First use of Ringwood & Curious about FG.

[Centennial]

Brewed my go-to all-grain stout with the recipe below. My mash temp was a little high, about 162-165, but ended up hitting my numbers exactly once the wort was ready for fermentation. I pitched a swollen Ringwood slap pack (store was sold out of my usual WLP-004) and had good fermentation within 16 hours. Four weeks later and fermentation has stopped at 1.016 so I racked it, split it up to add vanilla to one batch, and have been letting it sit.

But to be honest, I'm a little unsure about this FG. I was hoping to be down to 1.012 but it seems I'm not going to get there. I'm questioning if it is from closed fermentation (I've read here that Ringwood has had this problem) or from too high of a mash temp. Either way I'm debating if I should bottle it or pitch some healthy Nottingham to help finish it out. The thing is...it taste great. I could skip bottling and drink this thing straight if the wife wasn't adamant about have a proper carbed stout.

What do you think? Attenuation is spot on for Ringwood, but I'm a little worried about bottle bombs.


Recipe:

2-row: 6.5 lbs
Carapils /Dextrine: 1.25 lbs
Flaked Barley: 1.25lbs
Roasted Barley: .75lbs
Chocolate roasted barley: .5lbs
Flaked Oats: .5lbs

EKG AA:4.7 2oz@60min.

SG: 1.052 with FG: 1.012 (but stopped at 1.016)

Split batched and added 2 dissected vanilla beans soaked in Vodka for a week before adding to secondary.

 

[BeerandBread]

A little higher mash temp should help attenuation .....try a rise in temp at the end of fermentation for a diastolic rest to finish.... This should do it And take care of any fusel alcohols

 

[Centennial]

Thanks for the reply. Funny thing, it stopped at 1.018 initially so I then brought the temp up (68-70) and did a d-rest, per advice I've read on using Ringwood yeast. Now it's stuck at 1.016 and I'm thinking time to bottle.

 

[slym2none]

I think the poster above meant to mash at a lower temp to help attenuation, not higher. Lower mash temperature = more fermentable wort.

I'd look at 156-158° F, myself.

 

[Centennial]

Update: Kept the secondaries in a warmer part of the house for a couple of weeks and it finished out to 1.012. Bottled and will update on flavor and finish soon.