Fermentation Finished

[benchharp]

Hi,

I started a fermentation 9 days ago.

Kicked off really quickly - but has slowed significantly.

I'm using a float digital hydrometer to take measurements so you do get some slight movement on the reading.

After dry hopping it's moved from 1.027 down to 1.018, then it's kind of stayed around 1.018/1.017 and had the occasional 1.016 reading (1.01684 to be specific) for the last couple of days.

This is using the Lallemand Verdant IPA yeast - which is different from what is in the Recipe I followed - they use LA3 and suggest FG of 1.013.

With an OG of 1.075 (corrected form 1.0175 14/1) that would be an attenuation of 76%

Any thoughts as to whether this is now as complete as it will go?

or should I wait for it to drop to 1.013 even if that takes another week? (Dry January so i'm in no rush)

What would be the impact of moving onto the second dry hop and cold crash?

I'm conscious of the hops that I added after 2 days and the impact of such a long contact time.

[guypettigrew]

If a gravity of 1.0175 is about 76%, the beer must gave started at around 1.070. Strong stuff!

You're down to 1/4 gravity, so the remaining drop could take some while. The yeast will slow down as the less 'digestible' sugars are now the main source of nourishment.

Don't worry about the potentially long hop contact time. You can read all sorts of stuff about how leaving hops in contact with beer can lead to unwelcome flavours. This may be true if the contact time is months, but when the contact time is a few weeks, I've never experienced any problems.

A second dry hop? Interesting. More info, please. And will you be bottling or kegging the beer?

Guy

[benchharp]

If a gravity of 1.0175 is about 76%, the beer must gave started at around 1.070. Strong stuff!

Yeah - still playing with my brewhouse efficiency. This was meant to come out at 6.8% but i think it'll be a little more than that in the end.

You're down to 1/4 gravity, so the remaining drop could take some while. The yeast will slow down as the less 'digestible' sugars are now the main source of nourishment.

Don't worry about the potentially long hop contact time. You can read all sorts of stuff about how leaving hops in contact with beer can lead to unwelcome flavours. This may be true if the contact time is months, but when the contact time is a few weeks, I've never experienced any problems.

I'll let it run for a few more days and see how it goes.

A second dry hop? Interesting. More info, please. And will you be bottling or kegging the beer?

Yeah - I think it's a fairly popular method these days. The initial dry hop during active fermentation is probably the less traditional one and from my research is perhaps unecessary if you've done a large whirlpool steep hop. It's meant to promote bio-transformation.

My second and the more traditional dry hop will be after active fermentation has finished - with the amount of hops used there is a high chance of oxidisation so will be careful when doing the addition.

This batch will be kegged - just my second time doing this - i'm going to 'set and forget' this time round and see how it gets on. Last time round I did 30psi for two or three days then dropped to 10psi - i pulled the pressure release valve and I felt like i lost alot of aroma as a result. We'll see early Feb how it comes out

[guypettigrew]

Definitely not a beer to rush, at about 7%! As long as you've got it safe and free from any chance of infection or oxidation (which I'm sure you have) then a few more days won't harm. Probably not a lot will happen as far as dropping the gravity goes, though.

Guy

[IPA]

This thread has made me ask why is it called Dry Hopping. Surely Cold or Ambient hopping would be more correct.

[guypettigrew]

This thread has made me ask why is it called Dry Hopping. Surely Cold or Ambient hopping would be more correct.

Perhaps because dry hops are put into the beer? Cold or ambient hopping would definitely be better, though, to differentiate from putting dry hops in the boiling wort.

Just tradition, I suppose.

Guy

[WalesAles]

ben,
OG of 1.0175?
Is this a misprint?

WA

[guypettigrew]

ben,
OG of 1.0175?
Is this a misprint?

WA

Don't think so. An FG of 1.018 (rounded up from 1.0175) from an OG of about 1.070 is reasonable.

Guy

[WalesAles]

Don't think so. An FG of 1.018 (rounded up from 1.0175) from an OG of about 1.070 is reasonable.

Guy

Guy,
FG 1018 (final gravity)
OG 1070 (original gravity), ben doesn`t mention 1070 in his post.
Must be a typo somewhere?

WA

[guypettigrew]

If a gravity of 1.0175 is about 76%, the beer must gave started at around 1.070. Strong stuff!

Yeah - still playing with my brewhouse efficiency. This was meant to come out at 6.8% but i think it'll be a little more than that in the end.

He sort of does. Have a look at this extract from a post on January 9th.

Guy

[WalesAles]

If a gravity of 1.0175 is about 76%, the beer must gave started at around 1.070. Strong stuff!

Yeah - still playing with my brewhouse efficiency. This was meant to come out at 6.8% but i think it'll be a little more than that in the end.

He sort of does. Have a look at this extract from a post on January 9th.

Guy

Guy,
Yes, I saw that. You wrote it not ben.
I still can`t figure it out!

WA

[guypettigrew]

OK, Wales, here goes; he said in his first post that the beer had been started 9 days ago. It was now at a gravity of about 1.018 (1.0175 rounded up). He then says "With an OG of 1.0175 that would be an attenuation of 76%". That's also from his first post.

So, if 1.018 is 76% attenuation, it means 1.018 is 24% of the starting gravity. OK so far? Let's make the numbers easy and say 1.018 is 25% of the starting gravity. 1/4, in other words. This makes the starting gravity 4 x 18 = 72, or 1.072. It's only the last two numbers in the gravity we need to think about.

Look at this calculation the other way round. If you brewed a beer of starting gravity 1.048 (which I'm sure you have!), the quarter gravity point would be 1.012. A quarter of 48.

Yeasts usually have a figure for attenuation. Whitelabs WLP 002, for example, quotes 63% to 70%. Quite low. This means it would bring the gravity of a 1.048 brew down to between about 1.016 and 1.014.

WLP 001, in contrast, quotes 73% to 80%. So it could take a beer starting at 1.048 down to 1.010 or just below.

Does this make any sense at all?!

Guy

[benchharp]

ben,
OG of 1.0175?
Is this a misprint?

WA

Yes! Sorry

Hydrometer sample just before draining to fermentation bucket was 1.070
I've recently stared using a Float digital hydrometer - the first reading i got from that was a few hours later and it showed 1.075

I've put an extra number in there by mistake - sorry.

OG - 1.075
FG - 1.018

Which according to https://www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/ gives me 75% Attentuation and 7.48% ABV.

This is the yeasts technical data. I pitched at the lower end of Pitching Rate as last time is used it the Krausen overflowed. I guess that this could have had an impact?

Analysis Values - Technical Data Sheet
Attenuation Medium to high
Flocculation Moderate
Alcohol tolerance 10% ABV
Pitching Rate 50 - 100g/hL to achieve a minimum of 2.5 - 5 million cells/mL
Fermentation: 18 - 23°C (64 - 73°F)

[WalesAles]

ben,
OG of 1.0175?
Is this a misprint?

WA

Yes! Sorry

Hydrometer sample just before draining to fermentation bucket was 1.070
I've recently stared using a Float digital hydrometer - the first reading i got from that was a few hours later and it showed 1.075

I've put an extra number in there by mistake - sorry.

OG - 1.075
FG - 1.018

Which according to https://www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/ gives me 75% Attentuation and 7.48% ABV.

Thanks for that ben.

Guy,
Thanks for your explanation. Very eloquent and easy to understand.
ben`s reply was the one I was waiting for!

WA

Na Na Na Nana!