Issues with OG on partial mash IPAs

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

ypsetihw

Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2012
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Hi everyone! So I just brewed my second batch of IPA and I'm coming up short on OG on both batches. I have a basic brew kit and I'm doing a partial mash partial boil of around 2gal for a 5 gal batch.

My first batch was an English IPA, og target was 1.052-056 and I came in at an adjusted 1.049. Pretty close but I attributed it to boilover and not getting every last drop of extract. For my second batch I made up my own recipe and fell wayyyyyy short! Here's what I used:

1lb crystal malt steeped 30 mins at 150F
1lb dried Pilsen extract
3lbs liquid golden light extract
3lbs liquid Pilsen light extract
1lb honey added at 17 mins remaining

My og target was 1.065 with a potential alcohol of around 7%. When I finished my boil the wort hit just 1.050, adjusted for temp to 1.052. How am I this far off from my calculations?!

Here's a few things I already thought of -
1. I did experience boil over but only a very small amount
2. When it boiled over I spilled about a tbsp of dried extract
3. I did my best but there are a few drops of honey and liquid extract still in their containers
4. I tested the wort at 77F which adds .002 to the OG because my hydrometer is calibrated to 60F, is there an issue with my conversion?

Help?! My aggressive hopping shouldn't matter should it? The wort looks and tastes good, will it still turn out ok? Why can't I seem to hit my OG targets?
 
I should probably wait for someone that knows more than me but here it goes. I think your to low on grains and extract to ferment and get a higher ABV, not accounting for efficiency. I'm planning on making a partial mash IPA this weekend as well and I have 5 lbs 2 row, 6 lbs of LME plus 1 lbs of some American Crystal malt. You might need to up your grains because of the style of beer your brewing.
 
its cuz your topping off, its difficult to mix wort & water well enough to get a good reading. i'd suggest take readings before topping off and calculating what it will be
 
Hmm really interesting point, I'll try that on the next batch, back to the drawing board!
 
Back
Top