high. For instance,
Saison: OG 1.064, FG 1.033
Brown Ale: OG 1.080, FG 1.041
IPA: 1.062, FG 1.027
RIS: OG 1.112, FG 1.052!
I employ a stepped infusion mash, and all of these had at least a partial A-amylase conversion at higher temp, hence more body, but they also all had a B-amylase rests. My B-amylase rest temp is in the 146-148 degF range, and my A-amylase temp range is 158-160. I have been using mostly Belgian Saison, Belgian Abbey Ale, East Coast Ale and Dry English Ale yeasts. Can anyone troubleshoot my issues? I feel like sooner or later my high FGs will make infection more possible and/or more noticeable and damaging. Thanks & Cheers!
You are consistently at the same attenuation (+/-) with different yeasts.
This is either a measurement issue or a process issue.
Can you run a fast ferment test, Take a bottle, dilute it by 50% in a growler, measure it then ad a packet of dry, not liquid or rehydrated yeast. let it ferment (warm) and see what it stops at.
This is to determine if you have any fermentables left.
I’ll try the quick fermentation test, tho I use dry yeast packets with healthy starters for anything I can, liquid when I can’t.
As far as malt goes, I switched from Breiss US 2Row to Rahr US 2Row about 6 weeks back and brewed 4 batches with the same high FG issues. The saison was brewed with unmalted wheat and oats as well, but no other adjuncts to speak of.
I think there’s a thread or two around here about Rahr . . . but I thought it was pH effects and high attenuation, not low attenuation. I haven’t used Rahr, so someone else will have to talk about that. If the 4 batches where you’ve had the problem were all made with Rahr, and none of the ones you made with Briess had that problem, I would think it’s the malt. Is that accurate, or am I confused?
In either case, do the fast ferment test like Fred says.
Yeah, but who was saying they noticed or heard about it affecting their beer and it changed the pH? It could be that since you use it exclusively you’ve figured out how to use it to get the beer you want, and if you changed malts to Briess you’d be cursing Briess and their malt
can you detail your process, and I mean everything, times, temps, recipe, etc. from mash in to the final in the bottle (or keg).
How/when did you measure your gravities. Refractometer, hydrometer, both, raw readings, temps.
You cannot have too much detail here.
In addition to a FF test have you considered your fermentation process. What temperature and how consistent are your temps. How are you monitoring the fermentation? Hydrometer calibration? Secondary?
Just a few things to look at but the FF ferment test will tell us more.
My mash pH is always in the 5.0 - 5.3 range, so I think that’s okay… not to say I wouldn’t rather have a pH meter instead of strips.
I oxygenate my wort pre-pitch in a weird way, but it works. I have an immersion and a plate chiller, but I use neither these days in favor of a low-energy/no-waste water approach. Instead, I let the wort cool in the sealed kettle overnight, and transfer vigorously to primary carboys creating a faux krausen of foam to incorporate oxygen. I know, higher chance of infection this way, but no problems with this process yet. Always get a strong fermentation, visually active in 6 hours or less.
The Breiss/Rahr thing seems to make little difference, I’ve had high FGs with both, and in the same realm as one another.
(I’m not trying to shoot down advice, I want more! I just don’t know where this is issue is coming from.)
Ah, I misunderstood - you said you’ve brewed 4 with Rahr, and you list 4 at the top, so I thought that was all of them. Ok, not the malt. You are vindicated Denny
How are you measuring your FG? Tell me you’re using a refractometer
-I condition malt before milling with a 2 roller mill.
-I dough-in at around 120 degF, and make three rests:
Protein at 126-129 for 15-20 min
B-amylase at 146-148 for 20-45 min
A-amylase at 158-160 for 20-45 min
(saccharification rests total 60-90 min on avg.)
Mash out at 166 for 5-15 min
-Transfer to lauter tun with false bottom
-Drain 1st runnings (55-60% of original mash H2O avg)
-Batch sparge & drain sparge runnings (105-115% of sparge H2O)
-Recombine 1st and sparge runnings in kettle, bring to boil, skim
-Boil 60-90 min depending; remove hops
-Passive chill in kettle overnight
-Drain to fermenters (aerate) and pitch with starter made with wort from batch
I use pH strips (I know!) to test pH at all 3 rests and mash-out; Use hydrometer and refractometer to monitor gravity during mash, lautering, post-boil, at pitch and during fermentation. Fermentation temps anywhere from 75 degF in the summer to 65 degF in the winter, (I only brew ales.) Am I forgetting anything? At work and don’t have my recipe matrix with me…
Good question. I prefer a stepped-infusion mash for all of my beers, and I like to keep my process similar for every ale. I have experimented with unmalted, under-modified and otherwise highly proteinaceous (sp? Ha!) adjuncts, and in the end, hot break is more robust, beer is clearer, yeast seems to be healthily fermenting, etc., as opposed to single-step mashes or skipping the protease attention. Do I need to? Probably not, but if I do, it doenst hurt. I did, however, notice the extensive drain analysis on the Rahr sack compared to Breiss and although I own Technology Brewing and Malting, I do not understand all of the info (on the Rahr tag OR in the book).
One thing that sticks out to me is the sachrification rest. Worst case would be 20 min beta rest and 45 min alpha rest. This would make for a very dextrinous wort and more likely give you the high FGs you are seeing in the end. All in all, for a Saison, for instance, you may want to do a sachrification rest at 145 to 150 F for 90 - 120 minutes to get a more fermentable wort producing a beer that is very dry. JMO For your other beers I would keep the alpha rest shorter than the beta rest, perhaps in the 30%/70% range.
