So i recently fermented a pale ale but only was able to transfer just under 4 gallons of my planned 5.5 gallons into my fermenter due to transfer issues. My final gravity is shooting past my 1.018 estimate and is creeping towards 1.010 and is finally slowing down. So my question is with my lower amount of beer the reason my fermentation is going that direction?

tl;dr version: why does S/Bayanus ferment sucrose to an apparent attenuation of more than 95% while S/Cerevisiae ferments it to an apparent attenuation of about 65-70%? Details: I've been experimenting with sugar wash fermentations, using white table sugar (sucrose) and S/Cerevisiae yeast strains marketed as distilling yeast. Attenuation proceeded from an OG of 1,100-1.110 to an SG of around 1.030 (apparent attenuation about 65-70%). This matches what Beersmith predicts, e.g. using 5kg dextrose in an 18 litre batch size with, …

I recently brewed a new 5 gallon batch of hefeweizen. Measured OG was 1.054, I then racked to secondary fermentation after a couple of weeks, the last week of that had had no visible yeast activity. Measured gravity at that point was 1.014. Based on back of the enveloppe calculations, I am looking at an apparent attenuation of 74% which is a bit on the low side. I am debating whether it is good enough to bottle or whether I …

I've got a brew that's been on primary fermentation for 10 days and still haven't seen any activity in the airlock (again). Gravity has dropped from 1.040 to 1.014, but I'd still like to raise the alcohol content a little and am worried the beer will come out flat (much like my previous attempt). I believe the problem is that it's too damn hot here and the yeast have been killed off, despite keeping the fermenter under an aircon vent …

A little bit of background: I finished brewing a black IPA and pitched yeast around 5:00 on Sunday. Admittedly, the wort was a little warm (75F), because it was 9 degrees outside and I was in a hurry to get back inside. The yeast was made from Wyyeast #1056. I made a starter on Thursday, after the major activity had subsided, I put it in the refrigerator overnight, decanted the wort and added more boiled wort. On brew day I …

I've been taking the original gravity and multiplying the apparent attenuation of the yeast. For instance: 1.040 OG x 75% apparent attenuation = 1.010 expected FG But I never seem to get there. My fermentations look really healthy. Are my expectations realistic? Is this just hard to get right? Here's a real world example: I made a beer using this recipe: 0.5 lb 40L Caramalt 3.3 lbs extra-light LME 1 lb extra-light DME 1 oz Fuggle @ 60 mins 1 …

I am brewing with fermentis S-04 and from experience (three years ago) I know that this yeast is slow. This weekend I brewed a small batch and today the attenuation is 83% (according to the yeast's specification it should be 75% at most) only 4 days have passed. I suspect it's contamination, could it be something else? Edit: Its a 18 liter (4.7 gal) batch and the recipe is 5Kg (11 pounds) of 6-rows base malt and 1 Kg (2.2 …

Does the percentage attenuation of the yeast, directly match the fermentability of the wort, ie, If i am after a one fifth gravity beer, then that has attenuated by 80% . so is the spirit indication and ash content taken into consideration for the final gravity result? As I see that yeasts can vary widely in there purported attenuation. from low 65% to high 80%. So, how do I match the fermentability of the wort with a particular attentive yeast …

I've heard a lot of mixed stories about people adding additional enzymes (Beano, GasX, etc) to their beers to drop the final gravity down very (sometimes undesirably) low. I've also hear mixed ideas on when it should be added. As per a comment in a previous question of mine, there's been experience with adding it at kegging to assist with dropping the FG after the fact in the case of a botched attenuation, with the consequence of having to lengthen …

Attenuation is the % of sugars a yeast will consume during fermentation, and is a general gauge of how much ABV will result from a specific OG solution. We all know that the attenuation of a specific yeast has a % rating on its data sheet. But how is this number calculated and given an officially accepted value for its data sheet? Yesterday I attended a private class at a White Labs San Diego. Hoping to get a clear answer …

I've got a SMaSH beer (Baird Maris Otter and EKG) finishing in primary. It's been fermenting for just over a week. Starting Gravity was 1.046. I mashed at 154F for 60 minutes. Fermented with WY1335 British Ale II. I didn't make a starter, since the yeast was very fresh, ~95% viability. I oxygenated with pure O2 for 90 seconds. High krausen was observed at 36 hours, and fermentation was vigorous. 1335 is described as medium attenuation, high flocculation. I expected …

Working with a 1.060 original gravity wort, mashed at 152F, and using the WLP565 Dupont yeast (that is known to stall), when should the brewer investigate if adding a secondary strain of yeast will be required? Is there a rule of thumb or accepted practice that suggests if X% of expected attenuation is not complete by Y days, then attenuation will very likely require a very long time? Of course there are various options for the brewer, such as raising …

I've just measured the final gravity of a Belgian beer I've been brewing and it came out 4 points below the expected according to Beersmith: 1.022 rather than 1.018. It was 14 days in the fermenter. I should say that I haven't controlled the gravity throughout the fermentation so I'm not sure it finished. Now, my issue is that Beersmith's database marks the T-58 with a 71-75 range but Fermentis sheet says 70%. According to my measurements (OG 1.078, FG …

More reading - this time about bottle conditioning. If my yeast attenuation level is say 80%, does that mean there would be enough sugars in the bottle for the yeast to carb the beer? Or would priming sugar still need to be added... Thanks in advance!

What attenuation percentages have people actually seen with this yeast? The back of the package specifies the attenuation as "HIGH", but my own experience suggest that it is medium or low.

I have brewed 3 all-grain batches now that have a high final gravity: Imperial IPA: Target OG - 1.079, Target FG - 1.011, Actual OG - 1.070, Actual FG - 1.020, Yeast - US-05. Common attenuation range seems to be 73% - 78%. Apparent Attenuation: 70% American Pale Wheat Ale: Target OG - 1.064, Target FG - 1.018, Actual OG - 1.054, Actual FG - 1.022, Yeast - White Labs WLP051. Advertised attenuation range: 75% - 80% Apparent Attenuation: 58% …

So I drink a lot of beer (go figure) and I try to characterize it each time. How much carbonation there is, what color it is, mouth feel, what specific flavors are involved, how hoppy it is, how malty it is, and many other things. Many of these things correspond to things that can be measured numerically or are at least partially determined by commonly measured things (like how mouth feel and specific gravity are related but not the same) …

I'm brewing an IPA using Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood Ale) and it seems stuck. I'm brewing 19L (5G) with an OG of 1.052 and pitched two (smacked) smackpacks of 1187 straight into the primary bucket. I used a 1/2 tsp of Wyeast nutrient in the boil, too. Temperature has been pretty even between 19-22C. I had about 24 hours lag time before any activity, followed by furious fermentation for about 24 hours and then bubbling stopped. It's now 5 days later …

So I am brewing lots of bitters using WLP002. Typically, I mash a grist with around 10-15% specialty malts at 66 C and ferment at 20 C. (I use BIAB and dunk sparging.) The typical situation is that after 2 weeks the SG is around 1.013 with all activity stopped, a huge cake of cheesy WLP002 on the bottom of the fermenter. Samples taste great. Then, I bottle the beer, and sometimes fermentation kicks in again, the finished beer reaching …

If you pitch champagne yeast into your wort from the start will it attenuate further than done with an appropriate pitch of standard american ale yeast (say WLP001)? I think people use champagne yeast to help a stalled ferment or when the alcohol content is getting too high. But I don't think that champagne yeast does a particularly good job on thins like maltose or maltotriose. But maybe I am wrong.