Brewed a Sweet Stout using Safale S-04 that was direct pitched in wort at 70F. Beer was placed in a fermentation chamber to get to 60F. This is the first time at 60F fermentation temperature for me using this yeast. OG was 1.057 and gravity is at 1.023 for 3 days now. I think it is finished. The beer was brewed on 10/17/18. Tastes great with Centennial and Willamette hops. Wondering if anyone else has experienced low attenuation with this yeast.
Grain Bill for a 5 gallon batch:
6 pounds 2row
12 oz flaked wheat
8 oz chocolate malt
6 oz Carafa special II
6oz Simpsons Coffee Malt
8oz English Medium Crystal
1pound Lactose
me thinks the lactose has a lot to do with it. That FG is within the style guidelines.
The lactose is not fermentable. I did a quick BeerSmith calculation and if you mashed at 156, then it predicts exactly what you got.
Thanks for the comments I mashed at 152F. Beer Smith said FG should be 1.010. And I took in to account that Lactose is not fermentable.
The crystal and roast also don’t contribute signicicant fermentables. S-04 is typical of English ale yeasts in that it does not ferment the sugar maltotriose, so even in a typical base malt wort you should only expect ~70% ADF. Mashing lower and longer might have dried it out a bit more, but not much. Looks perfectly normal. Direct pitching at 70° and moving to 60° in the FC is a sound strategy.
Thanks for all of the comments
FWIW, I normally average about 78% attenuation with S04 however I normally use very little crystal malt and have never used lactose in my beers.
I got 74% attenuation with S-04 last time when I made a Surly Bender Brown Ale all-grain clone beer. It had about 15% Crystal Malt. But it was about a 6% beer with more base malt. So far I have like S-04 a lot
Good to hear. I haven’t used it in a bit but like it as long as ferment in the low to mid 60s. I don’t care for it if gets near or above 68F.
O4 was always my go to for any porters or stouts. I like the sweeter finish it leaves from the under attenuation.
I am fermenting a Golden Ale now and I have the opposite problem: OG 1.052 and I’m now sitting at FG 1.006. I expected something like 1.014. This is measured by Tilt so I have to verify but early returns are interesting.
Do you suspect Tilt is inaccurate? I calibrate my tilt in water but I don’t have a hydrometer to compare. My gravities have all been low lately but the beers have been great.
The Tilt goes inaccurate if there is any crud stuck to it… which usually at end of fermentation, there is.
I’m not sure yet. I will have some time later today to verify by bottling (FG) hydrometer. I’ll inspect the Tilt to see the crud level.
I recently split an ESB between S-04 and US-05, the 04 finished at 71%AA and the 05 at 78%. TFWIW.
OK. I verified that Dave is spot on. I had a mountain of crap on the Tilt which changed the angle of the device giving a false low reading. My attenuation was normal and I hit my FG target after all. Beer tastes great — no sign of infection in taste or visual inspection. Nothing to see here.
I was sweating bullets thinking I had some wild infection, or thermometer calibration errors, or something. I was going over my cleaning and sanitation processes and thought I must have missed something. I guess when you see hoof prints you shouldn’t think ‘zebra’ when a horse will do.
I now know that the Tilt can only be trusted to monitor rate of SG fall, temp, ferment start and completion. Experience gained.
To catch the beer to spund, I am simply going to have to watch the curve and as it begins to flatten I’ll know to transfer.
Thanks. My tilt has sediment on one end every time. All my beers have been finishing between 1004-1006. I thought something might be awry because none were infected or especially dry.
I ferment in stainless usually and do closed transfers, so my Tilts are laying in sludge when I first see them after moving the finished beer. I have gone to ignoring actual final readings and checking by regular hydrometer for the final reading - but the Tilt tells me that it is done when the number stays the same for 2-3 days, so definitely worth it in my book. Cheers!
Tilts are definitely awesome for knowing when fermentation is complete. I’ve continued to take hydrometer readings though for the same reasons mentioned by others.
A US-04 temp question. I just fermented a stout at 63 degrees for the first few days and then 65 after that. I tasted a sample, without carbonation, and noticed significant fruity esters. It is the first time I’ve used this for a stout, usually Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale. Since the esters blend well with the hops they haven’t been as noticeable in the IPAs I’ve brewed with it before. Does fermenting lower at 60 degrees reduce the ester production as compared to 63?
Tilts are definitely awesome for knowing when fermentation is complete. I’ve continued to take hydrometer readings though for the same reasons mentioned by others.
A US-04 temp question. I just fermented a stout at 63 degrees for the first few days and then 65 after that. I tasted a sample, without carbonation, and noticed significant fruity esters. It is the first time I’ve used this for a stout, usually Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale. Since the esters blend well with the hops they haven’t been as noticeable in the IPAs I’ve brewed with it before. Does fermenting lower at 60 degrees reduce the ester production as compared to 63?
My experience with S-04 is the opposite. If I get above the mid 60s then I really start to notice the esters. I prefer it in the lower temperature range for a cleaner profile.