Midnight
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Post by Midnight on Apr 6, 2020 18:31:41 GMT 10
I’ve hit a little string of lower than planned attenuation in two particular beers in which I was aiming for around the 1011 final gravity mark. Both were different yeasts and different beers. I’ve put this unplanned occurrence down to the fact I ran out of yeast nutrient, and that I’ve not been around my brewery for around 2 weeks after pitch date, so I’m not there to monitor the ferment if there is a stall.
One of these particular beers is my house ale staple which I’ve made around 8x times (or 440L) over the years and know both the recipe well and the yeast (WLP029 Kölsch). This ale tends to be a malty but balanced beer to showcase yeast, with he main goal to be session ability at around 3.5%. However this time, FG was 6 points higher than intended at 1.017 down from 1039, making it approx. 2.9% ABV with loads of flavour.
This particular beer was my first go at using Galaxy with loads of it in the whirlpool. With the unintended high finish and lower than my usual low-alcohol range, this beer tastes like a juicy pale ale that is fully strength. It has all the malt characteristics I was aiming for; laces the glass as intended with the mash regime I used; the balance and body I was aiming for; and the unintended pale ale flavour that I was certainly not aiming for.
To bring my post to an end, one of the most rewarding features of this hobby is the frequency in which what would usually be a mistake ends up becoming a happy accident.
I thought everyone could use a positive distraction from the world situation. Please share this space as a place to post your happy accidents.
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Joined: Jan 8, 2018 20:22:57 GMT 10
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Post by DCB on Apr 6, 2020 19:14:08 GMT 10
When I progressed in pressure fermenting I found it to resist attenuation somewhat. Pushing the pressures up towards the end then finishing at around ~23 psi for self carbonation at the usual lowish temperatures I've always done. I wasn't happy that I failed to hit targeted attenuation that I was used to and didnt like having higher final gravity (sweet beers etc) I've never suffered stalled ferments before and leaned more to dryer beers.
So to relate it wasn't a failing, on the contrary it did make some great beers that I wouldn't have aimed at intentionally.
In contrary to that its gone the other way before pressure fermenting to over attenuation, that were 90% negative impact. Higher alcohol more that wanted and the flavors stripped, because of the over attenuation.
Easy fix to a beer that is too sweet is to carbonate it higher and colder. The carbonation bite helps the balance and to me and makes it more enjoyable. Think that our pallet is corrupted to sweetness. Soft drinks are much higher gravity/sugar than beer and yet it has a bite to it. I've also measured lots of commercial beers and, especially Ciders that can have a gravity reading of 1.030-1.040.
No wonder there is an overweight people problem in the world when we have been cultured to enjoy sweetness.
Not knocking the dry drinks either. Its great to be home brewers that can chose our own targets on it all.
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Midnight
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Posts: 359
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Post by Midnight on Apr 6, 2020 19:35:17 GMT 10
With the gravity of the soft drinks, they also have acid working to compete with the sweetness. Without it, they would b so sickly sweet that they would cause us to vomit. Interesting that you mention pressure fermentation as this beer was indeed pressure fermented with slowly letting the ferment finish at 22ish PSI. I too like my beers finishing dryer when full strength or a bit above when mid-strength, but likewise, the beer works with the carbonation and isn't cloying or too sweet. To happy accidents  |
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Joined: Feb 1, 2018 23:00:39 GMT 10
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Post by SponsorSFC on Apr 6, 2020 19:40:34 GMT 10
I think my mill gap needs adjusting as I am now getting around 80%+ efficiency for my full volume no sparge batches where before it was more like 65-70%.
No astringency issues as yet and no stuck sparge to worry about so may just adjust the grain/water volume instead .
I did dilute the last batch in the fermenter (cubed the wort) as I don't really need a 7% Marzen on tap.
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dfross
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Post by dfross on Apr 6, 2020 19:46:18 GMT 10
I was brewing my default pale ale, and the kettle had just reached the boil. Grabbed the first hop addition and added it.... to the mash tun full of cleaning solution.
