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FG consistently 3-4 points higher than expected

 
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joeybk85




Joined: 10 Dec 2014
Posts: 4



PostLink    Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 12:21 am    Post subject: FG consistently 3-4 points higher than expected Reply with quote


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Hi,

I'm looking for advice as far as final gravity is concerned. My brewery is almost exactly the same as Kal's. However, I brew 5 gallon batches so my kettles are different. I use a Blichmann false bottom, but it's in a Bayou classic kettle. My false bottom is quite a bit higher than in a Blichmann kettle, so there's about 2.5 gallons of wort under it. I add more water to the mash, so that 1.25 qt/lb of water is touching the grain. This means that I have less water for sparging. All in all though, I have a pretty consistent 78% efficiency into the fermenter.

My brewday is virtually identical to the brew day description on the website. Rather than using the HLT to heat my strike water, I put the strike water in the MLT and use the HERMS coil to heat it up at the same time as the HLT. Other than that, I can't think of any differences.

I live in Ottawa so I have the same water as Kal, and I do the same water adjustments depending on the style of beer.

The problem that I'm having is that my FG for my beer seems to always be 3-4 points higher than I expect it to. Here are just a few examples of beers that I brewed recently:

1. APA: 95% Maris Otter (Crisp), 5% Crystal 75, OG: 1.054. Mash 152F. FG = 1.014 (US-05)
2. Hefeweizen: 47.5% Wheat Malt, 38% Pilsner Malt, 6.5% Vienna Malt, 3% Munich malt, OG 1.054. Mash 152F. FG = 1.014 (WLP300)
3. Centennial Blonde: 81% 2-row, 7% Carapils, 6% Crystal 15, 6% Vienna, OG 1.048, Mash 150F, FG = 1.013 (US-05)

Now I realize these are not super high FGs, but I seem to be closer to the low end of attenuation for the yeasts. It seems to me that FG should be closet to 1.010 for these recipes. It's almost as if I was mashing higher than planned. But I have a Thermapen that I recently checked in an ice bath and in boiling water and it seems to be right on. I also compared it to another (Thermoworks) and it seems to show the same temperature, so I'm pretty confident my temperatures are accurate.

I usually mash for 60 minutes, although I have tried mashing for 90 and it doesn't seem to have made a difference. When I first mash in, I'm usually 5-10 degrees under the desired temp and it takes about 10 minutes for the HERMS coil to bring the mash up to temp (but if anything this should make the wort more fermentable)

I do an iodine test at the end of the mash and it's always successful.

For aerating the wort, I've been shaking the carboy, but I also tried Fizz-X. I have an oxygen system that I'm going to try soon, but others seem to be doing fine without one, so I'm not confident it's going to solve my problem.

The above beers were fermented at 68F, and increased to 70F after approximately a week. Although, they finished a little high, fermentation seems healthy and vigorous, with lots of blowoff, very fast bubbles and lots of movement in the carboy.

I don't bother to check the gravity for 3 weeks, and then I check it twice with a few days in between.

I have 2 hydrometers, both of which were checked in distilled water and are accurate.

I usually make a yeast starter to be sure I pitch enough yeast (although I didn't for the Hefe because I wanted to get a bit of banana)

At this point I'm not sure if my problem is with my wort or with my yeast/fermentation. I suppose I could do a forced fermentation test next time I brew.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to give as many details as possible about my process. Anyone have any advice?

(PS. I did post a similar message on another popular homebrew forum, and a lot of people are suggesting that I'm mashing too high, but I'm really not convinced that that's the problem. I'm mashing at the lower end of the typical range as far as I know)
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wscottcross




Joined: 03 Jul 2015
Posts: 212
Location: CT

Drinking: Launch IPA, Double Sunshine clone, Maple Coffee breakfast stout

Working on: expanding my beer horizons (and my beltline)


PostLink    Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 2:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What is your fermentation temperature? Your FG isn't that far off and there are a multitude of factor which can affect that. Have done a water test to see what your starting water chemistry is? It IS importanat and is frequently underestimated just how important the minerals in your water are for the whole process.
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Kal clone controller, 30 gallon Spike Brewing kettles, 6 tap keezer
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joeybk85




Joined: 10 Dec 2014
Posts: 4



PostLink    Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 2:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

wscottcross wrote:
What is your fermentation temperature? Your FG isn't that far off and there are a multitude of factor which can affect that. Have done a water test to see what your starting water chemistry is? It IS importanat and is frequently underestimated just how important the minerals in your water are for the whole process.


Well my fermentation temp varies depending on the yeast I'm using. For US-05 I usually ferment at 65F and bring it up to about 70F after a week. Last few batches I fermented slightly warmer, about 68F. For the Hefe, I fermented at 68F and brought it up to 70F after a week.

My water report (Ottawa):
Calcium: 8.2
Magnesium: 2.1
Sodium: 15.7
Sulfate: 26.3
Chloride: 5.3
Bicarbonate: 30.1

For the APA, I added:
Mash:
Gypsum 8g, Calcium chloride: 2g, Epsom salt: 2.5g
Boil:
Gypsum 4g, Calcium chloride: 1g, Epsom salt: 1.3g
Acidified sparge water with 1mL lactic acid

For the Hefe, I added:
Mash:
Baking soda: 0.5g, Chalk: 1g, lactic acid: 2mL
Boil:
Baking soda: 0.2g, Chalk: 0.8g
Acidified sparge water with 1mL lactic acid

For the centennial blonde, I didn't add anything (no salts, no acid)
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deemo




Joined: 30 Nov 2014
Posts: 23
Location: Canada


PostLink    Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2016 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wondering if you ever got to the bottom of this. I'm having the same problem.
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