English yeast and overcarbonation

[worlddivides]

So, I made an English-style brown ale and bottled it about 2 months ago. It ended with the highest final gravity I have ever had in a beer: 1.016, which is pretty common for the English yeast strain I used (Danstar Windsor). It tasted pretty malty and smooth at first, but I just tried a bottle yesterday and the indentation on the crown cap is sticking all the way out (which isn't always necessarily a bad sign, but it always makes me uncomfortable), and the beer tasted way less malty than usual and seemed a lot more carbed. It wasn't a gusher or anything (I had one batch turn into gushers about 2 years ago), but my first pour left 60% of the glass as head (but only maybe one finger of foam in the bottle that I poured from for some reason).

I always worry about bottling such beers because there are a lot of residual unfermented sugars. And now I'm wondering if some US-05 or California ale yeast got in there (since that's the yeast style I use the most, by far) and is fermenting away the residual sugars. I'm almost positive it's not a wild yeast or bacteria because I'm always so meticulous with my sanitation, but the high level of carbonation and lack of maltiness yesterday (making the hops taste stronger than they should) has me wondering if California yeast is in there, bringing the gravity down to a more "American" level of 1.010 - 1.012. :/

 

[dzlater]

I seriously doubt that yeast from another batch carried over, but I guess it's possible.
I've found that English yeasts sometimes need a bit of rousing to help them finish up.
What was the OG and how long was it in the fermenter?

 

[worlddivides]

I seriously doubt that yeast from another batch carried over, but I guess it's possible.
I've found that English yeasts sometimes need a bit of rousing to help them finish up.
What was the OG and how long was it in the fermenter?

The OG was 1.060 and the FG was 1.016. It was in the fermenter for 2 and a half weeks with fermentation pretty much finished at 4-5 days.

It's been bottled for 2 months now, so I doubt it's going to get any more carbed (unless there's some Brett in there, but I don't taste it if it's there), especially since there have been some days where the inside of the apartment has gotten into the upper 80s and lower 90s.

But I suppose the English yeast might have been roused in the bottles and knocked it down from 1.016 to 1.015 or so, which would have added the extra carbonation and dried it out a tiny bit.

 

[pdxal]

You can tell if it has fermented down farther by taking a sample, letting it sit and go flat, then testing the gravity. If it is lower than 1.016, it fermented further, more than just the carbonation sugar.

 

[ncbrewer]

I think it's always a good idea to check gravity twice, 2 - 3 days apart, before bottling, to be sure it's finished. Especially if you have any reason to be concerned about it - like a yeast you're a little unsure of.

 

[dzlater]

The OG was 1.060 and the FG was 1.016. It was in the fermenter for 2 and a half weeks with fermentation pretty much finished at 4-5 days.

It's been bottled for 2 months now, so I doubt it's going to get any more carbed (unless there's some Brett in there, but I don't taste it if it's there), especially since there have been some days where the inside of the apartment has gotten into the upper 80s and lower 90s.

But I suppose the English yeast might have been roused in the bottles and knocked it down from 1.016 to 1.015 or so, which would have added the extra carbonation and dried it out a tiny bit.

It certainly seems that it was done fermenting.
Don't know what to say.