Brewed up NB’s Saison All-Grain Kit about 3 weeks ago. Over the first two weeks I’d been monitoring the temps good and raised slowly to around 80 at the end. Over the last week I haven’t paid any attention to it. Checked gravity last night and I’m at 1.012, which is at the top of the style guidelines but I also missed the OG at only 1.046 (My temps were good, I think a stirring issue).
My first thought is to give it another week in primary and raise the temp again (which I have it working on now). It tastes pretty good with a little odd astringency (?) in the after taste, but it’s been a while since I’ve tried green beer!
Anyone that would intervene in another way? Pitch a diff yeast? Rouse the yeast?
A few more questions, sorry. Did you hit the mash temp of 150F? If not, what temp did you mash at? What yeast did you use? How old was it and if it was older yeast, did you make a starter? What temp did you pitch at?
Sorry, mash temp should have been 149F. If you were higher, like in the 150’s you may have more unfermented sugars and your FG would be higher. What type of efficiency did you get?
Thanks and no worries on the ?'s, I should have included that info in the beginning!
Mash temps were spot on, 149F. However my mash ratio was way off. I had trouble hitting the mash temp at first so had to add water several times, a good bit in fact. Unfortunately I don’t know exactly.
My efficiency was bad. Target OG with this kit is 1.056, and I hit 1.046. I blame my mash ratio and a lack of stirring the mash/sparge sufficiently (this was my first brew in a while).
Yeast is Belgian Ardennes, Wyeast 3522 from a smack pack. I didn’t think a starter was required with this yeast and gravity (I read that some yeast stress can help for belgians). I had the pack about a week before pitching.
I’d have to get my notes out but I usually pitch around 70. For some reason I’m thinking 68.
Sounds like you know why your eff was off. The attenuation is on the lower end of what that yeast should do, but still reasonable. After 3 weeks I don’t think rousing the yeast will do anything, especially since you’ve already raised the temps. Sounds like that yeast is just done. I would try mashing even a little lower next time if you are looking for a drier beer. Maybe 146-147F. And check the calibration on your thermometer. If it’s off even only a few degrees, that will drastically change your mash temp and the fermentable sugars in your wort.
Also, keep in mind that even calibrated thermometers can be off in the mash range. For years I could never figure out why I could never get the attenuation I expected. I checked my calibrated thermometer against a couple of other thermometers at mash temp and the calibrated one was low by 2°-2.5°.
