I tried a northern brewer recipe last night, pale ale. Still my OG was 1.034 adjusted for temp. Thats 4 batches in a row I cannot seem to get over, or near the target OG. Im starting to wonder what im doing wrong!
Steeping grains 30min @155-160 in a small coleman cooler, juice directly into my 5 gallon pot of water that is brought to a boil. Extract added, never hitting the bottom, as much as I can get out of the packet, brought to boil for 60 min, adding hops when needed. Wort chiller gets it to 75 degress fairly quick, I let it settle for 5 min then siphon into primary bucket. I add preboiled and cooled water to get it to 5 gallons exact, then I stir the heck out of it for a few minutes, then take my OG.
There have been variations I have tried, ie steeping the grains in main pot, pulling out before temp reaches 165.
Anyone notice anything wrong with anything? I realize that 1.034 is not the end of the world, it has been giving an FG of 1.011. I would just like to figure out if im developing a bad habit early, before i actually develop it!
Thanks all!