Specific gravity at different places in the fermenter?

[ssashton]

I pitched a 'lager' brew in my plastic pressure barrel on Sunday evening 9pm at OG1044 but got 1012 only 42 hours later. Seems unusual!

Simpsons Finest Lager Malt 4.5Kg
Weyerman Carapils 0.25kg
30g Citra 10mins
70g Citra 75C 20mins hop-stand
OG 1044.

Pitched 1 sachet of MJ Bohemian Lager Yeast (with ~6 hours in warm wort beforehand, nice and bubbly).

I put the fermenter in my cellar which is 16C. The fermenter stayed about 18C due to activity.

After 24 hours there was off-gassing from the pressure valve maintaining 10psi and some krausen visible though the opaque plastic.

I took a sample from the bottom mounted tap on Tuesday lunch time and got a reading of 1012!

I gently swirled the fermenter (magnet holding dry hop sock to lid) and took another sample. It was highly carbonated but I gave it a few hours to come to room temp in the kitchen and de-carbonate. Still 1012.

Since I believe this is a bottom fermenting yeast, could it be that I am getting very low gravity readings from the bottom mounted tap, but the beer higher up is still busy fermenting?

I find it very unusual that a lager yeast at 16C environment went this quick. I had a brew of Two Hearted (higher OG) down there a couple months ago when it was warmer and that took about 8 days to hit FG and the krausen was huge!

 

[ssashton]

Just thought to check and right now the fermenter has cooled to ambient temp about 16C.

 

[Ben034]

Seems quite quick, but at 16-18c not impossible from an OG of 1044. Given that your basically fermenting at ale temps, I wouldn't worry. Give it another week anyway to clean up. It may go further - depending on yeast and process. Down to 1007 wouldn't be unusual.