Yeast Feedback? Other input?

[Brewer #416107]

What I'm wondering about mostly is the yeast I should use and the final gravity. I had bought some WLP002 but with it's attenuation it looked like my FG would be pretty high. The recipe below shows London Ale, which still shows a high FG for an Old Ale. I'm wondering if I should use something like Wyeast Irish Ale where it will have a higher attenuation and get my beer down to a good FG and give me the higher ABV I'm hoping for. I will be adding Wyeast yeast nutrient and 02 in the cooled wort. I can temp control as well. I won't take any offense if you guys pick this recipe apart. It is my first both doing an all grain beer and making an all grain recipe. Don't know what my efficiency is yet so I'm kind of stabbing in the dark.

 

[BilltownBrewingCo]

If you're trying to get the gravity down, I would recommend mashing at a substantially lower temperature than 156, that may be part of the issue. I would also recommend WLP 007 (London Dry Ale Yeast) I think the Wyeast Equivilent is 1098 brittish ale. It should give you the same profile as 1028, but with better attenuation.

 

[Megary]

I don't think 1.024 is a high FG for an Old Ale at all. Actually, that's right around the bullseye if you ask me. And I think 1028 is a perfect yeast for an Old Ale and will attenuate every bit as well as 1084, if not more.

But it's all about what your goals are.

 

[BilltownBrewingCo]

I don't think 1.024 is a high FG for an Old Ale at all. Actually, that's right around the bullseye if you ask me. And I think 1028 is a perfect yeast for an Old Ale and will attenuate every bit as well as 1084, if not more.

But it's all about what your goals are.

I would agree with this as well. I gave feedback assuming that he wanted a lower gravity, but 1.024 is perfectly acceptable for the style.

 

[Bigbre04]

I don't think 1.024 is a high FG for an Old Ale at all. Actually, that's right around the bullseye if you ask me. And I think 1028 is a perfect yeast for an Old Ale and will attenuate every bit as well as 1084, if not more.

But it's all about what your goals are.

Dang thats about 6 P. That is very sweet to me. I am not familiar with an Old Ale though. That is where i would expect beers with lactose to finish. Maybe it would work with that amount of bittering hop but i dunno. It would also be a little sketch to bottle carb that IMO.

What I'm wondering about mostly is the yeast I should use and the final gravity. I had bought some WLP002 but with it's attenuation it looked like my FG would be pretty high. The recipe below shows London Ale, which still shows a high FG for an Old Ale. I'm wondering if I should use something like Wyeast Irish Ale where it will have a higher attenuation and get my beer down to a good FG and give me the higher ABV I'm hoping for. I will be adding Wyeast yeast nutrient and 02 in the cooled wort. I can temp control as well. I won't take any offense if you guys pick this recipe apart. It is my first both doing an all grain beer and making an all grain recipe. Don't know what my efficiency is yet so I'm kind of stabbing in the dark.

I would personally shoot for a lower Mash temp. 150-152 would leave plenty of bigger sugars to stay malty without being overly sweet.

https://www.bjcp.org/style/2015/17/17B/old-ale/

I would try to get the FG down a little bit. BJCP lists 1.022 as the top end for the style. Maybe work towards a midrange of 1.018???

Looks like the grain bill is good. Hops are on the higher side but still within the style guidelines.

I would adjust the mash temp and send it! (possibly with a higher attenuating yeast)

 

[Brewer #416107]

Thanks for the input. All this makes sense and is helping me out. With some 1098 I can get 1.017 just adjusting the temp. With the WLP002 that I already have it would have a FG of 1.023. When it comes to the IBU's, I figured around 50 would help with the sweetness of the beer. I did add Black Patent though to try to counter the sweetness as well. Should I aim for maybe around 45? Also, recommendations for using light toast oak chips in secondary? I read somewhere you want between 10-60 grams for an old ale. It isn't very much though so I wanted some feedback on that too.

 

[Bigbre04]

Thanks for the input. All this makes sense and is helping me out. With some 1098 I can get 1.017 just adjusting the temp. With the WLP002 that I already have it would have a FG of 1.023. When it comes to the IBU's, I figured around 50 would help with the sweetness of the beer. I did add Black Patent though to try to counter the sweetness as well. Should I aim for maybe around 45? Also, recommendations for using light toast oak chips in secondary? I read somewhere you want between 10-60 grams for an old ale. It isn't very much though so I wanted some feedback on that too.

this is getting deep man lol.

I am not super up on the different yeasties, but if you have something that would work on hand then roll with it. Adjusting the temp down would be a great first step. I do alot of brews at 149 to 151 and it yields a nice middle ground.

I love black patent. It doesnt really add a ton of flavor, but it adds some roasty flavor. I dont know if you have any Roasted barley, but that would be a good fit for this recipe in a small amount. You could split the total percentage of the black patent and the Roasted so that it isnt overpowering.

I know that you have this recipe, but you might wanna do your first all grain batch on something simple and easy to get your efficiency numbers more dialed in. not trying to be a negative-Nancy. The costs and time might be better spent on a training wheels recipe?

So transferring to secondary isnt really the best option unless you have a good setup. You can pickup a lot of O2 and possible infections. I would avoid it if possible.

Wood chips would have to be done in secondary. One cool option would be to get one of those little barrels and pull some off into the little barrel and then pack the rest and do a comparison over time. But that being said there are extra steps that need to be followed when dealing with barrels.

 

[Steve Ruch]

WLP002 drops out pretty quickly. You can get a lower final gravity by rousing it back into suspension a time or two.