Low original gravity

I can't figure out where I am going wrong. My OG was 1.030 when it should have been 1.051. My temps were good in the mash and the volumes were correct. i even added a pound of dme to 5 gallons and the gravity went up minimal, like a few points. Should I mash longer? This is the second beer that had a low OG. Could it be my hydrometer is bad? It comes up at 1.000 on tap water.

We're gonna need a little more specifics if your gonna get any good advice. Are you doing AG or Extract? What did your recipe look like? What's your process...i.e. mash temps, how your measuring temps, mash length, efficiency numbers, sparge temps, pre-boil volumes and gravity, post boil volume and gravity. There are a number of things that could lead to low efficiency hence low OG, but these are a few. Let us know and we can try and help.

+1 ^^^ also check your thermometer.

It was yuris thunderstruck pumpkin ale. The recipe is ag. And it is on beer smith. It's a 5 gallon batch. 6.5 gal boil size at 60 min. Mash temp was 158 for one hour. Mashed in at 170.5 and sparged at 168.

Do you know what your pre-boil gravity was? With such a low OG, your pre-boil must have been really off. Is this the first time this happened?

I think it was around 1.022 at 150 or so degrees. And no it happened on my last ag batch. This time I added a pound of light dime and it really didn't change it.

First place to look is the quality of crush. If the LHBS is crushing, ask them to crush twice
Second, Are you stirring the mash thoroughly at mash in to eliminate dough balls, stirring again at the half way point?
Third, are you stirring like hell before vorleuf and sparge (Batch sparge)?
Fourth, are you meeting your pre-boil volume and is there any wort left in the tun when you finish?
Fifth, What is your mash pH?

All of these things need to be taken into account to raise your efficiency and ensure proper conversion and extraction of all those tasty sugars in the mash.

I did everything you suggested so maybe it is the grain crush.there is less than a half gallon left in my mlt.

Yeah that's really low dude. Something must be going wrong with your efficiency. For your hydrometer, it's likely not the issue if it reads 1.00000 in water. When I had issues with efficiency, I was getting around 60%. Not too far off your issue. I got my thermometer dialed in on boiling water and crushed a little finer that my LHBS had their crusher set on.

Now I'm working with 80% efficiency. Crush your own grain? Mind explaining your procedures? Maybe a fix can be found somewhere in there.

Oh 1 more question. Do you fly or batch sparge? As duboman said, you need to mix like hell when you mash, during the mash a couple times, and before you begin sparging. But, for when you fly sparge, every so often, use your spoon to disturb the top 1 inch of the compacted grain bed. This was something I also did and got my huge jump in efficiency.

I batch sparge and I stir the mash.

If you are doing all the things I rattled off and doing them well then you need to evaluate the crush you're getting as a crappy crush will give you crappy efficiency regardless of the rest. Otherwise get a mill and completely control your own process.

Ok. Then I'm going with crush. Good luck!

So are there any inexpensive grain mills out there.

Madsciontst said:

So are there any inexpensive grain mills out there.

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the Barley crusher IMO is a good deal for a dependable mill. Monster Mills would be a big step up. There is also a corona mill which many people have on the lowest end

Madsciontst said:

I think it was around 1.022 at 150 or so degrees. And no it happened on my last ag batch. This time I added a pound of light dime and it really didn't change it.

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It doesnt' explain your low OG after chilling, but any reading above 100 degrees is useless (even though you can convert the reading with software). You have to cool the reading to 90 degrees or less in pitcher of ice water, and THEN convert the reading.

next time, cool the sample and then take the reading and correct from there.

Readings over 100 degrees are notoriously inaccurate, and so are useless.

I am convinced that it was the crush of the grains. I'm going to try a different brew supply and see how that works. Thanks for all the help.

Madsciontst said:

I am convinced that it was the crush of the grains. I'm going to try a different brew supply and see how that works. Thanks for all the help.

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Do you crush the grain at the LHBS or are they sent to you pre-crushed? Your LHBS should allow you to adjust their crusher if you put it back...be sure to do this because I had forgotten once and 2 guys behind me got a finer crush than they were expecting

My local store crushes it for me.

Madsciontst said:

My local store crushes it for me.

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I don't know what their or my LHBS is using, but the one at my LHBS has a little line on the dial and the factory setting has it pointing straight north meeting up with a little another line etched into the crusher's base it looks like. I crush just on the left side of that line. It's finer than the average crush but not dust by any means.

I can take a pic of the crusher and the lines this evening and put it up if you'd like a reference. Crushing for a Friday evening brew.

Went to the local brew supply to get grains for my next batch. Funny thing is that the guy knew that the crush wasn't that good. My grain crush is optimal now.