Missing FG - how far off is acceptable
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The highest two I have ever had were 1.017 and 1.018 down from about 1.045. They were both on the sweet side and if they had been higher I might have considered a down-the-sink job.
However some beers will take a bit of sweetness so might be more tolerant to a high FG.
And if you are going to bottle a high FG beer you should at least put one in PET so you can monitor to see if it's restarted.
However some beers will take a bit of sweetness so might be more tolerant to a high FG.
And if you are going to bottle a high FG beer you should at least put one in PET so you can monitor to see if it's restarted.
Graz
Landlord.
Depends on the beer, something that's a high ABV anyway like a Barley Wine you wouldn't expect that to go down to 1.010 and the end product is expected to have a degree of residual sweetness.
Normal beer though if it's anything above about 1.016 I'd be suspicious and if all attempts at getting it restarted have failed I'd probably whack it in a keg with no priming sugar and leave for a few weeks to see if anything happens. Probably the only beer I've ever chucked out was one where it just never seemed to get properly started, no idea what I'd done wrong with it but after few pints I called it a day and ditched it.
Normal beer though if it's anything above about 1.016 I'd be suspicious and if all attempts at getting it restarted have failed I'd probably whack it in a keg with no priming sugar and leave for a few weeks to see if anything happens. Probably the only beer I've ever chucked out was one where it just never seemed to get properly started, no idea what I'd done wrong with it but after few pints I called it a day and ditched it.
Godsdog
Landlord.
I've had a few finish in the mid 20s lately which are around 63% attenuation, for me at the end of the day its still a beer albeit a session one,nothing wrong with that except maybe more calories per pint but for sure no reason to chuck it away
peebee
Out of Control
If you can drink it, it IS acceptable.
Would you really bin the beer because it doesn't meet with the expectations of some stranger who wrote the recipe? Or perhaps you are going to ask this stranger around to sample your beer?
I've got a Porter (a traditional one, not one of those loaded with chocolate, vanilla or the like that can be drunk two months down the line), it's refusing to stop and is down to 1.014 which is far more attenuation than the yeast specifies. Should I bin it? And if you say "yes" do you think I'll listen to you?
Ajhutch
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I think you have to judge the final product on its merits once it stops. I've had a couple of stouts and bitters stop higher than planned but they taste ok, I had a Belgian beer that stalled and it just didn't suit the style. Even then I've added fruit and soured it rather than bin it though!
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Is the question "How far off your target FG is acceptable when I start AG brewing" or "How far off your target FG is acceptable when I know my setup and typical efficiency"?
If the former, you are shooting in the dark as everyones equipment and technique are different, so you can't expect to just copy a recipe and hit the target OG. Once you know your setup, you should be pretty close with your target OG, mine's usually spot on as I get the same efficiency every time.
If the former, you are shooting in the dark as everyones equipment and technique are different, so you can't expect to just copy a recipe and hit the target OG. Once you know your setup, you should be pretty close with your target OG, mine's usually spot on as I get the same efficiency every time.
Actually you just need to drink fifteen instead of eleven :lol:
Perhaps this advice does not need to be heeded literally, only proportionately.
I doubt you would need to "look" very far for an infection, but it is the taste would give it away.
A Belgian might decide it was Lambic, keep it and cherish it, but most others would chuck it.
MyQul
Chairman of the Bored
I'd never bin a beer if it stopped too high (forunately it's never happened to me) . I'd simply brew a very bitter beer and blend it
On a more sensible note to my posts above, I would say categorically that if you bottle beer with fermentable sugars and any live yeast cells in it, then further fermentation will occur. It might take a long time, but occur it will.
This is as essential a fact of life as there actually is.
A 1040 to 1050 OG beer at 1020 FG - bottling is a problem waiting to present itself.
Even a high gravity beer is going to carry on fermenting, even if it is over an extended period of time.
May I give an example?
Only ever full on Barley Wine, done using a Parti-Gyle approach in the GF, had the following profile:
OG on 16 Feb 2017 1.085
FG at bottling on 8 Mar 2017 1.012
So, ABV 9.7%, well in the style, 86% attenuation with the trusty re-used US 05, and looking fine.
Latest taster ~ 20 Sept 2017 - so, well within the maturing range for this style, I get a gusher. Well anticipated, I may say, and I dropped the most of it into a 2L jug to settle itself down.
Sadly, for posterity, it will have to wait for the "eleventh green bottle" from this batch for me to get a gravity reading, as I just sipped the previous one, and very good it was too.
I may have some left at the end of the festive season - I think I will do another early 2018.
For completeness, the other brew from the Parti-Gyle was a full 25L brew - I added a Coopers kit and Cascade hops to make a very good IPA that lasted about four weeks after bottling. Very good drink it was, also, though it did come out at over 6%, so not quite the session beer I had planned.
This is as essential a fact of life as there actually is.
A 1040 to 1050 OG beer at 1020 FG - bottling is a problem waiting to present itself.
Even a high gravity beer is going to carry on fermenting, even if it is over an extended period of time.
May I give an example?
Only ever full on Barley Wine, done using a Parti-Gyle approach in the GF, had the following profile:
OG on 16 Feb 2017 1.085
FG at bottling on 8 Mar 2017 1.012
So, ABV 9.7%, well in the style, 86% attenuation with the trusty re-used US 05, and looking fine.
Latest taster ~ 20 Sept 2017 - so, well within the maturing range for this style, I get a gusher. Well anticipated, I may say, and I dropped the most of it into a 2L jug to settle itself down.
Sadly, for posterity, it will have to wait for the "eleventh green bottle" from this batch for me to get a gravity reading, as I just sipped the previous one, and very good it was too.
I may have some left at the end of the festive season - I think I will do another early 2018.
For completeness, the other brew from the Parti-Gyle was a full 25L brew - I added a Coopers kit and Cascade hops to make a very good IPA that lasted about four weeks after bottling. Very good drink it was, also, though it did come out at over 6%, so not quite the session beer I had planned.
Martybhoy
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The reason I ask is because my current hefeweizen, although it took off like a rocket, is 7 points off target and not moving.
I WILL bottle it but just wanted to guage how many points off target do you admit defeat. 10, 12, 15?
I WILL bottle it but just wanted to guage how many points off target do you admit defeat. 10, 12, 15?
Off target which way?
I'm assuming eg 1.025 and should be 1.012.
If this is something similar I would suggest if your going to bottle don't prime your bottles and leave to condition around 20ð for another month or two as it still may be working in the background but slowly.
This will avoid bottle bombs in the future.
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Ajhutch
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What was the expected fg?
What was the og?
What was the mash temp?
What yeast did you use?
How much yeast did you use?
How long has it been been stuck?
How long had it been going before it stuck?
With 7 points I'd be nervous bottling and I'd be looking to understand why it finished high before bottling.
What was the og?
What was the mash temp?
What yeast did you use?
How much yeast did you use?
How long has it been been stuck?
How long had it been going before it stuck?
With 7 points I'd be nervous bottling and I'd be looking to understand why it finished high before bottling.
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