First recipe help

[Jazzy_J]

Hey everyone. Let me preface this by saying my wife and I just had a baby girl. She is healthy and happy and the sweetest thing ever.

She also keeps me up at night.

Now to the beer. Right before going to the hospital, I ordered some stuff to create my first extract recipe. I've made one kit before, which got ruined by fusel alcohols, so I was excited. So while Leia was not letting me sleep, I decided to make the recipe. I wanted a lower abv session ale, with between 10-15% caramel malt for some body. Because of sleep deprivation I screwed the pooch on the amounts, and added 1.5lbs to my 5 gallon batch. This is what I ended up with:

Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.012
ABV (standard): 4.86%
IBU (tinseth): 32.58
SRM (morey): 7.24
FERMENTABLES:
1 lb - Dry Malt Extract - Light (15.4%)
4 lb - Dry Malt Extract - Light - (late addition) (61.5%)
STEEPING GRAINS:
1.5 lb - American - Caramel / Crystal 20L (23.1%)
HOPS:
10 g - Mosaic, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.7, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 23.16
3 g - Citra, Type: Pellet, AA: 13.5, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 2.68
3 g - Galaxy, Type: Pellet, AA: 15.7, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 3.11
3 g - Mosaic, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.7, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 2.52
1 g - Citra, Type: Pellet, AA: 13.5, Use: Whirlpool, IBU: 0.36
1 g - Galaxy, Type: Pellet, AA: 15.7, Use: Whirlpool, IBU: 0.41
1 g - Mosaic, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.7, Use: Whirlpool, IBU: 0.34
YEAST:
LalBrew - LALBREW® BRY-97 WEST COAST ALE YEAST

I didn't realize my mistake until a few days later, and now I'm thinking my beer will be a dessert beer. What do you think should be the way to fix this?

1) Accept defeat and learn the lesson while drinking my alcoholic syrup.

2) Make another wort with only fermentable sugars, and replace a portion of the current batch to lower the sweetness and increase the abv.

3) Up the carbonation in the bottles and make beer soda.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[Steve Ruch]

With a f g of 1.012 it shouldn't be all that sweet. I say let it ride and see what it's like when fully carbed.

 

[Nosybear]

Hey everyone. Let me preface this by saying my wife and I just had a baby girl. She is healthy and happy and the sweetest thing ever.

She also keeps me up at night.

Now to the beer. Right before going to the hospital, I ordered some stuff to create my first extract recipe. I've made one kit before, which got ruined by fusel alcohols, so I was excited. So while Leia was not letting me sleep, I decided to make the recipe. I wanted a lower abv session ale, with between 10-15% caramel malt for some body. Because of sleep deprivation I screwed the pooch on the amounts, and added 1.5lbs to my 5 gallon batch. This is what I ended up with:

Original Gravity: 1.049
Final Gravity: 1.012
ABV (standard): 4.86%
IBU (tinseth): 32.58
SRM (morey): 7.24
FERMENTABLES:
1 lb - Dry Malt Extract - Light (15.4%)
4 lb - Dry Malt Extract - Light - (late addition) (61.5%)
STEEPING GRAINS:
1.5 lb - American - Caramel / Crystal 20L (23.1%)
HOPS:
10 g - Mosaic, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.7, Use: Boil for 60 min, IBU: 23.16
3 g - Citra, Type: Pellet, AA: 13.5, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 2.68
3 g - Galaxy, Type: Pellet, AA: 15.7, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 3.11
3 g - Mosaic, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.7, Use: Boil for 10 min, IBU: 2.52
1 g - Citra, Type: Pellet, AA: 13.5, Use: Whirlpool, IBU: 0.36
1 g - Galaxy, Type: Pellet, AA: 15.7, Use: Whirlpool, IBU: 0.41
1 g - Mosaic, Type: Pellet, AA: 12.7, Use: Whirlpool, IBU: 0.34
YEAST:
LalBrew - LALBREW® BRY-97 WEST COAST ALE YEAST

I didn't realize my mistake until a few days later, and now I'm thinking my beer will be a dessert beer. What do you think should be the way to fix this?

1) Accept defeat and learn the lesson while drinking my alcoholic syrup.

2) Make another wort with only fermentable sugars, and replace a portion of the current batch to lower the sweetness and increase the abv.

3) Up the carbonation in the bottles and make beer soda.

