not hitting final gravity

[mrobertson]

hey guys

my pale ale has been in the fermenter for 16 days now at 21 degrees. I hit original gravity bang on at 1.052 my final gravity should have been 1.011 but over the last 3 days my gravity has read at 1.005. the yeast I have been using is WLP001. can anyone give any advice of what's when wrong? I suspect it has been a lower mash temp. I assume that this will result in the beer being dryer than expected?

 

[Simonh82]

If your mash temp was low then it would have created a more fermentable wort and you will get a lower FG. 1.005 is very low, even for WLP001 which is a strong attenuator.

Next time check the accuracy of your thermometer and aim for a slightly higher mash temp.

 

[cushyno]

In my first couple of brews I fermented low unintentionally ~62°C.
Got better attenuation with Safale S-04 than expected and ended up around 1.005-6 both times.

While the beer was thinner and lacking in body it was still quite drinkable. I wouldn't say they were too dry, but yours may be influenced by your starting gravity too. For a 4% beer and 6% that have both finished at 1.005 the 6% will likely taste drier because there is more alcohol dragging down the SG, I believe.

 

[rank_frank]

You're probably right about the cause but your beer is almost certainly quite drinkable. I've just had an IPA that due to the late addition of a saison yeast has gone from 1.074 to 0.998. I've just racked it to secondary and tasted it on the way. It's actually really nice so I hope yours is too.