Adding Alpha Amylase to Lower FG

Who cares what the final gravity is if it tastes great? No one knows the FG when judging or drinking it, except you.

 

brew another nearly identical recipe beer, but lower OG and get it to attenuate more, then blend the two to get your desired level of FG/Sweetness

 

151 is supposed to be the sweet spot for attenuation, I would take the OG down for the blended batch

1st Attempt 1100-1055 = 5.9% abv which is hardly imperial

for the blended batch I would take the OG down a bit, use the same recipe just smaller, then add some sugar, pitch yeast and get it to attenuate ~1010, then blend

Say you get 3gal of 1010 beer @ 9.7% + 5gal 1055 @ 5.9% = 8gal 1038 @ 7.3%

7.3% is still barely imperial, you might either have to suffer with a sweet beer, or you could add some booze to the mix

as to adding amylase in the fermentor, I wouldnt do it. I have done something similar with beano to get beer/mead to dry out and it will take it down below 1000. Amylase likely wont do this though, especially as the pH of your beer is likely a bit too low for it to work effectively

i have a hard time believing that amylase will do much for you, I dont think long chain sugars were the problem with this beer, something else caught you on this one (btw what was your recipe/mash temp/yeast choice), in fact the more I type the less I think this beer is worth doing anything to. Personally I would either add some grain alcohol/bourbon, or freeze it and do something similar

 

I wold toss one pack of 3711 or 3724 with a proper starter and get imperial stout Saison out of it.

 

Ahh... Ok, now the FG matters

You could try to do something like 120 minute.... If your yeast is viable you could do sugar and yeast nutrient feedings over several days to bump up the abv but not the FG. While this wouldn't lower the sweetness it would up the abv which might help balance it out. Additionally, if it's not roasty enough you can add some sinamar.

I wish I could tell you that adding alpha amylase would help, but I have no experience with it. The addition of alpha amylase also assumes your yeast is still viable, as the glucose and maltose released from its activity would still need to be fermented out, otherwise your beer might actually seem sweeter from the conversion of less sweet dextrins to sweeter glucose and maltose.


Using beans would basically dry the beer out too much and leave it astringent and thin.

 

well, if you want the enzyme to do anything, it is going to need to be at the proper temperature to activate. and you probably don't want to warm your beer up to that temp (alpha is 140s? dunno. warm.)

I say love it like it is. that's just me.

 

I wouldn't think adding amylase to a fermenter would do much good since you are so far out of the optimal temperature range. Also, it would be beta amylase you would want anyways as it is the enzyme that will break starches down into small sugars. Alpha amylase is what produces dextrins, which you either already have a lot of, or something went wrong with your yeast (seems much more likely to me looking at those numbers).

Edit: I should have specified that beta amylase will work if alpha amylase has already exposed the branches from amylopectin that beta amylase could then handle. However, if you still have amylopectin that hasn't been broken down, than you had a mashing problem. Either way, it is unlikely that adding enzymes now will do you any good due to the temp range.

 

Have you done a Fast Fermentation Test? Pull some, dose it with more yeast and put it Ina warm location. Measure the gravity and compare to the main fermenter.

Years back many would add to the fermenter, it will work slowly. It might help, give it time as the conversion rate will be lower. You want a self limiting product. Stay away from Beano, which was what many used 10+ years back, that chews through everything leaving a thin beer.

For those that say it works at a higher temp, that is the optimum so we don't have to mash for a week or 2. Those enzymes are what turn the starches to sugars for the plant embryo in the field at spring temperatures.

A product to use in the fermenter is the top one.
http://bsghandcraft.com/resources/beer_processing_aids/

 

good point. and, finally, I can buy Fermcap in the more convenient 20 kg size.

 

Forced fermentation test is a good suggestion.

 

You may need a commercial account, but something tells me you could get it through work.