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Author Topic: Troubleshooting Final Gravity  (Read 2402 times)

Offline Robert

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Re: Troubleshooting Final Gravity
« Reply #15 on: October 14, 2018, 11:59:25 am »



But higher temps would encourage fermentation, not hinder it.  Unless your fermentation got to over 115F.
Well, some yeasts are sensitive to temperatures lower than 115°, some will crap out at 90°, but ambient the 70s is just going to get you to fermentation temperatures that give off flavors,  not dead yeast.  The point is spot on that you should have seen accelerated a activity.  I don't think it's a yeast issue here.  But temperature control is still one of the most valuable additions you can make to your brewery.  Should come before all the other bells and whistles.

Hey, Rob, for my own edification what yeasts crap out at 90F?
I think pretty much any lager yeast will stop at 90° but I'm being a bit pedantic there I guess.  Nobody's likely to be in that situation, except maybe in propagation.  Which would then stop being propagation.   I don't know if any ale strains would shut down before they're dead.  But not many will make beer you want to drink under those conditions. Sorry to distract.

(One old test to differentiate ale and lager yeast was to incubate them at 90°, and if they didn't die, they were ale yeast!)
« Last Edit: October 14, 2018, 12:11:06 pm by Robert »
Rob Stein
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Offline denny

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Re: Troubleshooting Final Gravity
« Reply #16 on: October 14, 2018, 12:34:49 pm »



But higher temps would encourage fermentation, not hinder it.  Unless your fermentation got to over 115F.
Well, some yeasts are sensitive to temperatures lower than 115°, some will crap out at 90°, but ambient the 70s is just going to get you to fermentation temperatures that give off flavors,  not dead yeast.  The point is spot on that you should have seen accelerated a activity.  I don't think it's a yeast issue here.  But temperature control is still one of the most valuable additions you can make to your brewery.  Should come before all the other bells and whistles.

Hey, Rob, for my own edification what yeasts crap out at 90F?
I think pretty much any lager yeast will stop at 90° but I'm being a bit pedantic there I guess.  Nobody's likely to be in that situation, except maybe in propagation.  Which would then stop being propagation.   I don't know if any ale strains would shut down before they're dead.  But not many will make beer you want to drink under those conditions. Sorry to distract.

(One old test to differentiate ale and lager yeast was to incubate them at 90°, and if they didn't die, they were ale yeast!)

OK, now I'm gonna be guilty of diversion...I'm not aware of any lager strain that will shut down at 90F.  But that's exact;y what I mean...I'm not aware.  I'll see if I can get any info from my friends at Wyeast.  I'll also see Chris White in Australia in a couple weeks and I'll try to remember to ask him.
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Offline BrewBama

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Troubleshooting Final Gravity
« Reply #17 on: October 14, 2018, 12:41:01 pm »
I believe the yeast did exactly what it was bred to do. As most English strains, S-04 does not process maltotriose so it leaves undigestible sugars therefore leaves the gravity ‘high’. You have to plan for high FG when using this yeast.

I believe repitching the same yeast will not produce any difference in FG. If a yeast that can digest maltotriose was re pitched I believe a change in FG will be seen.

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« Last Edit: October 14, 2018, 12:48:45 pm by BrewBama »

Offline Robert

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Re: Troubleshooting Final Gravity
« Reply #18 on: October 14, 2018, 12:41:30 pm »




But higher temps would encourage fermentation, not hinder it.  Unless your fermentation got to over 115F.
Well, some yeasts are sensitive to temperatures lower than 115°, some will crap out at 90°, but ambient the 70s is just going to get you to fermentation temperatures that give off flavors,  not dead yeast.  The point is spot on that you should have seen accelerated a activity.  I don't think it's a yeast issue here.  But temperature control is still one of the most valuable additions you can make to your brewery.  Should come before all the other bells and whistles.

Hey, Rob, for my own edification what yeasts crap out at 90F?
I think pretty much any lager yeast will stop at 90° but I'm being a bit pedantic there I guess.  Nobody's likely to be in that situation, except maybe in propagation.  Which would then stop being propagation.   I don't know if any ale strains would shut down before they're dead.  But not many will make beer you want to drink under those conditions. Sorry to distract.

(One old test to differentiate ale and lager yeast was to incubate them at 90°, and if they didn't die, they were ale yeast!)

OK, now I'm gonna be guilty of diversion...I'm not aware of any lager strain that will shut down at 90F.  But that's exact;y what I mean...I'm not aware.  I'll see if I can get any info from my friends at Wyeast.  I'll also see Chris White in Australia in a couple weeks and I'll try to remember to ask him.
Chris has a paragraph or two on it in his book with Jamil.  If anybody knows about lager and heat it would be an actual Australian.
Rob Stein
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Offline Robert

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Re: Troubleshooting Final Gravity
« Reply #19 on: October 14, 2018, 12:44:48 pm »
I believe the yeast did exactly what it was bred to do. S-04 does not process maltotriose so it leaves undigestible sugars therefore leaves the gravity ‘high’. You have to plan for high FG when using this yeast.


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True.  They list it as "highly attenuative" but I find with typical worts mashed around 150°, 70% is about what you can actually expect.  A high mash temperature would bring this down significantly.   Check that thermometer.
Rob Stein
Akron, Ohio

I'd rather have questions I can't answer than answers I can't question.

Offline RustyPlaneWoodworking

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Re: Troubleshooting Final Gravity
« Reply #20 on: October 15, 2018, 11:51:37 am »
1.043 OG.  Was that measured pre or post boil? And did you compensate for temperature of the wort when taking the reading?

I want to say I took that measurement post boil, but I honestly can't recall.

Def something else to write down for next brew session...pre-boil vs post-boil readings.

*facepalm*

Offline RustyPlaneWoodworking

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Re: Troubleshooting Final Gravity
« Reply #21 on: October 15, 2018, 11:53:31 am »
I believe the yeast did exactly what it was bred to do. As most English strains, S-04 does not process maltotriose so it leaves undigestible sugars therefore leaves the gravity ‘high’. You have to plan for high FG when using this yeast.

I believe repitching the same yeast will not produce any difference in FG. If a yeast that can digest maltotriose was re pitched I believe a change in FG will be seen.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Interesting. So, with a 9lb grain bill, I likely wasn't going to get much out of this batch anyway.

Offline RustyPlaneWoodworking

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Re: Troubleshooting Final Gravity
« Reply #22 on: October 15, 2018, 11:54:29 am »



But higher temps would encourage fermentation, not hinder it.  Unless your fermentation got to over 115F.
Well, some yeasts are sensitive to temperatures lower than 115°, some will crap out at 90°, but ambient the 70s is just going to get you to fermentation temperatures that give off flavors,  not dead yeast.  The point is spot on that you should have seen accelerated a activity.  I don't think it's a yeast issue here.  But temperature control is still one of the most valuable additions you can make to your brewery.  Should come before all the other bells and whistles.

A valuable lesson here indeed...

I'm adding a weldless thermometer to the mashtun bulkhead so I can better dial in my strike water temp and mash-in/mash-out temps.

Now...how to get the wife to not get overly suspicious of a new keezer in the garage...
« Last Edit: October 15, 2018, 11:56:23 am by RustyPlaneWoodworking »