- strike water: 4.1 gal @ 158 degrees
- 6 lb. 2 row malt
- 0.5 lb crystal
- a dash of carapils
- a dash of rice hulls
- milled grains @ ~0.050
- first brew using anvil recirc kit
- lemondrop hops 5.1% alpha acid
- 1 oz @ 0 min
- 1 oz @ 30 min
- 1 oz @ 60min
- 1 oz dry hop
- OG: 1.050
- Pitched US-05 straight out of the fridge
- started fermentation in the basement
- moved fermentation bucket upstairs the next morning because it was only 58 degrees.
- Tuesday morning (2/23), airlock is bubbling
- FG was 1.025
- ABV 3.5% - I guess we'll call this a session ale.
- Fermentation stalled, I believe pitching straight out of the fridge into 75 degree wort and then moving to 58 degree basement was likely the issue.
- Mash temp spiked to 154 degrees when the anvil was running, this may have also contributed to high FG. Will run at 50% power during mash from now on.
- Kegged beer at 12 PSI.
This didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would considering fermentation stalled. The extra malty flavor isn't really allowing the hop flavor to come through. The low ABV is also reducing bitterness quite a bit. If i drink a pint on an empty stomach, I can almost feel a buzz. After a fair amount of research, I believe a number of factors led to high FG:
- mash temp was too high ranging from 152-155, will mash at 75% power from now on.
- fermentation started in the basement where it was too cold at 58 degrees
- lack of aeration after pitching the yeast
I'm still trying to find the right carbonation levels for my new keg setup and fridge, so this is a good learning brew.
Note: Fermentation didn't actually stall. Refractometers don't accurately measure liquid that contains alcohol.
