London Ale III & British Mild?

[Sebas83]

I brewed this thing up Maris Otter and crystal to 1.035. Mashed at 153. Fermed at 60 for 4 days, ramped to 68 down to 1.012.

Bottled with 2.9oz of corn sugar to 1.9vols via KotMF calculator.

But, after 3 weeks, I'm getting a LOT of carbonation in a bottle I pulled.

Any thoughts? Gonna try another bottle, but I'm nervous...

 

[Wingy]

Did you take multiple FG readings before bottling? I usually take two at least 3 days apart to ensure that the yeast are done and the fermentables are gone. You could always open another bottle, wait for it to offgas the C02, and then take another gravity reading - if that reading is close to 1.012 you should be safe, but if you're down much farther than that I'd start to get worried.

What was your estimated/calculated FG?

 

[Sebas83]

I did take multiple readings, but maybe not far enough apart...

Projected FG was 1.012-1.014.

Will take that reading on the next bottle if it's too carbed.

Thanks for the idea. Totally forgot that one!!

 

[Sebas83]

Damn... Lost 2 points in the bottle...

Kids, don't forget to take readings... Then wait some more. Rinse. Repeat.

 

[GuldTuborg]

1318 is a good yeast, but sometimes it's a bit sluggish at the end. Four days was almost certainly not enough time, especially with this yeast.

 

[poley]

I've done a 4 day turnaround on this yeast with similar beers, but that's going to a keg and straight in the keezer, so I've never had issues with continued fermentation.

 

[Sebas83]

Oh no, I had it fermenting for 2 weeks. It just took 4 days to get from 60 to 68. Then held until it hit 1.012... which I thought was the end.

It is a GREAT yeast. I LOVE the profile of it. But it is indeed sluggish. So, I'm just going to let it do its thing till the bitter end next time. Alas alas.

EDIT: After degassing, it looks like it hit somewhere in the 1.009/1.010 range. I'm really surprised it attenuated that much, especially with a 153 mash temp... hmm... go higher next time. I want to hit about 1.012-.014... looks like a mash temp of 155 or so.

 

[GuldTuborg]

Oh. Two weeks should have been plenty, then. At what temp did you bottle condition?

 

[Sebas83]

Ambient - 68ish.

 

[GuldTuborg]

Weird. It must have flocced out and slowed down, then restarted when you racked. I've had that happen before, but not with this yeast.

As for your mash temp, 153 isn't all that high. I'd target 156-158 for a small beer like this.

 

[Sebas83]

This is my ultimate lesson from this brew. I realized it was a flaw in the design. Not process.

Thanks guys!

 

[bierhaus15]

You certainly picked a great yeast for a mild. Though next time remember that this yeast can get up into the 75-80%+ attenuation range if you pitch enough and oxygenate. Most people think its a slow poke of yeast, though that's not the case at all. Also, cold crashing this yeast is pretty good at stopping the fermentation on a dime (for those who keg) - works great for really malty beers.

 

[Wingy]

Oh no, I had it fermenting for 2 weeks. It just took 4 days to get from 60 to 68. Then held until it hit 1.012... which I thought was the end.

It is a GREAT yeast. I LOVE the profile of it. But it is indeed sluggish. So, I'm just going to let it do its thing till the bitter end next time. Alas alas.

EDIT: After degassing, it looks like it hit somewhere in the 1.009/1.010 range. I'm really surprised it attenuated that much, especially with a 153 mash temp... hmm... go higher next time. I want to hit about 1.012-.014... looks like a mash temp of 155 or so.

I'm planning to make a Special Bitter soon and was going for the same FG as you targeted... I had originally planned a mash temp down at 151 but after seeing you had some issues with it I'll probably bump mine up to 155. I'll let you know if it works out.

 

[poley]

I've seen a number of posts about bottle conditioning difficulties with English Ale yeasts. Exactly as @GuldTuborg said, fermentation quits before all the available sugars are processed, then picks back up again when you rack/prime.

Also, it may just be my personal tastes, but 1.9 volumes seems a bit much for a mild.

 

[Sebas83]

Totally. I adjusted my recipe down on all fronts. I really liked it at 2 weeks. Light carbonation, pleasantly bitter (though on the high end), and a nice malt profile. But, with the carbonation, everything good is now gone...

Definitely mash high and NO SPARGE!!! That was a key factor. I really liked the roundness of the malt profile. So, I'll try again.

 

[GuldTuborg]

But, with the carbonation, everything good is now gone...

There is a way around that, though it might test your patience a bit. The trick is to make sure you keep the beer held around 55F (drinking temps) so it doesn't dissolve much CO2 to begin with, and then pour down the center of an untilted glass, much like this idiot:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB-oMPSchqI"][youtube]FB-oMPSchqI[/youtube][/ame]

This guy does it because he's a moron, but you can do it to quickly drive off the excess carbonation. Just pour, wait for the head to die down a bit, and repeat until done. This yeast is pretty flocculant, so it should not stir up too much even after repeated pourings, and you will be rewarded with one of the most stable heads on an Enlglish ale you've ever seen. It's not really a substitute for a properly carbonated beer, but it will help.