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Tsuyako

Tsuyako

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Okay so I searched the forum and used the search engine and checked the stickies. I pretty sure I missed the answer to my question.

So I made a Honey Amber Ale kit and the original gravity was suppossed to be 1.054 I got 1.070 with hydrometer. Do I have a cause for concern here or am I just being a paranoid noob?
 
Did you top off to the 5 gallon mark? (Assuming you didn't have a full 5-gallon boil.) If you didn't top off, that would explain the higher gravity reading. Another possibility is that you might not have mixed the wort with the top-off water thoroughly enough, and you pulled a sample that was not an equal mixture wort/top off water.
 
was the honey part of the kit? different hives make honey with different sugar levels
 
Yes I did top off with three gallons of water. I passed the mixed wort/water back a forth from my bucket to my pan and back twice. Maybe I should have done that more?

It was a clover honey that came with the kit.
 
Did you happen to accidentally throw your priming sugar into the boil as well? I don't think that would account for the 16 extra gravity units, but...

What was the recipe?
 
Still being a noob I believe that there is a specific temp that you should take your reading at. If the temp is to high it will throw your reading off. I dont believe that it would throw your reading off by 16 gravity points, but it could be a reason.
 
OrvilleOrdinary said:
Did you happen to accidentally throw your priming sugar into the boil as well? I don't think that would account for the 16 extra gravity units, but...

What was the recipe?
Click to expand...

No I didn't throw the priming sugar in. I know that is for bottling and it was a kit so 6 lbs. Gold liquid malt extract, 2 lbs. Minnesota Clover Honey, 8 oz. Caramel 80°L, 2 oz. Special B, 2 oz. Roasted Barley specialty grains, 2 oz. of hops.

That's straight off the website.
 
I believe it should be around 1.000 for regular tape water. Sounds like you may have not got an equal mix of top off and wort. Truth be told I really dont use my hydro that much. I am just happy to make beer that taste good and is cheap. I wouldnt worry!
 
I'm really not but it never hurts to check. The airlock started bubbling less then twelve hours after pitching the yeast.
 
If the temp is to high it will throw your reading off. I dont believe that it would throw your reading off by 16 gravity points, but it could be a reason.
Click to expand...

If you take a hydro reading when the wort temp is too high, the reading will appear LOWER, not HIGHER, as was the case here.

But yeah, to echo, your beer's going to be fine. Just a bit more alcoholic, if those extra gravity units are fermentable.
 
Since it was an extract kit, as long as you have the same volume it says you should at the end, you're OG is going to be right unless they made some mistake and put the wrong amount of something in the kit. Odds are that things didn't mix up completely before you checked your OG and you got your sample from the heavy stuff nearer the bottom. Did you use a wine thief to get your sample?
 
It's not your hydrometer, temperature, extra sugar, aliens, the beer gods screwing with you, etc.

The wort didn't get mixed well with the top of water. This happens A LOT with extract and partial boils. If you have 5 gallons in the fermenter your SG is going to be very close to what the kit directions say.
 
ChshreCat said:
Since it was an extract kit, as long as you have the same volume it says you should at the end, you're OG is going to be right unless they made some mistake and put the wrong amount of something in the kit. Odds are that things didn't mix up completely before you checked your OG and you got your sample from the heavy stuff nearer the bottom. Did you use a wine thief to get your sample?
Click to expand...

Yep, but to be honest I don't think I went all the way to the bottom.
 
Tsuyako said:
Yep, but to be honest I don't think I went all the way to the bottom.
Click to expand...

You don't have to. If you're halfway in or more when you start drawing in the sample, it's going to be sucking it up from beneath the thief, so it's drawing the heavy wort at the bottom.

I do PM with extract brews and after I add my top up water in my pail, I have my daughter stir it for a good minute, and then I take the sample while she's still stirring just to make sure I get a well mixed sample.
 
ChshreCat said:
You don't have to. If you're halfway in or more when you start drawing in the sample, it's going to be sucking it up from beneath the thief, so it's drawing the heavy wort at the bottom.

I do PM with extract brews and after I add my top up water in my pail, I have my daughter stir it for a good minute, and then I take the sample while she's still stirring just to make sure I get a well mixed sample.
Click to expand...

That's good to know, thanks.
 
Tsuyako said:
Yes I did top off with three gallons of water. I passed the mixed wort/water back a forth from my bucket to my pan and back twice. Maybe I should have done that more?

It was a clover honey that came with the kit.
Click to expand...

You say you added three gallons, do you have a mark on the side of the bucket so you know you are at 5 gallons or did you assume/calculate that three gallons was what you would need after the boil? It's possible you were still short.

That being said, I have a sweet stout extract kit that came out about 10 points too high myself. I know I was at the right level and I'm pretty confident I mixed well. It's been in primary three weeks and is now showing a hydro of 1.024. That would seem high, but, the thing is, that would bring the estimated ABV to 4.8% and the kit says it should be between 4.5-5%. My guess, there is a pound of lactose in this kit, I'm betting the estimated starting gravity they give on my instructions is only for the fermentable materials. So, if you put the lactose in during the boil, per the instructions, it will be all out of whack! This is my guess, but I think it's a strong possibility. It's possible your kit instructions are off. As for my stout, I'm taking another reading in a few days to see if it has moved.
 
Shooter said:
You say you added three gallons, do you have a mark on the side of the bucket so you know you are at 5 gallons or did you assume/calculate that three gallons was what you would need after the boil? It's possible you were still short.

That being said, I have a sweet stout extract kit that came out about 10 points too high myself. I know I was at the right level and I'm pretty confident I mixed well. It's been in primary three weeks and is now showing a hydro of 1.024. That would seem high, but, the thing is, that would bring the estimated ABV to 4.8% and the kit says it should be between 4.5-5%. My guess, there is a pound of lactose in this kit, I'm betting the estimated starting gravity they give on my instructions is only for the fermentable materials. So, if you put the lactose in during the boil, per the instructions, it will be all out of whack! This is my guess, but I think it's a strong possibility. It's possible your kit instructions are off. As for my stout, I'm taking another reading in a few days to see if it has moved.
Click to expand...

I have a mark on my bucket and I used a half liter container to measure out the three gallons.
 
Tsuyako said:
Okay so I searched the forum and used the search engine and checked the stickies.
Click to expand...

With a disclaimer like that, I just can't resist.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/higher-than-expected-og-w-extract-kit-113904/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/imperial-stout-og-too-high-15341/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/high-og-high-fg-59019/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/og-too-high-wrong-yeast-82371/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/belgian-wit-high-og-114102/

I'm just bustin yer balls though, and also hoping that you might find even more helpful info in those threads. Learning the lingo helps yield better search results too. Spend enough time on this site and there isn't much you can't find.
 
Coastarine said:
With a disclaimer like that, I just can't resist.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/higher-than-expected-og-w-extract-kit-113904/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/imperial-stout-og-too-high-15341/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/high-og-high-fg-59019/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/og-too-high-wrong-yeast-82371/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/belgian-wit-high-og-114102/

I'm just bustin yer balls though, and also hoping that you might find even more helpful info in those threads. Learning the lingo helps yield better search results too. Spend enough time on this site and there isn't much you can't find.
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks so much. Yeah searching on this site is a little funky but I'll get the hang of it.
 
Took a reading today, hydro came out at 1.020. Right above where I want it but if stays there until wednesday I'll rack it to a secondary.
 

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