Final gravity

[Jivinwilly70]

What are some of the reasons that the final gravity is higher than the style guide?  Ex: style guide for final gravity is 1.010-1.016, and final is 1.026.  OG was within recommended values. ??

[BOB357]

Grist composition, grain crush, mash temperature, yeast strain, pitching rate and viability are major players. Do you have a problem with a specific beer? If so, posting your recipe and specifics of your process would be the best way to get help here.

If you're using a refractometer to measure final gravity, you need to use a calculator due to the presence of alcohol. Also, it's important that all of your measuring devices are properly calibrated.

[Oginme]

To add to what BOB357 has stated, the style guide is just a guide.  It has no bearing on how a recipe comes out, but serves to steer the person developing the recipe in what generally serves as a representation of that style.  That said, there are more than a few commercial beers of a given style which would not fit the guidelines.

To restate BOB357's comment, if there is a specific recipe you are questioning or need help with, feel free to export it as a .bsmx file and post it here.

[dtapke]

Yes, Please post the recipe, and furthermore is the question directed at a recipe you're building or a beer you've brewed?

If your FG was supposed to be 1.010 and instead it was 1.026 that is an entirely different question/answer than if your proposed recipe FG is 1.026 and you're trying to build to a style that has a range of 1.010-1.016 and wish to target closer to the style guideline.

If building a recipe for all grain, this is quite likely a mash profile difference, or a grist selection issue. If brewing extract this is almost certainly an extract/steeping grain selection issue.

[Kevin58]

I used to be a slave to style guidelines but the more I learn about beer and beer history the more I discover the guidelines are rubbish. There is so much misinformation in the descriptions of some beers that clearly do not match the factual, historic record that it destroys all confidence in the whole process. If you are planning to enter the world of competition then by all means you will have to follow the guidelines or you will never succeed. Otherwise use your own senses. If you like London porter, drink as many examples as you can. Learn about them and then make something similar that makes you happy.

[Oginme]

I used to be a slave to style guidelines but the more I learn about beer and beer history the more I discover the guidelines are rubbish. There is so much misinformation in the descriptions of some beers that clearly do not match the factual, historic record that it destroys all confidence in the whole process. If you are planning to enter the world of competition then by all means you will have to follow the guidelines or you will never succeed. Otherwise use your own senses. If you like London porter, drink as many examples as you can. Learn about them and then make something similar that makes you happy.

I would phrase it slightly different.  The style guidelines are there for judges and competitions.  They in no way describe historical styles, but reflect modern commercial examples of those styles.  Even then, many commercial breweries have their own take on a style and do not apply strict adherence to a given style.

For homebrewers, they provide a basic outline of what it takes to produce a beer that matches a given style.  They are not prescriptive, but informational.  I enjoy matching some styles to hone my brewing skills or because I really like that style the way it is described and brewed.  Others, I take in the direction I want for the flavors, aromas, and sensory experience that I want.