How am I (accidentally) making low alcohol beer?

Fenben · Feb 22, 2020

I seem to be the king of low alcohol beer! I have just brewed the “Make Your Own American IPA” from the Range. It started fermenting (quite aggressively) within a day. I left it for approx 14 days until I added the hops and at 21 days I tasted it.

The instructions say that you can bottle it “once it no longer tastes sweet” or in other words I guess when all the sugar had turned to alcohol (to quote the Holsten Pils advert from the 80’s). It didn’t taste sweet, in fact it tasted quite bitter, and when I use my hydrometer it also says that is has no alcohol in it! I tokk a phot of it bu i cannot seem to post it here.

Any ideas what I am doing wrong? This has happened on the last couple of batches that I have made as well. Should I leave it longer or bottle it?

Thanks.

Andrew

foxy · Feb 22, 2020

I think the hydrometer is lying, if the beer fermented you must have alcohol, have you checked your hydrometer?

Mangold · Feb 22, 2020

Hi Andrew did you take a reading on your hydrometer at the start?

If not, you are basically wanting a final reading of about 1012 - 1008. Somewhere in between there.

terrym · Feb 22, 2020

If you used all the sugars in the kit plus any sugary top ups as recommended and it properly fermented out (i.e. it no longer tastes sweet and the gravity is more or less as predicted) you will have brewed beer more or less as forecast in the instructions.
You really now need to confirm that the fermentation has stopped (SG reading, has it cleared, airlock activity, etc) so you can go ahead and bottle.
If you are unsure about how to read a hydrometer use this.
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...ic-gravity-using-a-homebrew-hydrometer.60895/
And as @Mangold has said most kit fermentations usually end up in the range 1.008 to 1.012

Fenben · Feb 22, 2020

Thanks for all the advice. No didn't take a reading at the strart. I am starting to wonder abot the reliability of my hydrometer.

chthon · Feb 23, 2020

Also on homebrew.stackexchange from the same brewer :coat:

Hopperty · Feb 23, 2020

I have just made a low alcohol one, for reason I don't understand it died at 1020 (SG1041), left it an extra week in the FV, lifted temp a couple of degree (19 to 21) agitated it a bit. But no it had died at 1020. so by my reckoning 2.75 alc by volume. (st peters stout kit, supposed to brew down to about1012)

Bottled it up and 4 weeks on it is a lovely but very weak stout. Had 5 bottles of it last night, it went down well. I often wonder if weak beers are better as I can drink more.

The Baron · Feb 23, 2020

I do not do high ABV beers simply for that same reason so all my beers are session ales. My bitters are generally 3.5 to 3.7 % and everything else is usually at 4%, thats just me everybody is different some like a higher alcohol but drink fewer

Fenben · Feb 23, 2020

chthon said:
Also on homebrew.stackexchange from the same brewer

Have I made a major faux pas putting it on two forums? I am a member of both so I thought I would put it on both to see what replies I got back. (Interestingly I have only had one comment back from that Forum so I may just stick to posting here from now on!)

Chippy_Tea · Feb 23, 2020

Fenben said:
Have I made a major faux pas putting it on two forums?

No, feel free to post questions here you have asked elsewhere.

Fenben · Feb 23, 2020

terrym said:
If you used all the sugars in the kit plus any sugary top ups as recommended and it properly fermented out (i.e. it no longer tastes sweet and the gravity is more or less as predicted) you will have brewed beer more or less as forecast in the instructions.
You really now need to confirm that the fermentation has stopped (SG reading, has it cleared, airlock activity, etc) so you can go ahead and bottle.
If you are unsure about how to read a hydrometer use this.
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...ic-gravity-using-a-homebrew-hydrometer.60895/
And as @Mangold has said most kit fermentations usually end up in the range 1.008 to 1.012

Thanks for this. So the airlock has defintely stopped bubbling; the beer really has not cleared though , it is very cloudy; and I think we have established, I am rubbish at using a Hydrometer! Do you think I should leave it a bit longer. Obviously my big fear is bottling it too soon and it ferementing in the bottle reseulting in the dreaded exploding bottles scenario.

Fenben · Feb 23, 2020

Chippy_Tea said:
No, feel free to post questions here you have asked elsewhere.

Thanks

terrym · Feb 23, 2020

Fenben said:
Thanks for this. So the airlock has defintely stopped bubbling; the beer really has not cleared though , it is very cloudy; and I think we have established, I am rubbish at using a Hydrometer! Do you think I should leave it a bit longer. Obviously my big fear is bottling it too soon and it ferementing in the bottle reseulting in the dreaded exploding bottles scenario.

If you are unsure about your hydrometer, dunk it in clean water at its calibration temperature (usually marked somewhere, if not 20*C will do). You should have a reading of 1.000. That done you really need to sort out your FG reading to confirm it has done.
And if you have a cold place like a garage or shed or the like place your FV in that for a couple of days and it should clear or nearly clear provided its finished. However if you have really loaded it with hops say >100g it might not clear at all. Latter is, apparently, a characteristic of NEIPAs which I don't do.

chthon · Feb 23, 2020

By the way, do you have bigger picture than the one on stackexchange? Can you post it here, so that we all together can see the final gravity? Posting a picture is done with "Upload a file", selecting your photo, and then choosing Full Size or Thumbnail.

Chippy_Tea · Feb 23, 2020

chthon said:
By the way, do you have bigger picture than the one on stackexchange?

Is this any help.

An Ankoù · Feb 23, 2020

I'd rush down to A&E with that sample, if I were you. L

Fenben · Feb 23, 2020

chthon said:
By the way, do you have bigger picture than the one on stackexchange? Can you post it here, so that we all together can see the final gravity? Posting a picture is done with "Upload a file", selecting your photo, and then choosing Full Size or Thumbnail.

When I clicked on media the only options that I seemed to have was to insert a phot via a URL. Wheer is the upload file button please?

Chippy_Tea · Feb 23, 2020

Fenben said:
When I clicked on media the only options that I seemed to have was to insert a phot via a URL. Wheer is the upload file button please?

More info here - https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/how-to-add-a-picture-to-a-post.81522/

terrym · Feb 23, 2020

@Fenben
If the large photo of yellow liquid that @Chippy_Tea posted above is your beer and hydrometer, the reading is 1.008 or thereabouts so it would be finished as far as I'm concerned.

Fenben · Feb 23, 2020

terrym said:
@Fenben
If the large photo of yellow liquid that @Chippy_Tea posted above is your beer and hydrometer, the reading is 1.008 or thereabouts so it would be finished as far as I'm concerned.

Brilliant thank you. Yes the colour is a bit off putting isn't it? I have read the article about posting a photo but I don't seem to have the upload file option. I think I may do what yiu say though and pop it in the shed for a week to see if it clears before bottling. Thanks for your help on this matter.

How am I (accidentally) making low alcohol beer?

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