Over attenuation from low mash or bug?

[GilesTH]

I brewed an IPA recently with an OG of 1.075 that finished at a whopping 1.007! I wanted it to be a bit dryer than other beers I've made, so I kept the mash at 150f for about 75 minutes, but BeerSmith estimated that I should get a finishing gravity of 1.017. I don't check gravity during ferment because I'm brewing 3 gallons in a 5 gallon carboy. I don't have a way of pulling a sample without risking infection. So my only gravity check was today when I bottled.

After 2 weeks in the fermentor, I dry hopped, but there wasn't any activity in the blowoff, then I let it sit another week. My question is: if I got a bug, would I be able to taste it after three weeks in the fermentor? It tastes SUPER clean, even with 77 IBUs, it's just dry in the mouthfeel (without carbonation).

Is this just due to a low mash temp? Would the Australian Ale Yeast chew through the sugars that well? Or did I get an infected beer?

I'm trying not to freak out about this because I don't have the cash to replace my carboy (which is now scratched, somehow, and would HAVE to be replaced if I got a bug), and I don't want to have to replace BRAND NEW plastic that came in contact with it.

It has to condition for two weeks before it's carbed, so I'll update if it has any funky flavors down the road (or explodes).

[Klickitat Jim]

Did you use any sugar? How much? My last 1.060 ipa went to 1.006 in 3 weeks with cal ale. No infection.

If you havent packaged it yet and are worried, let it sit another week or two and recheck. If its still at your FG you're good.

Edit: calculator FG estimates are useless. Take them as a ballpark if its a total new recipe and yeast to you, otherwise go by your personal experience.

[GilesTH]

No sugar. It was 85.7% English 2 row, 5.7% C15, 5.7% White Wheat, and 2.9% Honey Malt. Mash might've dropped to 148f through part of the mash. Glad to hear I'm not the only one with an FG below 1.015 (my target FG). I did package already, to I'm SOL, there. The body of the beer still felt pretty full, not watery, and not slick or snotty. Just dry in the finish.

And I tend to agree with that calculator comment. I basically threw the recipe together at the store, so BeerSmith is basically how I calculated estimated pre-fermentation numbers.

Thanks, I think I might be able to stay calm for a little while. The biggest reason I freaked out was because two batches ago I got a serious bug. Tasted a little off at bottling, then gushed like crazy and and smelled like plastic and propane. This one tastes AMAZING, even without carbonation.

Crazy how one bad batch will shatter my confidence like that. Thanks for the input, and I'm open to other people's thoughts, too. And, again, I'll update as I start tasting it in two weeks.

[brewinhard]

I doubt you have a bug. Just a serious attenuation. In some of my past IPA's (depending on grain bill simplicity) I have had to mash at 156F just to get the beer to keep from attenuating below 1.010 with Cal Ale yeast. You have a pretty simple grain bill there as well and I am sure that yeast could get it down to 1.007.

[Klickitat Jim]

I prefer mine 1.010 or less

[Stinkfist]

Just curious if you have calibrated your hydrometer? Assuming that is what you are using? The first thing I check if I notice something out of whack when taking s measurement. Your measurement is only as good as the device you use to measure it

[GilesTH]

Just curious if you have calibrated your hydrometer? Assuming that is what you are using? The first thing I check if I notice something out of whack when taking s measurement. Your measurement is only as good as the device you use to measure it

I use a refractometer, actually, and I calibrate it regularly (thought it's never off according to the distilled water at 60f). I've tested it against a hydrometer several times, and they both come out with the same numbers. The finish on this beer (uncarbed) is SO dry, I don't doubt the reading.

I'm not as worried now as I was, especially as I think back to how clean it tasted. My confidence is just SUPER shot after the one infection I got, so I tend to freak out.

Thanks, again, everyone. I do feel better about this beer. And I'll let you all know how it turns out when I taste it next weekend.

[spiderwrangler]

You are taking into account that a refract sucks at measuring accurately when there is alcohol present?