Didn't have any spare hops, just some hersbrucker and tettnanger for the 5 minute addition.
So I checked the bitterness specs and threw the bitterest hop in (in the correct vessel this time) as my bittering hop.
It was such an improvement I've never brewed the original recipe again.
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hawesy
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Post by hawesy on Apr 6, 2020 20:25:14 GMT 10
No wonder there is an overweight people problem in the world when we have been cultured to enjoy sweetness. I don't know if we have been cultured as such as sweetness in the wild might be an indication that fruit is ripe and ready to eat. Sourness might be an indication that something has started to turn bad and bitterness could indicate something is outright toxic. Our fast food and snack industries have definitely played on that preference or sweetness, but there's often sourness introduced with food acids to make the extreme sugar levels palatable. On happy accidents, I posted in the Brew day farkups thread, but my Red Rye (Dark Chocolate Fuckup) IPA came out alright. I was even set to have a pint for dessert tonight but the keg blew. I messed up the grain order and ended up with about 3x as much dark spec malt as I needed milled into the same bag as the base malt. Not being one to waste perfectly good grain I brewed it anyway and had a series of problems at every step of the brew. But it turned out so good that friends and the director of cider related affairs are demanding I brew it again. I would probably say it is the best beer I have made. I have to bugger up another grain order and see if I can reproduce it as soon as my lager is out of the fermenting fridge. |
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Joined: Jan 8, 2018 20:22:57 GMT 10
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Post by DCB on Apr 6, 2020 21:56:54 GMT 10
Balance is the key here and it is incredible good beer, or whatever beverage if it is balanced. Sweetness, opposed with, bitterness, sourness, acidity. Other happy accidents, brewing/writing the brew on the fly at the same time. Then finding the end calculations sway off targets. Or when I brew with home grown hops its a guess on the Alpha Acid levels. I grow shitloads of home grown hops so I use them early, and big and heavy late additions on a guess. Results, very higher IBU levels than was aimed for, = farking good! dont fear high IBU levels!  Lower IBU levels not so good. But then again still good. These are the reasons for taking notes as much as possible including all the accidents or fuckups as they can still turn turn out good if you ever want to replicate etc. |
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mje1980
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Posts: 484
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Joined: Mar 28, 2019 19:32:25 GMT 10
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Post by mje1980 on Apr 8, 2020 8:23:48 GMT 10
I’ve hit a little string of lower than planned attenuation in two particular beers in which I was aiming for around the 1011 final gravity mark. Both were different yeasts and different beers. I’ve put this unplanned occurrence down to the fact I ran out of yeast nutrient, and that I’ve not been around my brewery for around 2 weeks after pitch date, so I’m not there to monitor the ferment if there is a stall. One of these particular beers is my house ale staple which I’ve made around 8x times (or 440L) over the years and know both the recipe well and the yeast (WLP029 Kölsch). This ale tends to be a malty but balanced beer to showcase yeast, with he main goal to be session ability at around 3.5%. However this time, FG was 6 points higher than intended at 1.017 down from 1039, making it approx. 2.9% ABV with loads of flavour. This particular beer was my first go at using Galaxy with loads of it in the whirlpool. With the unintended high finish and lower than my usual low-alcohol range, this beer tastes like a juicy pale ale that is fully strength. It has all the malt characteristics I was aiming for; laces the glass as intended with the mash regime I used; the balance and body I was aiming for; and the unintended pale ale flavour that I was certainly not aiming for. To bring my post to an end, one of the most rewarding features of this hobby is the frequency in which what would usually be a mistake ends up becoming a happy accident. I thought everyone could use a positive distraction from the world situation. Please share this space as a place to post your happy accidents. I love midstrength beers, definitely a happy accident !. I’ve started using wlp029, and love it, it’s a cracking strain. |
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But that's not nice so Merry Christmas to you to (With reservations 
) LOL!
