fg 1000? help!

[jkmitsolutions]

hey guys.

i ran a coopers draught extract kit with 1kg dextrose and 250 grams of white table sugar. i know the table sugar isn't necessary however i wanted to see what it would taste like, i like the normal draught with just dextrose but wanted to see what would it would taste like.

when i threw it all in the fermenter it was extremely dark. and clear. i fill to 25ltrs not 23. anyway og was 1045, its been sitting next to a window for 4 days. it has a thick blanket over it, however some light still passes through. decided after 4 days i should move it into a full dark place. when unwrapping it, it appeared really cloudy.... didnt think much of it. so i moved it into a full dark spot. its been there for 2 days. (6 days in total now) and fg is 1002..... anyone seen grav readings that low before? beer tastes GOOD! so that rules out infection (i assume) sample was taken at around 22 degrees. i waited for the "fizz" to settle before taking the reading aswell. it didnt move from when i pored it to half an hour later. with these readings that means its at 5.7ish % alc.....

anyway, im just concerned about the og 1045 to fg 1002

any help would be awsome...

 

[Rocker1986]

That FG doesn't really surprise me with that much simple sugar in it. Dex and table sugar pretty much fully ferment out leaving no flavour, and also thin the beer. What does surprise me is that it tastes good. h34r:

 

[jkmitsolutions]

That FG doesn't really surprise me with that much simple sugar in it. Dex and table sugar pretty much fully ferment out leaving no flavour, and also thin the beer. What does surprise me is that it tastes good. h34r:

dunno what this one will taste like..... im not sure if it will win any medals haha. thats good you think this is normal. do you think using be2 may change the flavour at bottling? that has other things in it aside from plain sugar........ or is it to late??? also can anyone tell me if using be2, how much would i use to prime a 375ml stubbie? or even a g/L ratio. i wouldnt bottling a couple nt stubbies

 

[Rocker1986]

I doubt using BE2 at bottling time would really make any difference to the flavour, it's such a small amount and the main flavour of the brew has already been created by the ingredients used in the primary fermentation. BE2 would be a better choice for adding to the FV with the kit when you first mix it up, than just straight dex and sugar, no doubt about it, straight malt extract even better. In saying that, everyone's tastes are different. Maybe next brew try adding a box of BE2 with the kit instead of 1.25kg of sugar, and then compare the two brews once bottled for a month or so and see which you like better.

 

[yum beer]

BE2 will be fine for bottling. If using a scoop measure just add what you normally would to prime.
Otherwise about 6-6.5gm a litre should be good. 25 litre...assume leaving 2 litres in the FV, you need...138-145 gms BE2. About 1 metric cup if thats all you have to measure with.

 

[QldKev]

You need to also allow about another 0.5% alv from the sugar you are adding to the bottle. You have just made what I call "Uni Beer". It won't taste that good with all the sugar, but it's cheap and high in alc so it will get you pissed pretty easy.

Agreed, you can use BE2 or even LDME for bottling. If using the latter you will need to up the measurements a bit, so it's probably better staying with BE2.

Next time when making brews never add 1.25kg of simple sugars. Try the same kit base with 1kg BE2 and 500g LDME, or even 500g BE2 and 500g LDME. Also throw 15g of hops in the fermenter to balance out the LDME. What ever you feel like, Amarillo or Cascade are great and safe options.

QldKev

 

[Rocker1986]

Yes I should point out I wasn't saying you can't bottle prime with BE2 - I was simply answering this question:

do you think using be2 may change the flavour at bottling?

I don't think it would, but that isn't to say you can't prime with it.

 

[Amber Fluid]

and fg is 1002..... anyone seen grav readings that low before?

I have had FG at .996 on several occasions using a kit & 500g Dex + 1kg LDM.

I found 2 things were my problem.....

1/ my hydrometer was .002 out
2/ I had an issue with wild yeast due to using Sodium Metabisulfite which isn't as efficient as a lot of people think.

I changed to cheap brand Napisan and now adjust the calculation whenever I do a gravity reading.

 

[verysupple]

As other's have said, an FG that low isn't that surprising given the recipe.


Now, slightly off topic but hopefully interesting for newer brewers...

One thing people forget is that alcohol is a lot less dense than water. This means that in a hypothetical situation where the wort is 100% fermentable (i.e. anything in the wort that is not water gets converted to ethanol and CO2) you could actually end up with an FG lower than plain water - 1.000.

Incidentally, the whole alcohol being less dense than water thing is one of the main reasons apparent attenuation (AA) is different to real attenuation (RA) (AA being what the hydrometer tells you and RA being the actual fraction of solids removed). As AA is much easier to measure, brewers almost always mean AA when they say "attenuation".