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High Final Gravity

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6 years 6 months ago #2640 by Dredd
High Final Gravity was created by Dredd
So.....

After approx 10 full mash brews, I get an outlier with a final gravity of 1.02 against an expected 1.012.

I wasn't super diligent on temp, but considering process wasn't any different and my other batches which have been on the mark, I am at a bit of a loss. All I can assume is things got a bit warm in the mash.

The product seems tasty enough and isn't off. There was plenty of aeration and used a generous yeast pitch from Keg King which was activated prior to pitch.

I know the theory as to what may have gone wrong, but interested in thoughts....

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6 years 6 months ago #2641 by Gash
Replied by Gash on topic High Final Gravity
gday, 1.020 is very high. but hard to say whats going on, whats the recipe?

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6 years 6 months ago #2642 by Dredd
Replied by Dredd on topic High Final Gravity
4.00 kg Pale Malt (Weyermann) (6.5 EBC) Grain 1 80.0 %
0.50 kg Carafoam (Weyermann) (3.9 EBC) Grain 2 10.0 %
0.25 kg Caramalt (Joe White) (49.3 EBC) Grain 3 5.0 %
0.25 kg Crystal (Joe White) (141.8 EBC) Grain 4 5.0 %
8.50 g Citra [12.70 %] - Boil 90.0 min Hop 5 13.5 IBUs
0.50 Items Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 6 -
5.00 g Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 mins) Other 7 -
32.50 g Citra [12.70 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 8 17.5 IBUs
30.00 g Citra [12.70 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 0.0 min Hop 9 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg Saflager Lager (DCL/Fermentis #W-34/70) [50.28 ml] Yeast 10 -
31.50 g Citra [12.70 %] - Dry Hop 5.0 Days Hop 11 0.0 IBUs

Based off a Brewdog recipe. OG was 1.054

I had the mash going for a few hours with the temp set at 65 and recirculated a bit during the mash. I didn't measure the temp in the mash pipe.

Fermentation was straightforward and constant around 11-13 degrees.

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6 years 6 months ago #2643 by Gash
Replied by Gash on topic High Final Gravity
Mash temp sounds good.. umm its possible there still wasnt enough yeast for a lager brew. I would of done a forced ferment, as in, pour a cup off into a jar add some yeast, give a good aerate and shake and put it some where warm for a day, and test it see if it lowered. Then that will give you some idea as to whether the yeast just stopped or something went wrong in the mash. Cheers mate!
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6 years 6 months ago #2646 by Finnroo
Replied by Finnroo on topic High Final Gravity
Hello, Ive heard that you can and rock the fermenter to really stir up the yeast again to finish off. Sorry I dont know how true this is as I hav nt tried it. I had a FG of 1020 a while back and it turned out to be the diastatic power of the malts i was using , but you malts and temp should be good and Gash has said. I came across this shake up get a rattle on method while researching my high FG problem. Apparently it can reactivate the yeast. Worth a try. Cheers and good luck, I think sometimes yeast does it own thing.

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6 years 6 months ago #2647 by Dredd
Replied by Dredd on topic High Final Gravity
Thanks - I've read around, I'll give this one a go - beerandwinejournal.com/stuck-ferment-2/

I'll let you know if it makes any difference. The temp did drop quite a bit so there is a slim chance that it dropped out.

I am dry hopping, so a small amount of agitation won't hurt it. I'll bring it up to about 16-17 before I do.

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6 years 6 months ago - 6 years 6 months ago #2648 by Gash
Replied by Gash on topic High Final Gravity
Just had a quick read through that, what ever you do dont introduce oxygen, dont stir vigorously etc that will really damage a beer like a lager, any beer really. Not sure why they'd say that... Its ok to give the fermenter a bit of a rock around to try and stir the yeast up, just have to limit the oxygen contact as much as possible.

I've found its usually temps, yeast will pop back into action if its happy, look what it goes through in packaging etc.

All this is where the forced ferment comes into to play. If the forced ferment does nothing then there is no use stirring up yeast or doing anything that may add oxygen into the beer and its ready to go bottle/keg. Once you stir things up theres another maybe week before it settles again, maybe a touch less.

I usually just grab cheapo pack of beer yeast from Big W or KMart when ever I see it and store it in the fridge for times like this where you can do a quick test, before messing with the whole fermenter. Another way if you like doing something extra on brew day, is the same sort of thing, just save a jar of it, give it a good shake, chuck a pinch of yeast in and put it some where warm for a few days, then test it, it'll give you an idea what your batch will ferment down to and again let you know if you should mess with the whole batch.

Cheers!
Last edit: 6 years 6 months ago by Gash.

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6 years 6 months ago #2649 by Dredd
Replied by Dredd on topic High Final Gravity
Thanks, I would only very very very very lightly stir the base to get it up. This was brewed in my brew bucket which is metal so transfers hat a lot more efficiently and also minimises the yeast cake surface area.
On a side note, knowing the internal ferment temp is an eye opener. I brew at ambient temps and make the style to the weather. I would estimate the internal temp is a couple of degrees higher than the external temp indicated on the outside with one of those sticker gauges.
Second side note - starters are on my list, I've started using liquid yeast recently which are borderline with low gravity beers, but have been getting away with it!

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6 years 6 months ago #2651 by Finnroo
Replied by Finnroo on topic High Final Gravity
I don t know how I forgot to say last post that the main reason for my high FG was actually a faulty thermometer.
The penny dropped a few weeks ago on one of Gash s videos saying he was boiling normally at 104 deg. I remembered noticing my pot boiled hard out at 97deg. I had one of those Mad Milly spike ones with the dial face.
So I went out and got a digital one and yep 4 to 5 deg difference ,which told me straight away I had been mashing in around 71 maybe even 72 deg. C. And so as you can see that was the main reason for my FG 1020.
It could be something simple like that. Cheers , Id be interested in how you get on.:cheer:
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6 years 6 months ago #2652 by Finnroo
Replied by Finnroo on topic High Final Gravity
Niceone Gash.

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