Newbie gravity question

[Waffty]

Done a couple of brews now, checking both my starting and final gravity + if necessary 'trying' to hit the manufactures 'targets'.

On all the kits so far, it has a target gravity, usually 1010/1014 both all the kits so far, they have an acceptable gravity of 1015/1020 (Brupaks POY IPA & Wherry).

How important is it to hit the makers specific gravity i.e if gravity is a measure of sugar content, then surely the worst than can happen, is that the beer is sweeter than intented ?

So if you know the specifics/mechanics then please let me know, as it's quite an interesting topic i.e been drinking the stuff since I was 16, now 40 but only been brewing a couple of months.

Thanks.
Darren.

[maxashton]

The manufacturer's reccomended quantities are there to try and ensure you get the product they intended you to brew. It's not a major panic if you accidentally put a few more grammes of sugar in there. It probably won't even make a lot of difference.

If your gravities are a little higher than you expect, don't worry too much. 1020/1015 i would personally leave in the FV a little longer. Are you using the yeast that comes with the kits, or are you using 3rd party yeast? Generally we tend to reccomend using S-04 for kits around these parts.

[Waffty]

On the Wherry & IPA, I used Safe04 + using Safe Lager yeast on my current brew.

I've managed to get both the IPA & Wherry to within the manufatures 'tolerences' by giving a gentle spin with the paddle + making sure the temp was just right.

I was just interested in understanding why 1010, was the ideal finishing gravity for an ale, bitter, larger etc i.e what's so specific about 1010? Is it just the sweetness or something to do with alcohol content etc?

Thanks.
Darren.

[maxashton]

It's like saying the ideal serving temperature for x is 10 degrees, it's just a good gravity to end at. Not too dry, not too sweet. A good average.

Some beers are feremnted to higher gravities, but seldom much lower, i suppose.

What temperature are you fermenting the lager yeast at? It likes cold!

[Waffty]

What temperature are you fermenting the lager yeast at? It likes cold!

I pitched it at 22 degrees, left to get started (around 12hrs) then dropped it in intervals from 20 to 16, which it's been at for just over 24hrs now. I plan to drop it again to around 14 for the last couple of days or so.

As this was my first lager & I only had one packet of yeast, I thought I'd play safe and pitch high to get it going i.e the instructions say one packet at room temp, two packets at 15 to 11 degrees. So my reasoning was that once it's started & growing, I should be able to reduce it for the majority of the brewing cycle.

What you think ?
Darren.