Am I Crazy?

Just finished up a brewing a batch of SHMBO Slayer. I used brewtarget and was spot on for all of my numbers. Preboil gravity matched up, post boil gravity matched up. Everything was perfect, infact almost too perfect. My numbers matched my Brewtarget numbers exactly.

I left the sample flask with the hydrometer sitting in it on the back corner of the counter and did my clean up. After I got everything cleaned up(30 min. or so), I just glanced back at my hydrometer floating.

Here is where it gets wierd to me. The Hyrdometer read 1.052. It had read 1.042 about 30 minutes ago. Now I know that there will be fluctuation with gravity readings depending on temps. BUT it didn't change temp that much. The previous temp reading right before I put in the yeast was at about 67 or 68. My house is about 63-64, so it might have dropped a couple degrees, but nothing more.

How is this possible? Am I crazy? I'm not too worried about the higher reading, it's just got me scratching my head. I consumed a brew or two, but not enough to skew my readings that much

Is it possible that the drop in temp by only a couple degrees really threw the gravity reading off by an entire point?

make sure you spin the hydrometer to ensure you don't have any air bubbles stuck on it. That will make your reading higher. sounds like thats what happened. after 30 minutes the bubbles probably went to the top and lowered your reading.

BDupree, thats a great point. But i actually did that. I have this OCD thing where i have to spin the hydrometer at least twice every time just to make sure it wasn't stuck. Maybe somehow it still was stuck though.

I'm assuming that I should go with the second reading? I know there are reasons that the 1st reading coule be off, but are there any possible reasons that the 2nd reading could be innacurate? Other than an innacurate hydrometer, or temp diffs?

Even an inaccurage hydrometer will be consistently inaccurate. Different temps is possible but 3 or 4 degrees won't make the gravity drop any measurable amount. The only other option i can think of is that the break material settled down into the bottom, either changing the density of the liquid or causing the hydrometer to sit on top of it.

I'm going with that explanation. Nothing else makes sense

I've had bits of hops stuck on the glass tube or the hydro attaches itself to the side of the test jar.