I wouldn't use a refractometer to check gravity post fermentation. Alcohol skews the readings and even the online calculators aren't accurate. A hydrometer is the only thing I trust to check gravity post fermentation.
Homebrewers - Whats Fermenting?
- Thread starter BeerAdvocate
- Start date
I hadn't thought of the lactose. I knew it wasn't fermentable, but I didn't think about it affecting gravity. I came in very high on my OG but thought I just got very good conversion. This makes a lot of sense. Thanks guys!
Do you know exactly how much lactose affects the gravity readings? I can't seem to find a definitive answer with my google-fu.
Do you know exactly how much lactose affects the gravity readings? I can't seem to find a definitive answer with my google-fu.
Mash temp, grain bill, yeast attenuation are the 3 main factors here. The more specialty grains vs base malt the higher your FG will probably be. Also the higher temp you mash the higher your FG will be. Then theres yeast attenuation on top of that which sort of goes along with mash temps as well as varying by strain. All in all your FG is fine my stout usually finishes out somewhere above 1.030.
Edit - @Lezanstar Im not sure theres a calc for that exactly but you can sort of play with that type of stuff with Beersmith to an extent. Attenuation %s can change batch to batch especially on the homebrew level. But if you have an idea of the FG your looking for you can use that to work backwards and figure out the OG and mash temps you'll need to hit depending what strain your using. It won't be perfect but it should get you in the ballpark.
Edit - @Lezanstar Im not sure theres a calc for that exactly but you can sort of play with that type of stuff with Beersmith to an extent. Attenuation %s can change batch to batch especially on the homebrew level. But if you have an idea of the FG your looking for you can use that to work backwards and figure out the OG and mash temps you'll need to hit depending what strain your using. It won't be perfect but it should get you in the ballpark.
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Just did a quick partial mash kit this weekend. It was an American Pilsner, best part was that it was free! I know the owner of our local shop and he asked some of us if we were interested in brewing a few kits for him to check the instructions and OG numbers. Just had to give some feedback and enter a couple bottles in contests for feedback. Pretty good deal to me. And it was a beautiful day in Southwest AZ!
Got my dubbel in bottles over the weekend and got an Irish red with a yeast infection in the bucket at the moment. Hooray beer!
I see we are talking chillers. After enduring slow chill times I stepped up to this...
Ya it costs a ton but going from a boil to 70 in 5 or so min and getting one hell afield cold break was worth it IMO. There is also a lot of talk on their webpage about thermodynamics.. And diy kits.
Don't work for them just like my chiller....http://jadedbrewing.com
Ya it costs a ton but going from a boil to 70 in 5 or so min and getting one hell afield cold break was worth it IMO. There is also a lot of talk on their webpage about thermodynamics.. And diy kits.
Don't work for them just like my chiller....http://jadedbrewing.com
Follow up.. The wort chiller pulled heat much faster than I anticipated. Had to fill many buckets before adding ice. This will be much easier when I can hook up a hose, but it's too cold out to drag one out.
On a side note a bit of a new brewer story...
I decided that I wanted to taste a beer "young" so I opened one after a week to find out what it was all about. (Who the hell can wait 3 weeks on their first brew?) Refrigerated for a day and cracked it open after 6 days in the bottle. The beer had low carbonation which I expected. The bitterness was correct for the style (Bells 2 hearted clone) and the flavor was good...except there was something off. I could taste butter. Being compulsive as I am about my hobbies I relentlessly researched and found multiple articles about diacetyl. I was sure I had an infection. After that I scoured my memory trying to figure out where my sanitation procedures had went wrong. Not necessarily a bad thing, as I thought of some things I could do better next time. Yet fretting the whole time that I had ruined my first batch of precious beer I had worked so hard to keep clean and sanitary. It consumed many of my waking thoughts.
Fast forward a week.
I decided to try another at two weeks. Either it's going to be better, worse, or the same. Worst case scenario and it tastes like a bag of movie theater popcorn and I'm fucked. Best case is the flavor I tasted was in fact a young beer and I had worried all this time for nothing. I rushed home tonight after work to find out.
Looks good. And the first taste was....outstanding! No butter, no green apple, no shit! My beer had made it! Couldn't be happier at this moment.
There are two very important things I learned from this
1. I now know what green beer tastes like.
2. I'll never do it again
After all the worrying and obsessing over infection, sanitation, oxidation, and every other possible terrible thing that could happen, my beer pulled through.
