Consistently higher than expected OG

Hey all,

So far, I have brewed 4 batches on my setup. One hit the OG right on the nose. The other 3 have been over by 5-7 points! What gives? My setup is a rubbermaid 10gal round cooler. First, I vorlauf like usual. Then, I stir every 15-20 minutes when I check that my temps are consistent, run off until the thing is empty, do a 1-batch sparge, run that all off and stir again until I reach boil volume. I use a sp-10 for the boil and boil for 60 minutes, per the usual. Is it possible that my crush is REALLY good? What other factors might be causing me to overshoot my OG on a consistent basis?

Thanks!

yes, your crush could be that good. Could be other factors too. Don't worry about it and adjust accordingly (scale recipe back, dilute final batch size, etc.)

+1 If it is consistent, use it as your normal. Calculate your efficiency and adjust recipes to suit. I know many here would love to have your problem!

mbauer013 said:

+1 If it is consistent, use it as your normal. Calculate your efficiency and adjust recipes to suit. I know many here would love to have your problem!

Click to expand...

Yea, I mean, I'm not really complaining, but it's hard when you are attempting to make a "session" ale and have it turn out at 6% ABV.

I seriously got 88% efficiency! That's just crazy to me.

I guess I'll just have to buy some sesson beers if I want em!

This shouldn't be an issue as long as your temperatures and ph are where they should be. Consistency is a very good thing! I would just adjust your recipes assuming the higher efficiency and you should be all set!

I was consistently getting low gravity, but I made some minor adjustments to my process and then adjusted my recipes to compensate and now I'm hitting virtually right on!

JordanThomas said:

Yea, I mean, I'm not really complaining, but it's hard when you are attempting to make a "session" ale and have it turn out at 6% ABV.

I seriously got 88% efficiency! That's just crazy to me.

I guess I'll just have to buy some sesson beers if I want em!

Click to expand...

A good skill to have it learning how to calculate and adjust for high/low OGs "on the fly"...its easy maths.

There is also brewing software.

Just because you get an abnormally high (or low) OG doesn't mean you have just roll with it.

I would say being a good brewer is sticking to a good process, but also being able to adjust on the fly if things come out a bit whacky.

broadbill said:

A good skill to have it learning how to calculate and adjust for high/low OGs "on the fly"...its easy maths.

There is also brewing software.

Just because you get an abnormally high (or low) OG doesn't mean you have just roll with it.

I would say being a good brewer is sticking to a good process, but also being able to adjust on the fly if things come out a bit whacky.

Click to expand...

The thing is, my process hasn't changed. The only thing that changes is the recipe. I don't need to "just roll with it" but apparently I do need less grain for my recipes than I'm accounting for at the moment.

JordanThomas said:

Hey all,

So far, I have brewed 4 batches on my setup. One hit the OG right on the nose. The other 3 have been over by 5-7 points! What gives? My setup is a rubbermaid 10gal round cooler. First, I vorlauf like usual. Then, I stir every 15-20 minutes when I check that my temps are consistent, run off until the thing is empty, do a 1-batch sparge, run that all off and stir again until I reach boil volume. I use a sp-10 for the boil and boil for 60 minutes, per the usual. Is it possible that my crush is REALLY good? What other factors might be causing me to overshoot my OG on a consistent basis?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Sounds like you have mastered Mashing and you efficiency is "great".

I was having the same problem, I did not check the OG and FG, but we were getting "fired up" on what were supposed to be Low Gravity Beers.

I assumed since i was new to AG that I would do it wrong... well I did not.

I would re-do you recipes a bit

Best part is you will save money: my recent eleven (11) gallon English Mild only took 15 pounds of grain and It came out great...

DPB

88% efficiency is great.

You could start a plot of efficiency vs original gravity for your system to get an idea of how much grain to buy (examples below). One of the beers on the plot had sugar added in the boil and has been corrected for gravity points added by sugar because it doesn't factor into the mash.

The plot of efficiency vs pre-boil data is probably the most useful to correct for longer boils & greater mash water volumes. I generally plan for 70% efficiency and make adjustments after collecting the pre-boil volume of wort but could cut back on a rebrew. The most useful part of the graph is to plan for high gravity mashes (need to exclude the original gravity points from sugar) and decrease the planned efficiency <70%.