Hitting Final Gravity

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

So I just bottled an imperial nut brown last sunday. I was going through some calculations trying to figure out ABV and IBU's when I realized I never hit my calculated final gravity.

Target for my original recipe was around 1.010-1.015. I ended up bottling at 1.023, so it was still pretty high.

I took hydrometer readings 3 days in a row and it stayed at 1.023 the whole time. The kraussen had fully fallen in. I'm assuming the yeast just had enough.

What problems, if any, could this cause? I did notice it had a very high alcohol presence at bottling time. I'm hoping that might settle out in time.



My recipe is as follows if it helps.

1lb Munich
.5lbs Crystal Malt 20L
.5lbs Carmel Malt 40L
.5lbs Chocolate Malt
2.25lbs Dry Extra Light Extract
6.4lbs Liquid Light Extract (late addition)
1oz Saaz (5.8%) 60min
.75oz Mt. Hood (4.8%) 60min
.75oz Arg. Cascade (3.5%) 60min
11oz Maple Syrup (end of boil)
1 tsp. Irish Moss

[brewmeisterintng]

Some yeasts do not take kindly to higher alcohol levels. While others finish higher. Did you pitch enough? That is usually associated with a yeast starter.

[slothrob]

The yeast will make a difference one way or the other, but I think 1,020 is a more realistic FG for this recipe.

Firstly, the beer is pretty big with an OG of 1.070 (I assume), so at 70-75% attenuation, which was typical for me when I used extract, we're talking about 1.017-1.021. Maybe higher, depending on the brand.

Also, I know I harp on this, but the more Crystal Malt you use, the more unfermentables you'll add. I've read that each pound decreases your attenuation by 2%, so the 1.5# you used would bring you in line with your 1.023 FG.

What yeast did you use?

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

I used Wyeast Scottish Ale 1728. The yeast is a little out of place with this recipe but I used it for it's ability to ferment higher gravity beers.

My OG was 1.081. It sounds like it did it's work though. So originally I was thinking this was going to finish around 9 or 10% abv....now it's looking like around 7.8-8%. Is that right?

[slothrob]

1728 is a low attenuator at 69-7%. 1.023 FG from 1.080 OG is 71% attenuation, so it looks like the yeast hit right in the middle of it's range.

If you want to make a drier beer from extract, without reducing the amount of Crystal Malt, you need to replace some of the DME with about an equal weight of table sugar or corn sugar. That will replace some of the partially fermentable extract with fully fermentable sugar, giving you a lower FG. Using sugar to lighten the body has been a common technique among British and Belgian breweries.

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

Thanks for the info everyone.

This brew was actually just a way for me to get rid of a lot of extra ingredients. I just finished building an all grain system, so I won't need to worry about using extracts very often from now on.

[jawbox]

pictures of the new system would be cool soco.

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

No problem. I'm brewing again next weekend. I'll take some pics of it in action.