Trying my beer early was an experience I will not soon forget. And won't ever repeat.
On a side note a bit of a new brewer story...
I decided that I wanted to taste a beer "young" so I opened one after a week to find out what it was all about. (Who the hell can wait 3 weeks on their first brew?) Refrigerated for a day and cracked it open after 6 days in the bottle. The beer had low carbonation which I expected. The bitterness was correct for the style (Bells 2 hearted clone) and the flavor was good...except there was something off. I could taste butter. Being compulsive as I am about my hobbies I relentlessly researched and found multiple articles about diacetyl. I was sure I had an infection. After that I scoured my memory trying to figure out where my sanitation procedures had went wrong. Not necessarily a bad thing, as I thought of some things I could do better next time. Yet fretting the whole time that I had ruined my first batch of precious beer I had worked so hard to keep clean and sanitary. It consumed many of my waking thoughts.
Fast forward a week.
I decided to try another at two weeks. Either it's going to be better, worse, or the same. Worst case scenario and it tastes like a bag of movie theater popcorn and I'm fucked. Best case is the flavor I tasted was in fact a young beer and I had worried all this time for nothing. I rushed home tonight after work to find out.
Looks good. And the first taste was....outstanding! No butter, no green apple, no shit! My beer had made it! Couldn't be happier at this moment.
There are two very important things I learned from this
1. I now know what green beer tastes like.
2. I'll never do it again
After all the worrying and obsessing over infection, sanitation, oxidation, and every other possible terrible thing that could happen, my beer pulled through.
Trying my beer early was an experience I will not soon forget. And won't ever repeat.
Looks good!Follow up.. The wort chiller pulled heat much faster than I anticipated. Had to fill many buckets before adding ice. This will be much easier when I can hook up a hose, but it's too cold out to drag one out.
On a side note a bit of a new brewer story...
I decided that I wanted to taste a beer "young" so I opened one after a week to find out what it was all about. (Who the hell can wait 3 weeks on their first brew?) Refrigerated for a day and cracked it open after 6 days in the bottle. The beer had low carbonation which I expected. The bitterness was correct for the style (Bells 2 hearted clone) and the flavor was good...except there was something off. I could taste butter. Being compulsive as I am about my hobbies I relentlessly researched and found multiple articles about diacetyl. I was sure I had an infection. After that I scoured my memory trying to figure out where my sanitation procedures had went wrong. Not necessarily a bad thing, as I thought of some things I could do better next time. Yet fretting the whole time that I had ruined my first batch of precious beer I had worked so hard to keep clean and sanitary. It consumed many of my waking thoughts.
Fast forward a week.
I decided to try another at two weeks. Either it's going to be better, worse, or the same. Worst case scenario and it tastes like a bag of movie theater popcorn and I'm fucked. Best case is the flavor I tasted was in fact a young beer and I had worried all this time for nothing. I rushed home tonight after work to find out.
Looks good. And the first taste was....outstanding! No butter, no green apple, no shit! My beer had made it! Couldn't be happier at this moment.
There are two very important things I learned from this
1. I now know what green beer tastes like.
2. I'll never do it again
After all the worrying and obsessing over infection, sanitation, oxidation, and every other possible terrible thing that could happen, my beer pulled through.
Trying my beer early was an experience I will not soon forget. And won't ever repeat.
Your idea was sound. Its good to understand the effects aging has on beer and learn what to expect with a green beer. Same as smoking a cigar. They have an age related sweet spot. You don't know where it is until you try them young, old, and everywhere in between.
RDHAHB
Much thanks to you my friend. You have been a big help!
Congrats!! Give your next batch an extra week in the fermenter to clean up. If you can preferably around 70f for a "diacetyl rest". Also make sure your not under pitching that's the cause of most people's off flavors. A lot of stuff ages out but you also want to make note of these things so you can make the right corrections for future batches.
What yeast strain did you use? Different strains throw off more diacetyl than others and some are temp sensitive. Yeast can be complex little buggers lol.
What yeast strain did you use? Different strains throw off more diacetyl than others and some are temp sensitive. Yeast can be complex little buggers lol.
US-05
Primary only, no secondary. 3 weeks total counting 6 day dry hop. 63 degrees for two weeks and 65 for the final week. The batch I have fermenting now I raised the fermenter temp to 65 and will hold it there for two weeks.