Is this possible???

Bought an extract kit from B3 for their Alt recipe. It had steeping grains and supposedly 8lbs of light LME. When I made the recipe the OG was 1.030. As you might expect I was stunned. I then checked the hydrometer with water and it came out at exactly 1.000.
Called B3 and explained that I have been brewing for 1 1/2 yrs and this is my 25th batch. They felt they may have shorted my kit about 4lbs of LME. They were great about the problem and credited my account for another kit!
Since it was already together I let it ferment. Wyeast German Ale was used and fermantation temp was 64-65 degrees. Fermantation began within 24hrs.
It has now been approximately 3 weeks. Beggining the bottling process and what do I get for the FG, 1.026???? Checked the hydrometer again and it was right on at 1.000. I did taste it and it was sweeter than normal but not by much.
I have never had something like this happen. Very interested in others opinions.

Was this a partial boil with top off water?

MANY times, and I mean daily people have erroneous hydro readings for the OG because the sugars arent mixed evenly after they top off... that is an option.

Id suggest looking at how much DME you are putting into a beer next time though... 4 and 8 pounds is a HUGE difference to overlook.

It was actually LME, sorry for the confusion!
It was a partial boil with about 3 gallons of water to be added. Once the wort was added I shook it very hard to ensure it was mixed.
I agree that 4 lbs are very difficult to overlook. The container used was not their regular and was of a size that seemed odd. However, I really thought it was all there.

About how big was the LME container? Was it a plastic jug like a milk jug?

What was the temp when you took your hydrometer reading? If it was over 100 then you probably didn't get an accurate reading.

The container was about the size of a quart milk jug. Wish I had checked the weight!
The temp was down at about 68 when I pitched.

Even if they did short 4lbs, how did it only go from 1.030 to 1.026?

Maybe a combination of too little LME and a stuck fermentation?

What temperature are you checking your hydrometer at?

Taste the hydro sample; does it taste very sweet?

What temperature did you pitch the yeast at? were you using a packet of dry yeast of a liquid yeast? if liquid did you use a starter?

H

onelegout said:

What temperature are you checking your hydrometer at?

Taste the hydro sample; does it taste very sweet?

What temperature did you pitch the yeast at? were you using a packet of dry yeast of a liquid yeast? if liquid did you use a starter?



H

Click to expand...

Post by OP !

Buzz1 said:

Bought an extract kit from B3 for their Alt recipe. It had steeping grains and supposedly 8lbs of light LME. When I made the recipe the OG was 1.030. As you might expect I was stunned. Ithen checked the hydrometer with water and it came out at exactly 1.000.
Called B3 and explained that I have been brewing for 1 1/2 yrs and this is my 25th batch. They felt they may have shorted my kit about 4lbs of LME. They were great about the problem and credited my account for another kit!
Since it was already together I let it ferment. Wyeast German Ale was used and fermantation temp was 64-65 degrees. Fermantation began within 24hrs.
It has now been approximately 3 weeks. Beggining the bottling process and what do I get for the FG, 1.026???? Checked the hydrometer again and it was right on at 1.000. I did taste it and it was sweeter than normal but not by much.
I have never had something like this happen. Very interested in others opinions.

Click to expand...

I highlighted the Hydrometer testing to show that the OP knows how to use one !

Slow down a bit !

To the OP ,
did you have this brew in the bottling bucket already when you took the Gravity sample ?

-Jason

Cheeto said:

Post by OP !

Slow down a bit !

-Jason

Click to expand...

Haha sorry, it was a little too early in the day for me to be posting!

- H

Id say if it was a quart size jug... then that is no 8 pounds.

Also, no matter how well you shake it... I have heard of people shaking for 20 minutes and STILL getting erroneous OG readings.

From what I can tell, since you dont KNOW what went into the beer, then you will never really know if you were short or not.

The 1.026 could easily be a stuck ferment... regardless of OG.

This is the problem, you dont seem to know what went IN to the brew, so figuring it out after the fact will be difficult. Finding out what you should get out of the brew is directly tied to what went IN.

A quart of LME weighs 3 lbs plus minus.

^Right

There should have been 2 cans of LME. The kits I brewed used 3.3lb cans. Suffice it to say, you should have gotten either 2 of those and a smaller can or 2 x 4lb cans.

I use a 3qt bucket when i buy my bulk LME, and that holds just over 10lb.

When i topoff, I swirl my beer arround for 2-3 minutes with a slotted spoon, to make sure everything is mixed in (for my gravity check) as well as airation.

I want to thank everyone for their responses!

It's very clear that I was shorted LME.

What's still a mystery is the 1.026 FG. I had not thought of a stuck fermantation. As I had indicated, fermantation began within 24hrs and lasted for 6-7 days with the airlock bubbling away. Temp was 64F.
Yeast seemed to be healthy, used the Wyeast German Ale and after smacking it and allowing it to sit it began to expand.
I will say that there was a very thin layer on top, less than 1/2 inch. Much less than I would have expected however, I have not used this yeast before.

I know someone else had asked how I took the sample and it was via a wine thief out of the carboy.

Oh well, It's in the bottle and we'll see what happens!

Just tried one tonight and it was way to sweet! To the point that I'm going to dump the batch. I think POL was correct with the stuck fermentation. At least next time I'll know what to look for!
Thanks!