Any help is appreciated!

Make a dry beer and blend the two?

 

[Jazzy_J]

With a f g of 1.012 it shouldn't be all that sweet. I say let it ride and see what it's like when fully carbed.

That's what I'm hoping. How accurate is the recipe creator on here is for measuring fermentability from steeping grains?

 

[Jazzy_J]

Make a dry beer and blend the two?

This will be my safety. If it ends up being too sweet once fermentation has stopped, I think I will make a small (1gal) batch of dry wort with similar IBU and hop that blending them does the trick. Think the yeast will pick back up and go to work again?

 

[Mark Farrall]

Maltose doesn't come across as sweet as fructose or sucrose. So while it's not going to be crisp and dry I don't think it'll be as sweet as you fear. I'd do as Steve suggests and carb it up.

 

[Jazzy_J]

Maltose doesn't come across as sweet as fructose or sucrose. So while it's not going to be crisp and dry I don't think it'll be as sweet as you fear. I'd do as Steve suggests and carb it up.

Fingers crossed! I appreciate the optimism

 

[Blackmuse]

Fingers crossed! I appreciate the optimism

- Note too that you have a pretty solid hop build (at least in my opinion (I typically stay well below 30 IBUs since I like 'em malty)) so that should help off-set the caramel malt. If your attenuation drops as much as expected or better it will help too.

Be sure to let us know how it pans out!

 

[jmcnamara]

Congrats on the baby!

 

[Jazzy_J]

Congrats on the baby!

Thank you!

 

[Jazzy_J]

- Note too that you have a pretty solid hop build (at least in my opinion (I typically stay well below 30 IBUs since I like 'em malty)) so that should help off-set the caramel malt. If your attenuation drops as much as expected or better it will help too.

Be sure to let us know how it pans out!

This gives me hope

 

[Jazzy_J]

UPDATE

So I woke up this morning and went to check on the beer, and it is still fermenting a week later. Still has a fairly thick krausen, along with airlock activity. I took a hydrometer reading and it is currently at 1.016. I tasted the sample, and it is certainly not as sweet as I imagined it to be, though it definitely tastes like young beer. I think it will be tasty after all. However, given how much activity is going on (krausen on top, rush of bubbles in 3-piece airlock every 5 seconds), will this likely drop below the expected gravity? Here is some brewing info:

Brewed on Saturday, finished around 2pm
Initial reading was 1.046 (beer was around 75 degrees when I took the reading, with bottled water mixed in).
Pitched 1 pack of yeast, rehydrated according to instructions on packet
Fermented at 59-63 degrees for first 4 days, activity began Sunday afternoon
Increased temp to 68-70 over the course of two days (Beginning Wednesday), currently fermenting at this temp
First reading post pitch was today (Saturday). Still very hazy, tastes pretty decent, just need the flavors to meld a little better.

Given the state of things, how long should I let it condition on the yeast cake before moving it? I will be bottling, so there will be additional conditioning in there. For the record, I like hazy beers, so I won't be taking any additional steps to clear the beer.

Thanks for all the info guys!

 

[Craigerrr]

Leave it for at least another week. I believe that BRY-97 is a Chico strain, so basically the same as US-05. No need to rush it off of the yeast cake. And it should finish up around 1010, or 1009. That is out of your control, this little organisms will do what it is that they do, and they will do it on their own schedule. I have used US-05 numerous times, it needs a solid 2 weeks. Best thing is to RDWHAHB, and check back on it in a week.

 

[Nosybear]

This will be my safety. If it ends up being too sweet once fermentation has stopped, I think I will make a small (1gal) batch of dry wort with similar IBU and hop that blending them does the trick. Think the yeast will pick back up and go to work again?

No, to blend, ferment the beer first. Putting new wort in with the tired old yeast will just perpetuate your problem. Blend the finished beers.

 

[Blackmuse]

will this likely drop below the expected gravity?

Possibly. You'd be surprised though... Not to worry though it will be great as long as you give it the time it needs.

 

[Jazzy_J]

Hey guys, just an update for anyone that is curious. Going to keg the beer tomorrow. I've been sampling whenever I've taken gravity readings, and it is absolutely delicious. Very citrusy, not too bitter. Successful brew, will post a picture!

 

[Hawkbox]

noice. That's always a nice outcome.