# Increase Final Gravity



## ivodevo (26/7/12)

Hi All,

I would like to increase final gravity of a couple of beers that I have made in the past. I was thinking of using one of the following grains/adjuncts to increase the final gravity. Is there any way in which I can calculate how much a certain weight (say 200g) of each will add to the final gravity of the brew? My brews are typically 23L batches.

Carapils
Carahell
Carafa
Caramunich
Rolled oats

Cheers


----------



## Phoney (26/7/12)

Use brewing software like beersmith or promash to play around with your grain bill & workout where your estimated FG will end.

You can also mash at a higher temperature like 67 - 69C.


----------



## keifer33 (26/7/12)

Using a lower attenuating yeast can also assist. Maltodextrin can also be added and is almost classed as unfermentable which will definitely increase your FG.


----------



## beerbog (26/7/12)

Just pull it before it reaches terminal gravity. :beerbang:


----------



## Phoney (26/7/12)

Gibbo1 said:


> Just pull it before it reaches terminal gravity. :beerbang:



Unless he's bottling and ends up with bombs in his shed :lol:


----------



## Gavo (26/7/12)

Soooo many variables. Are you using kits? Doing partials? Brewing AG? Hard to help without knowing.


----------



## bum (26/7/12)

Might be helpful to post the recipes you'd like to adjust so people can geta good idea of what might be most suitable.


----------



## kelbygreen (26/7/12)

use all bantani LDME if you are doing kits or extract. I used to have to put 200-500g of dextrose in to get it under 1.013


----------



## glenwal (27/7/12)

And of course the really big question..... Why? What is it you are looking to achieve?


----------



## ivodevo (28/7/12)

Hi All,

Thanks for the feedback so far. Below is a copy of my brew notes for an American Brown ale I did about a month ago.

See Final Gravity - at 1.007 (1.013 expected). The beer tastes good but doesn't have the mouthfeel I was hoping for and is slightly too dry. I have had a similar problem with a couple of other brews.

********************************************************************************
***********************

Brewed on 24/06/2012

22L batch

3.0kg Simpsons Maris Otter Ale Malt
0.25kg Thomas Fawcett Pale Chocolate Malt
0.25kg Joe White Crystal Malt 120
1.0kg Briess light golden dry malt extract
4g gypsum in mash

Mash at 67 degrees for 60 minutes (BIAB) 7.5L mash
Sparge dunk at 70 degrees for 10 minutes in 7.0L

Hops:
Amarillo Pellets @ 9.3%
US Cascade Pellets for flameout and dry hop addition

Boil:
Vigorous boil on large ring of stove.
4g gypsum
26g Amarillo @ 60mins
26g Amarillo @ 10mins
15g Cascade @ 0mins
15g Amarillo @ 0mins

IBU: 34
Expected OG: 1.052
Recorded OG: 1.051
Expected FG: 1.013
Recorded FG: 1.007
ABV: 5.7%

Ferment with Wyeast 1056 American Ale I, pitch at 18 degrees
day 1 ferment: 20 degrees
day 2 ferment: 17 degrees
day 3 ferment: 16 degrees

Dry Hop:

13g Amarillo
25g Cascade




Prime with 80g of dextrose for carbonation of 1.9


----------



## QldKev (28/7/12)

What thermometer are you using, and have you calibrated it?


----------



## kelbygreen (28/7/12)

by that I cant see it finishing that low unless as kev says your thermometer is out. You could try to mash higher but 67 is getting high anyway.


----------



## ivodevo (28/7/12)

I just checked my thermometer - it is a clip-on steel probe with a round dial on the end, put it in the boiling jug and it was bang on 100 deg. 

I do brew in a bag, bring water in a 15L pot up to strike temp with bag, add grain, mash in a grain bag in a pot, quickly wrapped in about 5 large towels after adding grain. I keep the thermometer in the mash, sticking out through the towels to keep an eye on the temp and it seemed to stay at 67 degrees. It may be that I have variable temperature in the mash? Eg - cooler temps on the outside of the pot?

I tried different dextrin malts in the recipe calculator on beertools.com, although they don't seem to contribute much at all to Final Gravity - eg - for a 22L batch, 300g of carapils only added 0.001 to the final gravity... Is this right?


----------



## [email protected] (28/7/12)

Ivo said:


> I just checked my thermometer - it is a clip-on steel probe with a round dial on the end, put it in the boiling jug and it was bang on 100 deg.



Does not mean much at mash temps, ive had different thermos read +/- 3C of each other through the mash temp range and read the same at 0 and 100 degrees.

With that recipe mashing at 67 you should have HEAPS of body and mouth feel. To finish at 1007 you would have to be mashing at 63 / 64 in my experience.
So next brew mash at what you thermo says 70 and see how it finishes.

If your still finishing low and your beer seems thin you might have a slight infection somewhere??


----------

