Just bottled at 0.014 FG - is this a disaster?

[mojones]

Hi all,

Just bottled my first batch of Pale Ale. OG was 1.029, and FG (which I didn't remember to check until the bottling was nearly complete, i.e. after I'd added the priming sugar) was 1.014 - giving me 2% ABV. So, two questions:

1. This seems disappointingly low - any tips on what I can do next time (other than making sure the OG is greater?) I am reasonably sure that the fermentation was OK - there was a good head, lots of bubbling etc.

2. By bottling at a relatively high gravity, have I accidentally created a batch of bottle bombs? Presumably a FG of 1.014 means that there is still quite a bit of sugar in there.....

Thanks for any advice.

[nobby]

HI

We will need a bit more info to help you.

How much grain/extract did you use and what was your final volume of liquid??

What yeast did you use and how long did you leave it to ferment??

Give as much info on how you did your brew sparging, mash etc

[Befuddler]

Hi all,

Just bottled my first batch of Pale Ale. OG was 1.029, and FG (which I didn't remember to check until the bottling was nearly complete, i.e. after I'd added the priming sugar) was 1.014 - giving me 2% ABV. So, two questions:

1. This seems disappointingly low - any tips on what I can do next time (other than making sure the OG is greater?) I am reasonably sure that the fermentation was OK - there was a good head, lots of bubbling etc.

2. By bottling at a relatively high gravity, have I accidentally created a batch of bottle bombs? Presumably a FG of 1.014 means that there is still quite a bit of sugar in there.....

Thanks for any advice.

Where did you take the 1.014 sample from.. do you use a bottling bucket? Was the sugar properly stirred in?

[az77]

14 is not too bad, bottles should be fine, just need to up your OG as you said 29 is fairly low. Simple maths. Usually 45-55.

[mojones]

Thanks to everyone who responded. Sorry for not putting the recipe: it was from here:

http://howtobrew.com/section1/chapter1-1.html

Recipe
Cincinnati Pale Ale
Ingredients for a 5 gallon batch

* 4 lb. Pale malt extract syrup
* 2 lb. Amber dry malt extract
* 12 AAU of bittering hops (any variety) For example, 1 oz. of 12% AA Nugget, or 1.5 oz. of 8% AA Perle
* 5 AAU of finishing hops (Cascade or other) For example, 1 oz. of 5% Cascade or 1.25 oz. of 4% Liberty
* 2 packets of dried ale yeast

I ended up with 22 litres of liquid in the FV. The yeast was Gervin English Ale Yeast and it was in primary fermentation for 14 days at 19 degrees C.

I took the 1.014 sample from the bottling bucket, after mixing the priming sugar in. The priming sugar was definitely well-stirred - it went in about half-way through the process of siphoning from the FV to the bottling bucket.

Any other questions please ask - this is my first time brewing so I'm not sure what information might turn out to be relevant! I'm not too bothered about the low alcohol content - I am keen to get the next brew on the go and I'm confident I can improve on it. I'm just slightly worried about the bottles - if they all end up exploding then there might not be a next time!

On the positive side, the actual bottling process went very smoothly, and the beer tastes and smells great!

[mat69]

its your og thats the problem,remember your brewing 5us gallons with that recipe not uk gallons..

[Befuddler]

its your og thats the problem,remember your brewing 5us gallons with that recipe not uk gallons..

That's a very good point.. 5 US gallons should be just under 19 litres, but even with the extra water in there this recipe should come out at 1.035 SG and somewhere around 1.008 FG. If it was fermenting for 2 weeks and didn't get there, it's probably stuck. With a bit of luck bottling it will have roused the yeast back into action. Keep the bottles as cool as possible so the beer absorbs more co2 and you should be fine.

[mat69]

yes,i agree.maybe a miss reading on the og perhaps and a possible stuck ferment sounds plausible..

[Spud395]

You also took your FG reading with the priming sugar added.
This would also raise the gravity, so you had actully fermented a bit lower than that.