some advice please

[barry44]

Hi,

my latest brew was designed to 1.058 using 6.5kg of Maris Otter. It is an IPA to 70IBU plus dry hopping.

When i brewed it, i smashed my efficiency and i ended up with an OG of 1.062 rather than the 1.058.

Further to this, it appears that my US-05 has worked it's heart out as the brew is currently sitting at 1.004, which is looking like an ABV of 7.6% with attenuation of 93.2%.

Now these measurements may be slightly off as my hydrometer reads high but i am quite confident that they are in the ballpark.

I have never brewed anything so big before, i was aiming for just over 6% and as such i am concerned that the strength may make it hard to drink given that there is only Maris Otter and no crystal grains or otherwise in there.

I have been looking at brewdogs brewsheets and i notice that they like to add some crystal to their high OG brews, although i note that jackhammer is only pale malt.

Am i getting concerned for no reason?

As i say, this is my first visit to this level of ABV and it was a 'mistake' to get there.

Any assistance, or thoughts, are very welcome.

[far9410]

Taste it, if you don't like it send to me, if you do, happy days!

[Kev888]

Generally speaking higher gravity brews are less likely to lack body and sweetness, normally their final gravity is higher as well as the OG. Your OG doesn't seem unusual at all for an IPA, its around what I typically aim for, what surprises me is the amount of attenuation and final gravity you got. Unless you are sensitive to the taste of alcohol, the low FG (and likely reduction in body and residual sugars) will probably have more effect than the somewhat higher ABV.

IPAs are largely about the hops so I think it will still be drinkable, some brews that are supposed to be malty just seem bland if they over-attenuate, but you may not find it as balanced as you would like, thinner and more bitter. I usually have some other grains [caramalt (7%), munich malt (6%), wheat malt (5%) and a little crystal malt (2%)] in mine (not very traditional, I guess), so I would expect it to attenuate less than yours - typically it goes to around 80% and 1.012 with us-05.

But even so I'm surprised yours finished at 1.004 on a hydrometer that reads high... Did you mash particularly cool or long, or add any sugar instead of malt?

Cheers
kev

[barry44]

i had a two hour mash @ 65, would that be the issue with the attenuation? The 2 hour mash was meant to be 90 minutes but i was out and about and never got back to the house before that time. It may have been slightly longer but not too much.

The thinness is my main concern as i normally use a grist like you, 14% munich, 4% vienna, wheat and light crystal. The reason for the sole MO was due to the fact that i was following a recipe in the Greg Hughes book.

Does the addition of the other types of grain reduce attenuation in your opinion?

I am planning to dry hop the brew tonight, if it is stable, and was looking to add 25g of Amarillo, Chinook and Cascade. Do you think that i should increase the amount of dry hopping to compensate for the higher ABV or leave alone?

[far9410]

Hi the reason for my flippant answer is because what's don is done, the only thing left is to taste it, keep notes, if you like it then you can repeat, if not etc

[barry44]

Hi the reason for my flippant answer is because what's don is done, the only thing left is to taste it, keep notes, if you like it then you can repeat, if not etc

Very true.

[Kev888]

Longer mashes can (IMO) result in the sugars produced being more easily fermentable. I wouldn't have expected two hours to make a massive difference compared to say 90min (its generally an issue raised by people doing overnight mashes), but its unlikely to have helped in conjunction with other things. If the mash was cooler (or cooled) during the extra time then that would favour any remaining beta amylase, which make more fermentable sugars.

Some types of grain obviously produce fewer gravity points than others, being designed more for colour and flavour etc. than for optimum yield of fermentable sugar. Its my 'belief' that in some cases their yield can also comprise slightly more unfermentable components for the same mash conditions, helping increase residual sweetness and body etc. Though unfortunately I'm not a great biochemist and I don't remember how that comes about (if indeed it does, or if its merely perception) so treat it with caution. I'd be interested to see what others have to say about this.

I'd probably try the beer before adding more hops. Without the residual sugars etc its already likely to be a bit more hop-biased than intended; dry hopping will mainly add aroma but I'm not sure which way upping the dose will go - it may add to the imbalance or it could help by rounding out the hop character and making it seem less stark. Unfortunately hoppy flavours can take a while to meld in any case so it may be hard to tell initially, but if you keg then you can always add dry hops later.

Cheers
Kev

[barry44]

Thanks Kev, i bottle so am looking to add the hops tonight to the secondary.

Given that it appears that all will not be lost with this, i am looking forward to getting about this one!

[Rick_UK]

You could steep some crystal malt in a pan, boil it for 30 mins and add to the FV. Obviously it will re-start fermentation but you should end up with more body and sweetness in the final beer.

Another option would be to add dark dme.

Rick

[barry44]

Thanks Rick.

I transferred it to secondary last night for dry hoppling but i will bear your advice in mind for the next brew

[barry44]

Tried this last night after just shy of 2 weeks in the bottle in the brew fridge at 20. i left it outside for a couple of hours to chill down.

Poured great with good carbonation and a decent head.

Didn't smell as hoppy as i expected, although i have a bit of a cold so it may be down to me. It certainly didn't taste off in any way.

Tasted slightly high in alcohol with the alcohol taste slightly in the forefront. Nothing to be overly concerned about and it certainly didn't stop me finishing the bottle!!

Ill move to the cold and crack another on Christmas day and see how it is then.

[Jocky]

With a couple more weeks conditioning the hops should 'pop' a little more as more of the yeast drops out. Plus if you have a cold your taste senses will be duller than an airline knife.

[barry44]

True. I had another the other night, twas lovely. I still think it needs to settle down a little