Help with my gravity reading.

So I brewed the following beer three months ago:

BYO - Old Rasputin Clone

Type: Extract

Batch Size: 5.00 gal

3 lbs 12.0 oz Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 27.6 %
6 lbs 9.6 oz Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 48.5 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 7.4 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 7.4 %
8.0 oz Brown Malt (65.0 SRM) Grain 3.7 %
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 3.7 %
4.0 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 1.8 %
3.10 oz Cluster [7.00%] (60 min) Hops 37.1 IBU
1.0 oz Horizon [13.00%] (2 min) Hops 1.9 IBU
1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [Starter 3000 ml] Yeast-Ale


Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.083 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.018 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 8.5 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.6 %
Bitterness: 38.2 IBU Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 36.3 SRM Color: Color

AND it has just been aging in my secondary. What do I need to insure that it carbonates?

Wow, that is a big beer and it really fermented down!! It looks like it's going to be pretty dry.

Anyway, at what temp has it been sitting in the secondary? If it's been at room temp I'll bet you can just prime as normal and it will carbonate just fine. It may take awhile, but you have done the right thing with this beer and waited this long, an extra couple of weeks in the bottle shouldn't be a problem. I had a lager that sat in the secondary for 4 months at about 45 degrees and it carbed just fine.

On the other hand, if you really want to be absolutely sure (or if it's been cold conditioning) you could add some yeast at bottling time. I'd get a cheap dry yeast and hydrate about 1/2 the package in 2 cups of water and add it to the bottling bucket with your priming sugar. The only real downside to this is that you may end up with a bit more sediment in your bottles. That's why I'd only add 1/2 a packet.

Thanks for the reply.

It has been sitting at about 50 degrees or so. (I have been changing the frozen water jugs daily.)

So it's possible to just use regular old corn sugar? Id rather leave the sediment behind if possible. Than it's bottling time this weekend!!!!

mrb said:

So it's possible to just use regular old corn sugar? Id rather leave the sediment behind if possible. Than it's bottling time this weekend!!!!

Click to expand...

Well.... With that yeast and temps of 50 degrees I think I'd probably add some more yeast. It would probably work without it, but for all the time and effort you've put into babying this beer I think I'd want to play it safe and add a 1/2 packet.

Something is wrong there.

Are you sure you measured you FG correctly and adjusted for temp.

That beer should not go to 1005 unless you used a turbo yeast.

mrb said:

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.083 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.018 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 8.5 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.6 %
Bitterness: 38.2 IBU Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 36.3 SRM Color: Color

AND it has just been aging in my secondary. What do I need to insure that it carbonates?

Click to expand...

These numbers really confused me, you measured the original gravity at 1.010? Something may be wrong with your hydrometer.

I'd also second the opinion of adding yeas when bottling and using corn sugar like you would for anything else

I had the same SG questions as above. Neither the OG nor FG make sense here.


TL

My numbers were a bit different from the ones above.
Those were the numbers in the BYO mag.

Starting Gravity was 1.072
Original Gravity was 1.022

It was a pretty big starter though. Not sure how big,
it was washed yeast from a previous brew.

At what point in the process did you measure your Original Gravity?

Right after I dumped the yeast.

I think that that was what threw off the reading a bit.

Your OG is the Starting gravity is the graity at pitching.

You are geting something wrong.

OG - Original Gravity = After cooling prior to pitching
FG - Final Gravity = After fermentation prior to priming sugar and bottling.

Well, now I know why my alcohol content seems to be a bit higher than my BeerSmith program tells me. For some reason I have been taking the reading after pitching. There hasn't been much of a problem though. Beer is Beer!!! But I am a bit of a Geek for the correct readings.

Thanks for the info ALL!!!!

Now to bottle.