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Trying to decide if my beer is done and ready to keg

OzarkBrewer

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I brewed a 10 gal. batch of Octoberfest 29 days ago.  Gravity at end of brew going into fermenters was 1.060.  3 or 4 days ago I checked it and it was at 1.020, I have checked it again twice since then and it still remains at 1.020.  According to my brew profile in BeerSmith I should have been around 1.012 at end of fermentation but because of the time it's been fermenting and the fact that gravity hasn't changed, I'm assuming it is done.

What do you think?  If it is done at 1.020 how do I calculated what the final A.B.V. is?
 
Is 1.020 an alcohol corrected gravity? Did you use a hydrometer or a refractometer to get your gravities? On the Tools menu you'll find Hydrometer Adjust, Refractometer, and % Alcohol Attenuation. Plug your numbers into one of that applies to you.
 
If gravity hasn't changed for a few days, it's most likely done.
(OG - FG) x 131.25 = ABV%
 
Thanks!  So what can be said or learned when the final gravity per recipe was estimated to be 1.012 - 13 and it doesn't make it there?
 
Did you hit your mash temperature?
  If your mash temperature was high, maybe you have more unfermentables than you had intended.  When estimating FG, one of the
  things that BS assumes is that you hit your mash temperature.
Did you make a starter and did you have a high enough yeast cell count for the brew?
  If you underpitched your yeast, they will be a little stressed and may not have been healthy enough to finish the job.  1.060 SG isn't
  too high of a starting gravity, but it is high enough that I would have made a starter.
How old what your yeast packet?
  If it was old enough and you didn't make a starter, you underpitched.  There are yeast calculators (Mr. Malty being one), that can tell
  you approximately how many viable cells are actually in your yeast package, based on the date it was packaged.
Did you use yeast nutrient?
  I always use yeast nutrient, to make sure that my yeasties have what they need to build solid cell walls and multiply well, so that
  even if I slightly underpitched, they will have what they need to make up for anything that I didn't do perfectly.
Did you oxygenate your wort really well?
  During the first phases of fermentation your yeast need a lot of oxygen to get healthy and make lots of baby yeast.  If you don't give
  them enough oxygen, they won't be at their best and will be stressed after they use up what little oxygen they start with.

Think of it not as making beer, but as growing a vibrant healthy yeast community in your fermenter.  If you put enough yeast in that community and give them all of the things that they need, they'll be much happier and much more productive. 

However, if you give them a big job (eating a lot of sugar and making alcohol and CO2) and don't put a large enough supply of workers there to do the job, and don't give them the tools to do the job properly, they'll get stressed out and won't finish the job.
 
From Beersmith Alcohol and Attenuation
1.060 OG
1.020 FG
Apparent Attenuation 65.4%
5.3% alcohol by volume
Style wise your a little over on OG (1.050-1.057)
FG is also a little over (1.012-1.016)
ABV is OK (4.8%- 5.7%)
I'd say you were there.
 
thank you all for the input and I'm o.k. with 5.3% but I just don't feel I got were I should have for some unknown reason and it kinda bothers me because I am very particular on brew day and I strive to hit my numbers and temps and times.

Scott, here's my notes on brew day:  I started with 26 qrt. water and put it in mash tun @ 160.4 degrees, stirred in my malt and grains and mashed for 90 min. It maintained right around that temp. maybe dropping to 158 degrees toward the 90 min. mark.  At 90 min. I did my first runnings and then added 4 gal. @ 178 degrees and ran this amount through until I had my sought after pre-boil volume that I know I need according to my previous 5 all grain batches.

I am always concerned about yeast and whether they are fresh and I didn't know all that you said about going with a starter especially when SG is where it was.  I will take note.  The yeast I use is in liquid form and I usually do well with that.  This time they seemed to wait a while to start showing any action and I was concerned but then they took off and for several days just bumbled the air-locks like crazy but it was a little short lived.  I will do a starter from now on. I would like a look at my above info. as any input helps.  thanks!
 
At 160F you're going to have some complex sugars that the yeast won't be able to handle, so I'd say that you're there too.  I'd check gravity for three straight days.  If it doesn't drop at all over those three days, bottle or keg it.
 
Scott Ickes said:
At 160F you're going to have some complex sugars that the yeast won't be able to handle, so I'd say that you're there too.  I'd check gravity for three straight days.  If it doesn't drop at all over those three days, bottle or keg it.

+1.  I always trust the hydrometer.  That, and definately make a yeast starter if you are doing 10 gallon batches.
 
You don't say what yeast you used, some attenuate more than others. 65% is a little on the low side but I'd guess it's finished.
 
I used White Labs Octoberfest Liq. Yeast.  Had n early Halloween party Sat. night and had great response to my beer even after only being kegged for less than a week. I've been asked to brew it again but next time I will definitely use a starter I guess.
 
I found the white labs Oktoberfest to be a little lazy.  If I used it again I would definitely use a starter with it.  I was also thinking about using their Kolsch/German Ale yeast instead to make a Marzen style beer. 
 
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