Over attenuation possible causes

General Homebrew Discussion
1

So below is a little history of my brewing.  For the most part my beers are finishing a lot dryer than expected.  My question is why am I having a problem with my beer over attenuating?  I think most of the answers I am going to get is that I have a wild yeast infection.  I am not ruling that out, but I am my sanitation practices are very through and consistent brew to brew.  The beers have all tasted good no signs of infection.  The other observation is that I bottle carbonate and it seems to take longer than 2 weeks to get any decent amount of carbonation.  With the latest brew the beer still has some sweetness and even though it finished lower, so I am wondering if there is a lack of yeast left in the beer at bottling time.  My last ferment was 14 days until I bottled.  Does Ph and water profile have any effect on attenuation performance of a yeast?

Beer                 date      OG           FG         actual FG     Yeast
Ely IPA                 9/29/18 1.0540 1.0110 1.0030 Imperial Flagship/WLP001
Reunion                 8/1/2018 1.0480 1.0110 1.0100 Wyeast 1056
Ponderosa Sunrise 6/1/18 1.0510 1.0100 1.0110 Wyeast 1318
Ponderosa Sunset 2/18/18 1.0510 1.0100 1.0100 Imperial Flagship
Curly Red                 9/12/17 1.0520 1.0140 1.0100 1056
Peter’s red                 9/13/17 1.0670 1.0170 1.0100 1056
Munich Helles         3/19/17 1.0470 1.0100 1.0080 Saflager 34/70
Pete the younger 6/3/2016 1.0650 1.0120 1.0080 Wyeast 1275
Strong Dark Belgian 11/13/15 1.0860 1.0160 1.0100 Wyeast 3787/WLP 500
West Coast Amber 9/13/13 1.0660 1.0130 1.0130 WLP001

2

With the exception of the most recent batch (and without any info on recipes and processes), those attenuation ranges look normal for the strains you’re using. First step should probably be to (re)calibrate your hydrometer.

3

Good point.  I agree that the attenuation numbers look pretty normal.

My question is how do you recalibrate a hydrometer?  I read all of my gravities in degrees Plato now instead of SG and my hydrometers are less than a year old so I am still OK.  I have never recalibrated one, so inquiring minds want to know.  I would guess that you would adjust the temperature compensation values.

4

Goose, whenever I’ve heard someone say “calibrate” a hydrometer/ saccharometer they just mean confirming that it is in fact calibrated, that is, reading correctly.  Put it in distilled water at reference temperature and make sure it shows 1.000 or 0°P.  Most seem to assume that if it doesn’t,  that just means the little paper scale has slipped out of position,  and you can just add or subtract the offset you saw in water.  My professional brewery saccharometers seem to have that scale glued in pretty securely,  but maybe the cheapo homebrew jobs could slip like that.  If it were me and I had a $6 hydrometer that was reading wrong,  I’d just buy a new one.  A better one maybe.

5

It’s the same as the initial calibration (checking against either water or a reference sucrose solution), except that if the hydrometer wasn’t calibrated initially it can’t be a “re”-calibration. :wink: