So I've brewed probably 7 or 8 batches, usually the brewer's best kits, and have had very mixed results. Some brews come out great, but a few of them are coming out very sweet, both before bottling and after carbonation. I'm also having some difficulty hitting my FG's. A few things I've tried:
-experimented with both dry and moist yeasts, and with rehydration
-vigorous aeration of wort (stirred vigorously enough to vortex for 5
minutes prior to pitching)
-increasing the temperature of the fermentation area (in kitchen, usually
between 65 and 70 degrees F)
Would having a low boil volume be a cause of this? I had a 6 gallon brew kettle, but it got damaged and I've been using a 3 gallon kettle for the last couple batches, usually I can only fit about 2 gallons of water in it and still have room for the grain bag and head space for boiling/stirring.
I've also hear that FG's around 1.02 are not uncommon for extract beers. Would switching to all grain resolve the issue? I'm having a hard time justifying the expense until I feel like I really have the hang of what I'm doing.
-experimented with both dry and moist yeasts, and with rehydration
-vigorous aeration of wort (stirred vigorously enough to vortex for 5
minutes prior to pitching)
-increasing the temperature of the fermentation area (in kitchen, usually
between 65 and 70 degrees F)
Would having a low boil volume be a cause of this? I had a 6 gallon brew kettle, but it got damaged and I've been using a 3 gallon kettle for the last couple batches, usually I can only fit about 2 gallons of water in it and still have room for the grain bag and head space for boiling/stirring.
I've also hear that FG's around 1.02 are not uncommon for extract beers. Would switching to all grain resolve the issue? I'm having a hard time justifying the expense until I feel like I really have the hang of what I'm doing.