DIPA-mashed too high, high FG, what to do?

[shjbrown]

Hi all,

I brewed a DIPA a few weeks back: The mash was at 69C:

6 kg pale
300 g Munich
300 g Dark Munich

plus

500 g Dextrose at 15 min before end of boil.

OG of 1.082 (~19L in fermentor) , pitched with 1/2 a fresh cake of US05 from a pale ale.
Held at 17C for three days and slowly ramped up at 21C.

So I know the mash was too high, I haven't brewed for a while and got my numbers mixed up.

The FG is 1.020, and I was hoping for more like 1.016.

Options:

1) Bottle as it... In a few weeks.
2) Open up and stir it up and hope for a lower FG.
3) Add some dextrose (up to 1 kg) and try and dry it out a bit more.

I don't mind the extra alcohol% from the dextrose, but I've never tried this so want some other opinions.

The hydrometer sample tasted pretty good. It had 45 g of 14% a.a. bittering plus another 90 g at 10 min so is reasonably bitter.

Thanks for ideas!

 

[dblunn]

Go the dextrose to dry it out.
Dave

 

[Topher]

If it tastes good enough.........leave it.

I've made a few brews worse by stuffing with them,

Some good advice I received once was to Drink your mistakes and learn from them.

......I done lots of drink learning.

 

[killspice]

Adding dextrose probably won't help the way you want it to. It will make it more alcoholic, but you will still have the same amount of unfermentable stuff from the high mash temps, so you will go back to 1020 just with a higher abv.
You could try adding fresh high krausen highly attenuative yeast to see if you can get a few more points, or some brewing enzymes to help break down the sugars into fermentable sugars, but you have to be careful they don't over attenuate apparently. (No experience with then myself).
Otherwise, and highly recommended, if it tastes good leave it and compare it to your next one with lower temps to find out which you like best

 

[bradsbrew]

Why not just add water?

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Throw brett at it

 

[mje1980]

Throw brett at it

Guaranteed to bring the fg down hehe

 

[The Judge]

69C mash doesn't sound too high at all such that you would get low attentuation - unless you mashed out after 5 mins ;-) Plus you have added a heap of dextrose.

I would just wait a little longer to make sure fermentation is indeed over, then bottle it. Then enjoy a beer with full body and great mouthfeel.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

it does from that size grain bill in my experience. even 68deg would be

 

[yankinoz]

Your 76% attenuation is no surprise after mashing high. 69 is a little bit high: have you calibrated your thermometer? What was the yeast? .

High temp mashing increases the carbs that most yeasts don't ferment, but ones that impart more body than sweetness, so your beer likely won't taste as sweet as you fear.

Yes, you could dry it out with brett, saison yeasts or even champagne yeast, but if the flavour agrees with you now, you'll probably go downhill that way. If you're not familiar with the tastes those give a beer (especially brett), it would be like anteing up a lot of time and money before a blind date.

 

[whitegoose]

I wouldn't worry about it! 1.016 vs 1.020?! Who cares!

 

[HBHB]

Other alternative is to add a 0.5-1 satchel of dry enzyme and sit it out for about 4-5 days while it kicks in and let the yeast do the work. It should strip out another few points in that time.

 

[motman]

I reckon it will be tasty! Leave it!

 

[shjbrown]

Thanks everyone! I'll take the "don't mess with a good thing" approach and bottle this one as is. I'll let you guys know how it turns out I a month or two!

 

[Screwtop]

Hi all,

I brewed a DIPA a few weeks back: The mash was at 69C:

6 kg pale
300 g Munich
300 g Dark Munich

plus

500 g Dextrose at 15 min before end of boil.

OG of 1.082 (~19L in fermentor) , pitched with 1/2 a fresh cake of US05 from a pale ale.
Held at 17C for three days and slowly ramped up at 21C.

So I know the mash was too high, I haven't brewed for a while and got my numbers mixed up.

The FG is 1.020, and I was hoping for more like 1.016.

Options:

1) Bottle as it... In a few weeks.
2) Open up and stir it up and hope for a lower FG.
3) Add some dextrose (up to 1 kg) and try and dry it out a bit more.

I don't mind the extra alcohol% from the dextrose, but I've never tried this so want some other opinions.

The hydrometer sample tasted pretty good. It had 45 g of 14% a.a. bittering plus another 90 g at 10 min so is reasonably bitter.

Thanks for ideas!

Sure it was dextrose not Dextrin, 10% of Munich malt would up the FG a little plus your 69° Rest. I would expect a 1.082 beer fermented using 05 to finish around 1.016 so you're only a few points high. No mention of IBU's but you say it is reasonably bitter. Remember, beer should be well balanced so the FG of 1.020 could result in a well balanced DIPA.

Brew Well and Cheers,

Screwy

 

[TheWiggman]

Agreed. I did a 1.090 EBW that finished at 1.023. Left it and to date it's still the best beer I've made. 10 months later I've completely forgotten the FG when drinking it.
Don't let your mind play tricks on your taste buds.