first brew strength

[neil smith]

hi, my first brew has been fermenting for 7 days now and its og was 1.040 and now 1.006 and have taken heat out to let cool ready for putting into firkins tomorrow, what i need to know is the strength, i worked it out to be 4.5% but seems a bit strong as i used 15kg of maris otter for an 80 litre brew length which is exactly what i have in the fv, and should have been 4% any ideas why its higher.
cheers Neil

[Scotty]

What was your mash temperature and what yeast did you use? A lower mash temp will produce more fermentable sugars and the yeast you used may have a high attenuation.

[Underground Joe]

That is 85% attenuation, which is on the high side. On my first brew I over shot by about 0.6% through not understanding attenuation. Don't worry, I'm sure it will still taste good, just slightly drier than intended.

[neil smith]

hi, mashed at 64.5c to 64.3c at end, yeast from local micro, and it does taste a bit dry, the only thing i didnt do was any water treatment as i dont really understand it but would that make it dry, my water is hard with a ph of around 7.
cheers Neil

[Underground Joe]

That slightly low mash temperature would combined with a high attenuating yeast would explain things. It's amazing the difference that a degree or two can make when mashing and that's just one factor that makes recreating the same beer again and again so hard for most home brewers.

[neil smith]

so if i up the mash temp will that make it less dry, also as it is so green will it improve when it is conditioned in a week or two.
cheers Neil

[Underground Joe]

Upping the mash temperature will give a sweeter beer with more body.

[neil smith]

what should i aim for about 66c.
cheers Neil

[Underground Joe]

It all depends on style, yeast and other factors, but generally speaking yes 66 degrees is what you're looking for. I'm brewing a lighter beer on Monday which I'll mash slightly higher to prevent it from being too thin. I'm drinking a stout as I type that I mashed higher to give it extra body. When using Windsor yeast some people mash cooler to provide the yeast with more fermentable sugars.

[OldSpeckledBadger]

As others have rightly said you want to mash at 66C or maybe a few degrees higher for more body (but slightly less alcohol). I'd advise standardising on 66C for a good few brews so that you can get some consistency into the process. Also if you're going to experiment with mash temperatures in any meaningful way you need to use the same recipe and yeast for each experiment.

[orlando]

The graphic here may help to explain some of the good advice above.

[neil smith]

hi, also i will check gravity daily until i hit my target of 4% then skim off yeast and cool to stop ferment and retain some sugars so its not so dry and should give a bit of head as should ferment slightly more in casks. For this brew i have been told a trick is to add a 1/4 jar of golden syrup to each firkin and this will sweeten and give a bit more head, so now cooling to 6c ready for racking tomorrow and hoping for the best.
cheers Neil

[Underground Joe]

If you skim off yeast there will still be enough in suspension that will carry on fermenting. Even if you chill it the yeast will only become dormant and will get working again once warmer. When I have made wine kits there is a sachet of something that you put in to stop any further fermentation, although this would mean that the beer would require force carbonation.

[neil smith]

yes i understand it could start again but i will keep the firkins in my chiller at about 8c until ready to drink, then invite all mates and drink very fast LOL.
cheers Neil