LME Attenuation Problem?

I’m an all grain brewer, but I got some LME to bump up the OG for an English barleywine. The OG was 1.103, and I used 6 pounds of LME to help me get there. I pitched two packs of Safale S-04 for a 5 1/2 gallon batch. I was normally get down below 1.025 for a beer like this, but finished at 1.030 this time. Is the LME the problem or did I have some other process issue? I just bottled it and it tastes OK, but I was hoping for something a little less sweet. I’m right at the top end of FG for the style.

that has been my experience as well.

fyi for you and anyone else who reads this: i once tried to take what i imagined would be a shortcut to a quick and easy brewday for a high gravity belgian with WLP500 and candi syrups.

it was something like 8lb of LME and then 1lb base malt and 1.5lbs of specialtys, as well as cane sugar and 2lbs of candisyrup.

OG probably around 1.09 FG was 1.034 and on a low-hopped belgian. it was cough syrup, awful.

extract has its place, and i know some people defend it, but the only way I use extract now is at about 10 to 15% of total fermentables to bump up gravity if I feel like it. i used to use LME when i had a LHBS, now i use DME cause i dont have LME available.

oh and also you may have lots of experience with S-04, but imho english yeasts even the WLP004/“dry” ale which people claim can get up to 80% attenuation easily. personally i always found it to hit around 75% rather than 80% and with more specialty grains then lower than that.

Lots of variables at play here: fermentability/unfermentables of your grain bill, accuracy of your mash regime, etc + the unknown of the fermentability of the LME. LME notoriously finishes high. Big beers need to be dry IMO. Some simple dextrose may have been an option vs all LME.

My experience w/ S-04: it’s a quick starter and finisher. It may have just metabolized the easy stuff and flocced out. It’s supposed to be good to ~10%. You could add a more attenuative yeast known to metabolize complex sugars and see if it will help. It could be a waste of yeast. W/o a forced ferment you don’t know till you try.

I’ve often considered withholding half of the fermentables on big beers for 24 hours. Let the yeast begin fermenting then add in the second half of fermentables especially sugars and LME. Kinda like a starter. Never tried it though.

75% for Briess products - check their product information pages (link).

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1.103 —> 1.030 = ≈ 71% attenuation.

I’ve used S-04 enough and have made a few Barleywines. In my opinion, this attenuation is not unreasonable. But like Dwain said above, there are lots of variables. The entire pot of fermentables being the biggest, and mash temperature.

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In my experience, S-04 cannot produce more than about 9% ABV. You’ve exceeded that at approximately 9.8% ABV. I would be very happy about this.

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i did try to do that one time and it did not work well. in fact it was the beer i mentioned here, where i did one small boil with all the LME, and then the second boil was the candi syrup, sugar and a biut more LME.

in short i would never try either of these things again. i also had a small boil over on the 2nd one. just awful experience all around.

beer ended up TASTING okay in flavour profile, just way way too sweet and unbalanced.