87% attenuation WLP001

Are you using a hydrometer or a refractometer? If refractometer, which calculator are you using?

Also, how long are you mashing? Are you mashing out? And if not, how long is your lauter taking and how long until you get the temp in the kettle up into the 170F+ range?

 

chico strain can be a beast of a strain...those variables vikeman mention sound like easily feasible culprits.

 

Any chance your thermomenter was off? A few years back I had a string of batches with higher than average attenuation, then I realized my thermometer was reading high, so when I mashed at 152, it was closer to 148.

 

For single infusion mashes, there's data to show that 152F results in a more attenuable wort than 148F. (Both Greg Doss' and Kai Troester's work.)

 

I have not read their work but I know it is part of what you have implemented in BrewCipher and it is predicting very close attenuation results for me at given mash temps. (Though I do realize your spreadsheet takes into account a host of other factors as well).

 

Hmmm...based on this (and assuming your mashout gets your wort into the vicinity of 170F) , it does sound like your attenuation was a little high.

 

Mashing out kills off remaining enzymes faster, so they can't keep working on breaking larger dextrins into fermentable sugars (or maltotriose into maltose and glucose). Basically, if you don't mash out, you're effectively doing a longer mash.

 

Shorter mashes don't necessarily have a lot of impact on efficiency. Under normal circumstance, with decent diastatic power, conversion from starches to sugars/dextrins happens fairly quickly.

 

Generally speaking, wheat has more diastetic power than north amerian 2 row. Both of which are great sources.

 

I was having the same "over-attenuation" problem . . . mostly with 1056 but some Belgian strains as well. My symptoms: just about everything was finishing at 1.004 - .005. When I used 3522 the same results, very low FGs. I was washing and reusing my yeast but everything looked normal. I did use 1056 seven times, and the last starter had the most magnificent krausen possible. Looks and aroma of the yeast were perfect and the finished brew had no off tastes, just a very low FG. I was winning awards with my beer, the only noted flaw was "thin body".

I suspected an infection in the yeast or equipment so did a very thorough sanitation of everything . . . no help. Re-calibrated thermo and hydro . . . no help. Mashed higher . . . no help. Did a mash-out/skipped mash-out . . . no help. In the middle of all of this I made a lager with dry yeast and it finished at 1.015 (hallelujah!). This made me suspect the washed-yeast, but even harvested yeast was finishing too low (first time use). Finally I cleaned the equipment until it begged for mercy and pitched a new pack of 1056 . . . it finished at 1.017.

My conclusion was some the yeast was infected by some wild strain that took it down lower than wanted. No off tastes, just a thin-bodied beer. Maybe the equipment passed it on to different strains (I use multiple primaries), difficult to track. My recommendation: an extra deep cleaning and pitching a completely different (new) strain. If that doesn't work then it's time to buy a new primary and whatever else is common in your post-boil brew process.