What the hell happened with this FG reading!?

[BreweyMcHops]

So 11 days ago i put together a batch of ginger beer...used that lalvin ec1118 champagne yeast..

OG of 1049....but tge fg is SO low i dont get how to interpret the reading. Once i stopped it sticking to the side the level was halfway between the o.999 and the very very top line on the hydrometer ( so slighttly slightly lower than in this picture) what is the reading?? Ive never seen it sink so low??

[iBooz2]

What was your batch volume and at what temp did you ferment it at?  This yeast has a low pitching rate of 0.25 g per litre so a 5 g sachet would do 20 Litres.   Never used it but it sounds like a very aggressive yeast strain.  Perhaps someone more qualified than I can comment.

Diastaticus infection would drop the SG like a rock too.

Edited August 21, 2021 by iBooz2

[Pickles Jones]

 Your SG was 1049 and If the line indicates 0. 990 it looks like the FG is 0.987.  Which would suggest that the resultant Ginger Beer will be on the dry side and have an ABV 8.14 

I am sure some one will correct this if it is wrong.

It's hard to get your head around this end of the scale.

 

[jamiek86]

I've heard champagne yeast does this as it leaves the dry taste in saying that ginger beers finish low anyway I'd say this is the combination of both things.

[BreweyMcHops]

1 hour ago, iBooz2 said:

What was your batch volume and at what temp did you ferment it at?  This yeast has a low pitching rate of 0.25 g per litre so a 5 g sachet would do 20 Litres.   Never used it but it sounds like a very aggressive yeast strain.  Perhaps someone more qualified than I can comment.

Diastaticus infection would drop the SG like a rock too.

Thanks for replying. Its 23L with 3kg of white shugar, lots of ginger, plenty of yeast nutrient , fermented between 19 and 21 degrees, on day 11. Actually because the yeast packets ( the lavlin ec1118) are approx 6 months old i used 2 packs

[iBooz2]

7 minutes ago, BreweyMcHops said:

Thanks for replying. Its 23L with 3kg of white shugar, lots of ginger, plenty of yeast nutrient , fermented between 19 and 21 degrees, on day 11. Actually because the yeast packets ( the lavlin ec1118) are approx 6 months old i used 2 packs

Were they 6 months past their use by or best before dates stamped on the sachets or was it 6 months since the manufacture date or/either since you purchased them?   Two sachets sounds like an over pitch to me, that's if they were within their use by or best before dates.  Do you remember what was stamped on the yeast sachets?

Edited August 21, 2021 by iBooz2

[BreweyMcHops]

16 minutes ago, iBooz2 said:

Were they 6 months past their use by or best before dates stamped on the sachets or was it 6 months since the manufacture date or/either since you purchased them?   Two sachets sounds like an over pitch to me, that's if they were within their use by or best before dates.  Do you remember what was stamped on the yeast sachets?

About 6 months since purchased, dont remember what was stamped. I think it turned out about 8% a lot stronger than i thought it would/could with 3kg if white shugar in 23l? Its like the ginger ( lots of)contained some fermentable shugar and contributed to abv and fermented a bit itself

[iBooz2]

6 minutes ago, BreweyMcHops said:

About 6 months since purchased, dont remember what was stamped. I think it turned out about 8% a lot stronger than i thought it would/could with 3kg if white shugar in 23l? Its like the ginger ( lots of)contained some fermentable shugar and contributed to abv and fermented a bit itself

Most dry yeasts have a shelf life of 2 years if stored correctly so still sounds like an over pitch but the yeast will only be able to chew through the sugars that are there so maybe too much sugar too (Ginger and otherwise).  I brew a lot of ginger beer and never bother to take OG and FG readings as its always the same recipe and all but once has worked out fine.

From memory I only used 1 kg white sugar in 10 litre batch and am doing this off the top of my head.  I use wild yeast off lemon rinds and sultanas to start it off.

[iBooz2]

  What I was trying to say was ( before my login timed out yet again).  @Coopers DIY Beer Team  Might have to give the forum a miss until this issue is fixed as it takes all night to read then reply to posts after logging back in several times.  PLEASE UP THE EDIT TIMEOUT PERIOD AND THE TIME OUT PERIOD BEFORE A USER GOES AWOL AND HAS TO START OVER, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.

 

Most dry yeasts have a shelf life of 2 years from manufacture date if stored correctly and this is usually reflected by the best before date stamped on the sachets.   So still sounds like an over pitch but the yeast will only be able to chew through the sugars that are there so maybe too much sugar (Ginger and otherwise) and too much yeast to deal with it. 

I brew a lot of ginger beer and never bother to take OG and FG readings as its always the same recipe and all but once has worked out fine.

From memory I only used 1 kg white sugar in an 11 litre batch but am doing this off the top of my head so might be a litre out.  I use wild yeast harvested off lemon rinds and sultanas to start my ferment off.

[jamiek86]

24 minutes ago, iBooz2 said:

Most dry yeasts have a shelf life of 2 years if stored correctly so still sounds like an over pitch but the yeast will only be able to chew through the sugars that are there so maybe too much sugar too (Ginger and otherwise).  I brew a lot of ginger beer and never bother to take OG and FG readings as its always the same recipe and all but once has worked out fine.

From memory I only used 1 kg white sugar in 10 litre batch and am doing this off the top of my head.  I use wild yeast off lemon rinds and sultanas to start it off.

Might have to get this recipe off you at some stage and compare it to one on the web do you like yours sweet or dry? Yes having to come back several times try get it posted is annoying although if i go back to topics and come back in it remembers what i typed unless i clear editor. They obviously don't know what the issue is as its now a different issue than what we were complaining about weeks ago.

[Otto Von Blotto]

Halfway between would be 0.985, that figure is 0.990 not 0.999. 

Given the recipe and the yeast it's not a great surprise to see it that low. ABV would be around 8.4%, plus whatever the priming sugar adds so probably somewhere around 8.8% bottled.