Hydrometer question

Hey guys,

I just brewed my first batch in about 2 years and I have admittedly gone back to the noob stage. I brewed Ed Wort's Haus Pale Ale, and it was my first time using my new turkey fryer.

Previously, I had never really used the hydrometer, but instead just waited extra time before bottling/kegging. This time around, I wanted to things right. However, when the boil was done, and after I realized I had far too many non-homebrews to be competent in anything, I noticed that the hydrometer reading was 1.07 instead of the suggested 1.051. I also didn't take not of the temperature, but if I had to guess, I would say that it was hotter than the 60 degrees F that my hydro is rated. This would mean that the OG was actually even higher, correct? After pouring into my 6.5 glass, I realized that I most likely lost a lot of water during the boil (which would explain the higher OG, right?)

Today (10 days later) I took a sample and got a FG of 1.018ish (still not good at this). Is there any correlation between high OG and high FG?

so you didn't top off to ferment 5 gallons? at 1.07 standard yeast may have trouble without a starter or double pitching.

Boil off will create a higher OG so if you had a lot of evaporation your OG will be higher than expected which will mean your FG will be higher too.

Not taking the reading around 65* will also effect the reading

akimbo78 said:

so you didn't top off to ferment 5 gallons? at 1.07 standard yeast may have trouble without a starter or double pitching.

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I did not top off to 5 gallons, but I'm also not absolutely positive it's significantly less. Also, the integrity of my OG measurement may be off as well. I'm just looking for advice on how to proceed. Should I just see if the FG changes tomorrow, and if not, bottle it?

i would give it 3 days and see if it is still the same, but then again i am a noob and will err on the side of caution.

h22lude said:

Not taking the reading around 65* will also effect the reading

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My hydrometer is supposed to be at 60*F so that would affect it even more so correct?

Am I right in assuming that if I take a reading at a higher temp, then the true OG should be higher than what I'm reading?

The good news is you are going to make beer either way. Don't worry about correcting this batch, just learn this lesson for the next batch:

When calculating your total water volume, you have to account for grain absorbtion, biol off, evaperation during cool down, and trub loss in the fermenter. Everyone's equipment, and each batch is different, so you really have to figure out these numbers on your equipment.

I understand that. I have never tasted the beer before it's completion, so today worried me a bit. The sample was really sweet tasting and not very hoppy like a pale ale should be.

STAD said:

My hydrometer is supposed to be at 60*F so that would affect it even more so correct?

Am I right in assuming that if I take a reading at a higher temp, then the true OG should be higher than what I'm reading?

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The reading should be taken around 60 yes. Once you get to 70 you will need to add 1 point. The higher the temp the more points you will need to add.

If you started at 1.070 and are at 1.018 you had a 75% attenuation. Depending on the yeast you used you are probably close to being done. That same yeast if it started at 1.051 would get you to 1.013 @ 75% attenuation. And a quart or so more boil off could make a big difference in SG. Welcome back to the home brew world.

iaefebs said:

If you started at 1.070 and are at 1.018 you had a 75% attenuation. Depending on the yeast you used you are probably close to being done. That same yeast if it started at 1.051 would get you to 1.013 @ 75% attenuation. And a quart or so more boil off could make a big difference in SG. Welcome back to the home brew world.

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Thanks, I figured I'm about done with this one. A higher FG is just going to be a sweeter tasting beer, right?