Please help with Final Gravity Reading

V1113B · Post by **V1113B** » Monday Feb 12, 2007 7:24 am

Hi Everyone,

I am pretty new to this. I got a Coopers kit for Christmas and have already put my first brew through. Just the Lager with brewing sugar and I have to say it tastes great compared to what I normally buy. Extra Dry, New, Carlton Draught.

Anyway after reading some info on this site I decided to make the next one a bit more fancy. I have put down a Coopers Canadian Blonde with BE1 and 500grams LDME. Fermentation stayed at around 24 Deg. There was not a lot of activity through the air lock. Nowhere near as much as the first brew. After 7 days which was yesterday I took a reading and it was only around 1018 and starting was about 1041. This reading seems high as the first dropped down to about 1010.

I will take another reading when I get home tonight to see if it has changed. Does 1018 sound right as a final reading for this beer with these ingredients or do you think the yeast might have stoped half way through?.

Should I leave it another week? Any advice would be appreciated?

Thanks and G'Day everyone!!!

KEG · Post by **KEG** » Monday Feb 12, 2007 9:00 am

sounds like it's finished. BE1 has maltodextrin in it which is largely unfermentable, and LDME is about 25% unfermentable, so you will have a higher final gravity. wait another day or two and if it's the same, bottle away

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Monday Feb 12, 2007 9:40 am

Yeah, 1008 would be a good spot, but 1010 after a few days is fine too.

V1113B · Post by **V1113B** » Monday Feb 12, 2007 9:53 am

Thanks guys. I thought that maybe the other ingredients would make a difference but I was not sure.

So with the first brew, all the surcrose will ferment out leaving a lower gravity? With the second one with more ingredients that give more body etc stay behind to give higher FG?

Does the fact that they don't ferment out mean the alcohol volume will be lower for this beer?

Pale_Ale · Post by **Pale_Ale** » Monday Feb 12, 2007 11:02 am

Yes
Yes
Yes

gregb · Post by **gregb** » Monday Feb 12, 2007 12:24 pm

Pale_Ale wrote:Yes
Yes
Yes

It's not that good surely.

Cheers,
Greg

Pale_Ale · Post by **Pale_Ale** » Monday Feb 12, 2007 1:23 pm

I asked for it, I got it. Thanks Greg.

lethaldog · Post by **lethaldog** » Monday Feb 12, 2007 1:52 pm

V1113B wrote:Thanks guys. I thought that maybe the other ingredients would make a difference but I was not sure.

So with the first brew, all the surcrose will ferment out leaving a lower gravity? With the second one with more ingredients that give more body etc stay behind to give higher FG?

Does the fact that they don't ferment out mean the alcohol volume will be lower for this beer?

Also make sure you empty a bit through the tap before you fill your hydro tube, could be a bit of sediment playing with the reading

V1113B · Post by **V1113B** » Monday Feb 12, 2007 2:20 pm

Thanks for the tips guys. I think I might leave it until next weekend and bottle

V1113B · Post by **V1113B** » Friday Feb 16, 2007 9:56 am

OK, I have deceided that tonight is the night.
After dinner when the kitchen is cleaned up (and I have had a few beers) I will take another FG. If it is still the same I will be bottling away.
Then clean out the fermenter to get her ready to roll again.

I will be tearing up concrete to the HBS tomorrow morning to get my next batch of ingredients. Thinking I might try a LCPA clone.

Cant wait to get stuck into it!!!

V1113B · Post by **V1113B** » Friday Feb 16, 2007 9:36 pm

Update:

She is all bottled up. FG was around 1015ish so it was pretty close.

Fermenter is all spick and span sitting about half full of water with sanitiser. Ready to go again tomorrow

Might head off to bed....