This isn't my first issue with Voss not reaching expected FG, but it's under different circumstances. I started this thread about this time last year: Omega Voss Kveik: Should I Bottle?
This time, I brewed an AG version of Biermuncher's Ode to Arthur formulated for about 4.5 gallons. My OG was 1.046 which is what I expected and I mashed at 151 for 90 minutes. The mash finished at about 149, but I wasn't going to make the same mistake as I did in the above thread. Pitched a starter of re-used Voss Kveik (with nutrient), and it bubbled away like a champ. After about 48 hours, activity had slowed and my sticker thermometer was reading closer to room temperature than the 82* it did during most of the fermentation.
For kicks, I took a refractometer and gravity reading.. Both corroborated to 1.016... BeerSmith is expecting my FG to be around 1.007 which, in my experience thus far with Voss, is low even for a lower mash. Every refractometer reading I've taken since then has stayed almost identical at 6.5 Brix. (Yes, I know refractometers aren't the best way to judge FG, but it gives a good baseline for how fermentation is progressing.)
Since that reading, I've added the trusty heat pad, brought the sticker temp back up to the low 80s, and I'm seeing airlock activity again albeit slow. Added 1/2 tsp of Wyeast yeast nutrient and a tablespoon of fresh Voss slurry today.
I'm starting to think that the talk of kveik strains having trouble with low gravity wort are warranted. Anything else I can do to help this beer get the FG down besides giving it time and warmer temperatures?
This time, I brewed an AG version of Biermuncher's Ode to Arthur formulated for about 4.5 gallons. My OG was 1.046 which is what I expected and I mashed at 151 for 90 minutes. The mash finished at about 149, but I wasn't going to make the same mistake as I did in the above thread. Pitched a starter of re-used Voss Kveik (with nutrient), and it bubbled away like a champ. After about 48 hours, activity had slowed and my sticker thermometer was reading closer to room temperature than the 82* it did during most of the fermentation.
For kicks, I took a refractometer and gravity reading.. Both corroborated to 1.016... BeerSmith is expecting my FG to be around 1.007 which, in my experience thus far with Voss, is low even for a lower mash. Every refractometer reading I've taken since then has stayed almost identical at 6.5 Brix. (Yes, I know refractometers aren't the best way to judge FG, but it gives a good baseline for how fermentation is progressing.)
Since that reading, I've added the trusty heat pad, brought the sticker temp back up to the low 80s, and I'm seeing airlock activity again albeit slow. Added 1/2 tsp of Wyeast yeast nutrient and a tablespoon of fresh Voss slurry today.
I'm starting to think that the talk of kveik strains having trouble with low gravity wort are warranted. Anything else I can do to help this beer get the FG down besides giving it time and warmer temperatures?