First Biab Gravity Reading

[sid]

Hey there all.

Now I done my first BIAB 14 days ago, the OG on that was 1.048, I just took another gravity reading today expecting it to have reached it's FG and got a reading of 1.022, I'd have expected this to be in the 1.012-15 range by now.

There is no activity coming from the fermenter the yeast I used was safale US-05 and the temps haven't been over 20c. I racked this after 6 days.
Tasted alright, should I leave it longer or has it reached it's FG and I should bottle?........never had this problem before, but then this is my 1st AG BIAB.

Sid.

 

[j1gsaw]

What was the recipe mate?

 

[sid]

heres the recipee, I mashed for 90min at 70c then mashed out at 75c.............then boiled for 90min. volume at mash was 32ltr, at end of boil I had 23ltr.

5.00 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 89.3 %
0.20 kg Caraamber (30.0 SRM) Grain 3.6 %
0.20 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) 3.6 %
0.20 kg Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 3.6 %
20.00 gm Styrian Goldings [5.40%] (75 min) Hops 11.2 IBU
20.00 gm Hallertauer, New Zealand [6.60%] (30 min) Hops 10.0 IBU
15.00 gm Williamette [5.50%] (10 min) Hops 3.0 IBU
1 Pkgs SafAle US-05 Yeast-Ale

 

[Mantis]

Mashing at 70C would make it less fermentable and lead to a higher finishing gravity.
Someone else will know more than me but 1022 seems a bit high.

 

[j1gsaw]

Have you done the standard gentle swirl of the carboy to try and rouse any sleeping yeast?

 

[Mr.Moonshine]

Even at a mash temp around 70 I doubt you'd get such a high FG. My bet would be that you racked too early and the yeast is just a little sluggish. Give the fermenter a swirl with a sterilised paddle and let it ferment another few days.

 

[sid]

Have you done the standard gentle swirl of the carboy to try and rouse any sleeping yeast?

hey ya, No I haven't tried this yet, might do that tonight and wait another week. the mash temp must have been a few degree's higher than I thought, may have hit 72c.

I just tested the gravity of my 2nd AG BIAB and that was down at 1.010 already, this was done a week later, I brewed this at a lower temp for the mash around 67c and haven't racked at all.

 

[Thirsty Boy]

Yep - a combination of the high mash temp and the early rack - you will probably get it down lower than it is... but you are unlikely to get it down to anything like 1.010.

Swirl, raise the temp by a degree - repeat the next day - repeat the next day if you don't see any activity (in the beer not the damn airlock) Don't worry if this takes your temp over 20C - swirl it every day even after you see it kick off again.

 

[katzke]

Test the Thermometer. Test with ice water, boiling water, and hot running tap water. Test it against other kitchen thermometers and see if they all agree.

 

[reviled]

Test the Thermometer. Test with ice water, boiling water, and hot running tap water. Test it against other kitchen thermometers and see if they all agree.

+1 !!! Cant stress this enough, ive had similair problems in the past and its all come down to the thermometer being out

 

[sid]

yep, I'll check the thermometre.

I've swirled the keg around and put a hot water bottle up against it to try and raise the temp a bit.............I could throw in some yeast I saved from that batch of beer if this would help.
I am going to bottle this beer, so maybe bottle conditioning will kick things off again.

 

[MHB]

View attachment 32787

 

[Thirsty Boy]

as MHB has succinctly put - potential kaboom territory. Basically, you need to try harder to get it down before you decide to give up and bottle.

You could try to get an idea of the terminal gravity to see if its possible to get it down further. Take 500ml of the beer (do a hydro reading on it) - and get some fresh yeast, just a kit pack or something, even bread yeast. Rehydrate the yeast in 50ml of water, then feed it a half a teaspon of sugar, let it start fizzing good.

Now pitch this into your 500ml of beer, - at warm temperatures, 25-27 degrees or so. The whole pack of yeast. Let this sit warm for a couple of days until its obviously done. The overwhelming amount of actively fermenting yeast will ferment everything there is in there that's fermentable.

You have diluted your wort by 10%, so your gravity will be 10% lower - but you added some sugar too. The yeast will definitely eat the sugar, so when you are back to 90% of your original gravity, you are back to just what was in your wort in the first place.... if it drops any lower than 90% of the gravity of your 500ml sample, then there is potential for it to drop further in your fermenter. If it doesn't, you are good to bottle.

A bit of a process, but better than taking out a finger with an exploding bottle.

BTW - you are taking your gravity readings with a hydrometer not a refractometer aren't you?

TB

 

[sid]

A bit of a process, but better than taking out a finger with an exploding bottle.

BTW - you are taking your gravity readings with a hydrometer not a refractometer aren't you?

TB

thats a good bit of information..................I'll leave it a few days at a higher temp, after a shake, before I try that one out..............hopefully the hydrometer reading will drop.

Yep using a hydrometer.

My PET 1.25ltr will be used on this brew.... just in case, they can take quite a bit carbonating..........I've had a grenade before and it was a right bugger of a job to clean the brew cubboard up.
speaking of grenades, last week I opened my fridge to find a full 1.25 beer bottle balanced right on the shelf edge.....to late... it fell to the floor, this cracked the top, then sent the bottle up to the ceiling then over to the far wall, spraying my fine beer all over the kitchen, heheh, I wasn't impressed.....but the dog got a free drink off the floor.