Fg Question

[AaronJ]

Hi gang,

First post here but have thoroughly enjoyed reading through the posts.

I have the SG my second Kit & Bits stabilising but it seems high and I wanted it this was expected of this brew.

Cascade Chocolate Mahogany Porter
750g Dextrose
500g Dark DME
250g Light DME
North Down Hops plug boiled in 1L for 10min and added to Wort
Safale S04
Final volume 22.5L

Using the old hydrometer that I have the OG read off the scale (only goes to 1.040!) so I really have no idea.

Primary for 5 days. Secondary now for 9 days.

SG has stabilised at 1.024 for the last 3 days.

I'm going to bottle tomorrow given the SG has not moved for 3 days, but does the FG sound about right?

Thanks,

Aaron.

 

[dicko]

Hi Aaron J,

Welcome to the AHB site.
Your recipe would be a great improvement with that Cascade kit and good on you for giving it a go.
Your starting gravity would have been around 1.046 to 1.048 and with an So 4 yeast it should have given you a FG of around 1.012.
Your excessively high SG indicates that you did not mix the wort well but had a high concentration of sugars near the tap from where you took the sample.
This is only a guess if you hydrometer only reads to 1.040
It also means that you may not have enough oxygen in the wort to allow the yeast to grow and attenuate your wort to achieve the FG of 70% to 75% of the SG as per the specification of the yeast.
Another thing you have not mentioned, and is worth considering, is the temperature that you fermented the wort.
This temp is important in achieving the desired result. The fermentation temp for this yeast should be 18 deg c to 19 deg c.
Get a good hydrometer for future brews.
And, No, the FG is not correct.
Have you tasted the wort?
Is it excessively sweet?
Test with another hydrometer of known quality!!!
It is difficult to advise wether to bottle or not!!!
Consider racking it again and see if the gravity comes down any more.
If you bottle it, then test a few of the bottles after two weeks for "gushers"
Good luck and let us know how you go,

Cheers

 

[Jovial_Monk]

With a porter kit I would expect a slightly high FG, also the dark malt would increase your FG a bit.

I estimate an OG of 1047 and an FG of 11.

I suggest stirring all the yeast sitting on the bottom of your fermenter back up into the beer again, that will get it fermenting again and dropping your SG by a few points at least.

I would not bottle at an SG of 1024!

Jovial Monk

Jovial Monk

 

[Ross]

Aaron,

if you have't done so already, I'd be checking your hydrometer in water to make sure it's reading zero...

 

[AaronJ]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Being my second only brew I've been sampling and testing the wort every day since day one so I could learn more about the changes.

It was amazing to taste how it changes as the sugars were used up by the yeast. It fermented aggressively for the first 4 days and has backed off since.

Almost all of the sweetness is gone and in fact it is quite bitter (maybe the hops were boiled a little too long) with a really nice toffee aroma.

When I put the wort together on day 1 I made a big effort to aerate it heavily. This was done by adding the water with great turbulence and mixing it all well.

Brewing temp has been a stable 20-22C for the 2 week period.

I just tested the hydrometer in tap water 1.000 so it seems OK.

Just another note, I have had a few people (beer drinkers!) taste the wort in the last few days, and other than being slightly under carbonated (as you'd expect) all agreed it was very nice! Certainly very drinkable even at this stage.

So I'm puzzled.

I'm heading down the local brew shop now so I might take a sample to see what they think.

I'll let you know as I'm in no rush to bottle it now given the uncertainty about the FG.

Aaron.

 

[dicko]

Aaron,
It sounds like your hydrometer may be RS even if it is reading 1000 with water.
I have never seen a brewing hydrometer that only reads to 1040 ????
Get a good hydrometer and re test the FG.
By your description it sounds as tho it may have come down to the correct FG.
Cheers

 

[AaronJ]

Dicko,

Hydrometer seems OK, but maxing out at 1.004 am guessing it is an aquarium hydromerter. It was an old hand'me'down from dad so I bought a new one yesterday anyway. VERY fancy looking thing and I feel like a need a lesson to work out all the different scales on it ;-)

I took that sample down to the local HB shop.

It tested 1.022.

I explained the whole situation to the store owner and got him to also have a taste.

Other than being warm and flat (as expected out for the fermenter) he said it was very drinkable at this early stage and certainly did not taste as though there was much sugar left. He also noted the nice toffee aroma and clarity of the brew.

In my first post I neglected to add that there was 200g of dried corn syrup as well which the owner said would have contributed to the high SG.

So what all that in mind I decided to just go ahead and bottle.

Bulk primed with dex at 6g/L.

So we'll see. Fingers crossed.

Exciting news is that I put my first stout brew down yesterday (with some dramas!).

Aaron.

 

[dicko]

Aaron,
Corn syrup would explain it ( yuck!!!!) :lol:
If you increase your malt addition in place of some of the dextrose you will not need the dried corn syrup as the malt will provide you with the body required.
BTW I have a mate that brewed that Cascade kit and IMO I thought it was terrible.
I recon the Morgans Ironbark dark ale is a better one but as I said, this is only my opinion.
Cheers and good luck

 

[AaronJ]

Dicko,

Your opinion is wanted and thanks for the tip on the Corn Syrup.

This Cascade Porter was my second only brew, so I must admit although I was after a stronger/darker beer to try, it was the packaging that got me ;-)

I'll wait and see how it comes out and if not up to expeaction I might give your suggestion a try. Certainly Morgans kits seem to get better writeups than Cascade.

Aaron.

 

[AaronJ]

To follow on from this thread without starting another..............

The Porter has been in the bottle for 2 weeks now.

I bulk primed with 6g/L Dex. 1 week primary. 1 week secondary before bottling.

The resulting beer is kind of flat!

Not completely flat. There is a small hiss as you open the bottle, but no head forms and there is only a slight effervescence.

I'm pretty sure the bottles are well sealed and it tastes great but...

What could be some of the reasons for this?

Thanks,

Aaron.

 

[Ross]

Aaron,

2 weeks is a bit early - give it another couple of weeks to a month...

 

[sluggerdog]

Aaron,

2 weeks is a bit early - give it another couple of weeks to a month...

[post="47883"][/post]​

^ The hardest thing about HB, the wait!

I usually found 3 weeks from Bulk priming and you got a fair amount of carbonaton... ** AVERAGE ONLY THOUGH **

 

[big d]

and if no luck prime with sugar instead.i tried dextrose once and was not overly impressed with the results.
personal opinion

cheers
big d

 

[AaronJ]

Thanks guys.

Will report back in 2 weeks.

Worst case, could I prime again and reseal?

AJ.

 

[Guest Lurker]

Thanks guys.

Will report back in 2 weeks.

Worst case, could I prime again and reseal?

AJ.

[post="47961"][/post]​

Not unless you like bombs. After a week primary and a week secondary there will be plenty of live yeast so you have ingedient 1. You added 6g/l dextrose so you have ingredient 2 (I usually prime at 4 to 5 g/l for low carbonation so 6g/l should be fine). As long as the tops are sealed, its almost impossible not to get well carbonated beer. You just might need to wait a bit longer, put the bottles somewhere with a more consistent warmer temp, or if the yeast is all stuck at the bottom of the bottle give them a shake to get it back in suspension and doing its job.