Gravity Issues

Hey guys,

I think I might have a busted hydrometer or I'm doing something wrong.

I bought a kit from AHS that was supposed to have an OG or 1.044 and finish at 1.009.

I bought their 1% boost which I was expecting to add about .007 to the OG . I tested the wort three times and got a reading of 1.066. So the reading was about .015 higher than I was expecting.

I figure at that point if I screwed up there was nothing I could do and pitched the yeast. Fast forward 10 days and I start taking FG reading to see if I should move to a secondary. For the last three days the FG has been stuck at 1.018.

On top of all that my samples didn't taste great at all. My first batch of beer tasted like bandaid flavored soda. While the samples of this batch didn't taste that bad I'm a little paranoid to say the least.

At this point I don't know if I'm reading this hydrometer wrong, if my equipment is faulty, or if my beer making skills are just awful. Any advice or recommendations would help a ton.

Thanks

The first thing to do is to check your hydrometer- put some water in the test cylinder and see what plain water is. (60 degree water, if your hydrometer is calibrated at 60 degrees). I know mine is off by .002, so I can just add .002 to my samples.

Also, an extract kit is not really variable as far as og. If you post your recipe, I can double check and see what your og really was (I can run it through brewing software.). Sometimes the og reads differently because the extract isn't really mixed up all that well after you top up with water and your sample might be higher or lower, depending on where you took the sample from (top or bottom). I can also see what your expected fg would be, too.

A band aid flavor is usually a result of either too high a fermentation temperature, or using a sanitizer that is bleach based. Both are easily corrected for the next batch!

So, I'm sure you are doing just fine! Each batch is a learning experience and they get better and better.

Like Yoop Said test out your Hydrometer in plain water. also checkout your sanitation procedures, bandaid flavor can be an indication of an infection also. If you can find a Local homebrew supply to go to and talk to them, most of the time they are great people and very eager to help out new brewers. And as always keep with the questions around here. we'll get you straightened out one way or another. Just don't give up!

Cheers