Stopping Fermentation before estimated FG

Brewing processes and methods. How to brew using extract, partial or all-grain. Tips and tricks.

Moderator: slothrob

Post Reply
User avatar
Arneba28
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 1:39 am
Location: Amherst, NY
Contact:

Stopping Fermentation before estimated FG

Post by Arneba28 »

The IPA I have in primary is almost done fermenting but I still see a little activity in the carboy. bottles through the airlock have all but stopped, one every 10 minutes or so. my OG was 1.0626 and beer tools has FG at 1.013. I took a gravity reading today and its at 1.023. I would like to stop fermentation soon so it does not reach the FG that beer tools put it at. If I rack to the secondary will there be noticable continued fermentation from the least that is still in suspension and had not dropped
User avatar
wottaguy
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
Posts: 361
Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Florida
Contact:

RE: Stopping Fermentation...

Post by wottaguy »

Hi Arneba28,

Just curious here...

Why do you want to stop fermentation at 1.023? How long has it been fermenting in the primary?

It is usually best to let the beer ferment all the way out, and with this beer of your's that could take up to 14 days. I usually keep all my ales in the fermenter for a minium of 21 days...and have left it in a lot longer at times.

Just had to ask why you wanted to stop fermentation at such a high gravity.

(_)3
Visit my blog @ http://www.wottashomebrewblog.blogspot.com

On Tap:
HL Pale Ale
HL Lite Lager
Bottled:
HL Simcoe Pale Ale
HL Wizeguy Weizenbock
HL Reveur Saison
HL Dry Stout
HL Kentucky Common
User avatar
slothrob
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1831
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 1:36 pm
Location: Greater Boston

High FG

Post by slothrob »

This is almost never a good idea, and 1.023 is very high to want to stop a beer.

About the only safe (as in no bottle bombs) way to do this is to keg the beer and cool it to drop the yeast and stop fermentation.

Even in that case you run the risk of off-flavors due to incomplete fermentation. Remember that a lot of the undesirable fermentation byproducts get removed by the yeast after they've run out of sugar to eat.
BTP v2.0.* Windows XP
Post Reply